TV9 Karnataka blocked!

Karnataka's leading news channel TV9 has run into trouble with the Karnataka government. According to a statement from the channel issued around 10.30pm Monday, the channel has been taken off air by several cable operators in the state, reportedly after a directive was issued by the state's energy minister DK Shivakumar.

Channel sources told HT that they were to run a major expose against the Siddaramaiah government at 9.30pm in their prime time segment. The channel was taken off air, just before the programme was to be aired.

However, president of the Karnataka State Cable Operatora Association (KSCOA), Patrick Raju, denied that the channel had been taken off air following pressure from the government. "They carry too much news about Telugu films and focus a lot on the Telugu speaking population. We think their news is not relevant in Karnataka. They also carry negative news about cable operators often," he told HT.

The channel has been in a long-running dispute with the Telangana government, and was even threatened by chief minister K Chandraskehar Rao in September.