It was in July 2006, approximately ten and half years ago, when a new news channel covered the story of a boy, named prince, who had fallen and trapped inside a 60-foot deep borewell nonstop. The urgency of the situation looked genuine and honest throughout their 50 hours relentless coverage. It struck the chord with the audience. An otherwise regional story grabbed the national headlines. This was the first-time Arnab Goswami had set the narrative for mainstream media to follow.
Fast forward to November 2016. A short video of Arnab’s farewell speech was leaked online on YouTube. At his emotional best, Arnab was heard saying to his ex-colleagues that the “Game has just begun”. Prior to it at several other forums, he talked about the need of independent media house outside of Delhi, where he could dare to challenge the western hegemony and install an Indian media house at the global stage.
The thing which stands out between these two events separated by a decade is Arnab’s unusual ability to take risks – His single characteristic that distinguished him from his peers. He backed himself on the leads which used to reap dividends for him. The first of its kind exclusive reporting of common wealth scam started with a small accounting error reported to him. Once the story was aired, he sensed that it was merely a tip of the iceberg. His team followed the lead and the rest is history.
It is heartening to see that with age and success his appetite to shift the narratives and set the discourses has grown manifold. In the process, he became bigger than the brand. So when the supercharged, hyperactive and sometimes-jingoistic anchor announced his departure from the channel which was synonymous to him, he broke the internet. It was a big news to all those social media warriors who either could not stop loving him or were content hating him.
Once the order was established and the silence inside the Times now newsroom and twitter feeds became a new normal, the obvious question was what is next for Arnab? The speculations were many and the stakes were high. The first confirmed report available in public domain was the News minute exclusive in which Arnab Goswami talked about his new venture, named as Republic. Without divulging any further details at that time, he sought the support of people of India for it.
There is no denying that Arnab will strike a chord immediately with Indian masses as the vacuum created after his sudden exit can only be filled by him. But the pertinent question is “How far can Arnab push with his Republic?”
The answer would not have been so optimistic had Arnab not hit the cabal where and when it mattered the most. He shattered the journalist (bro) code of universal bonhomie and asked the Govt to take the pro-Pakistan doves at their face value. Even after several rebuttals and condemnations, he trusted more on viewers’ support and remained affixed to his stand. This would have been the very first time when someone inside the press called for a gag on the press. Contrary to the general journalistic ethos Arnab is pro-establishment, righteous and arbiter. That makes Arnab different.
The factor which can make Republic worth of fortune is the shifting ideologies of the current generation. This vastly educated and tech-savvy generation of India and abroad is quickly renouncing the holier and idealistic approach of the system and media. The change is so palpable that the already moulded journalistic elites are not able to cope up. This generation feels good when he sees someone like them to be there and ask angry, tough and frustrating questions. They want quick trail and results. While there is nothing wrong in it, the population is so unimaginably high that the thrust required to fly the new venture is instantly available.
Personally, Arnab is a powerhouse of energy. Running a show for more than two hours with multiple screens filled with panelists at a fixed time every day is no mean feat. In addition to that, he used to be on times now at a time he wanted. His passion towards the work will be equal, if not more in his new venture.
The second aspect of Arnab’s Republic of being truly independent will mostly lie with its promoters. Arnab has appeared to be over-fastidious about it.
Though there are several national and international names doing rough the corner, all are so far mere speculations. It seems that Arnab will go with the multiple promoters carrying small stakes to eliminate the probability of anyone dictating his terms.
In all probability, Arnab’s Republic will gain quick momentum and he would expand it rapidly to most of the large Indian diaspora to the other parts of the world. However, for becoming truly international and push it far to the western world, he will require a large amount of money and other administrative and distributive capabilities which he may not be able to procure in short span of time.