Three years may be a long time elsewhere. Not in the television industry, especially for a new channel that was established after big brother chose to depart. But Channel [V] not only managed to carve out a unique identity, it's also held its turf even after the return of MTV. Launched on 27 May, 1994 with a handful of VJs, Channel [V] has grown to a staff strength of 70 plus with a dozen odd VJs. It claims to be watched by over 30 million viewers in India. Under a slightly lunatic but highly creative general manager, Jules Fuller. It has also recently introduced new India-specific shows like Simply South, Toofan TV and Close Encounters. Accusations that Channel [V] copied the promo style and programme content from MTV is denied by Velu Shankar, the executive producer. ``The music genre demands that kind of an imagery and style,'' he says. Channel [V] has a healthy respect for MTV, but ``We are very strong in our own way.'' Shanshank Ghosh, the creative consultant, dismisses the competition with a terse question, ``MTV who?''

Nevertheless, the team doesn't believe in letting good ideas pass by. So, if MTV has got Beavis and Butthead, Ghosh says [V] has something better, something desi Udham Singh, the guy who whiplashes music videos. ``We invent our own formulae. The American concept of `attitude' is not the same as the Indian one,'' explains Ghosh.

Shankar feels Channel [V] ticks because it cannot be pinned down. ``We are constantly re-inventing ourselves,'' he says. Ghosh says he has no idea of what they will be doing a few months later. Both insist that [V] invented and promoted the Hindi pop scene. ``The groundwork we have done as far as local music goes is tremendous,'' says Shankar. According to him, [V]'s programmes are ``a beautiful mixture of market research and gut feelings''. And unlike other channels, [V] does not believe in farming out programmes to independent producers. ``[V] make everything,'' says Ghosh. ``The producers need to be quality sadak chhaaps -- it is easier to work in-house as we are conscious of having a certain style. [V] can make comments on television just by doing what it does,'' explains Ghosh. While some shows still come from Hong Kong, the percentage is decreasing. ``We have always been autonomous in our working style with our own PR and marketing team and office setup. We are really bullish about promoting Indian shows,'' says Shankar. Already there are around 15 shows from India. ``Earlier, Hong Kong used to dictate. Now all the decisions are taken here,'' says Ghosh.

Including going full steam ahead with road shows, pub-promotions and other interactive events. Channel [V] has also dabbled in music cassettes. ``This is a natural extension of our channel,''' claims Fuller. Ghosh has a dream project -- to start a band called ``After your dad goes to sleep!''

``People buy us on brand influence, because we get noticed. Youth know our catch phrases, our signals and signs, our VJs and their eccentricities,'' says Fuller.. The VJs are selected on how they talk and whether they can build a relationship with the audience -- it is like a friendship. However, for all this, there are problems. In one TV households kids get sidelined by parents and so does [V] by other channels. ``Forty per cent of our audience watches [V] at a friend's house or in cafes,'' says Fuller. The other drawback is the paucity of live music and a sense of history. ``Our attitude is to give the public what its likes plus something it should listen to,'' says Ghosh. Another problem is that music channels have, traditionally, been snag channels people watch and switch to something else. ``The challenge is to make them stay on,'' says Shankar. And when asked what has gone drastically wrong with [V], Ghosh replies, ``Office space! We have grown and have run out of space so fast that we did not even notice,'' he says. The marketing division moved out, curiously, to an office just above MTV's!

``Now we can spy on MTV. We have drilled holes in the floor to see what they are upto!'' he says. Ghosh claims the secret of [V]'s success is that [V] is probably the only channel which knows its audience -- the youth and the youth-minded. ``We don't have a crime or soap script we have to stick to,'' he says. He does not agree that MTV is up-market and [V] down-market. ``If you take a look at your fancy kids and the normal Indian kids, there are certain common denominators, universals that work,'' he says.

Channel [V] cuts through the divide separating the South Mumbai brat and the guy in Ahmedabad. ``And there is a way to talk with them. There is no separate speak for them,'' Ghosh adds.Thelingua franca, needless to say, is V-speak.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.