Tech Babu goes live with radio over Net

Published in Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle on December 1, 2007
November 2007
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Nov. 30: The main opposition Telugu Desam has set up an online radio station named TDP Radio. All you need is an Internet connection and a pair of speakers to tune into TD’s version of the happenings in the State. TDP Radio is the brainchild of party president N. Chandrababu Naidu, who has a yen for things hi-tech.
He wants to disseminate hot news of the state to Telugu-speaking people living in foreign countries, with a TD slant of course. It can be assessed by clicking TD’s official website, www.Telugudesamparty.org. Mr Naidu got the idea of
having his own radio station after the recent interaction with Telugu-speaking NRIs in the US, the UK and Canada.
A survey conducted by the party showed that about five million Telugu-speaking people were living in about 100 countries.
“The online radio service will not only give news to Telugus but will also keep them in touch with our party,” said a senior TD leader. An exclusive website for the Telugu NRIs for exchange of views on various important topics has also been set up by TD. Telugus outside the country can post their views on TDP Radio in the NRI website. Since TDP Radio is webcast, it can be accessed and heard from anywhere in the globe.
TD is perhaps the only political party in the country to have its own online radio station. Mr Naidu has also set up video links in the party’s official website to enable people to see happenings in TD headquarters NTR Bhavan.
Press conferences held at NTR Bhavan are webcast, both in audio and video formats. Now that the State Assembly elections fast approaching, Mr Naidu is also thinking of reviving his party’s mouthpiece, Telugu Desam Weekly, published earlier in Telugu and Urdu.