If you never knew that ANN7 was trash when Naspers' MultiChoice launched it as a secret propaganda channel laced with bias in August 2013 for then-president
Jacob Zuma with the help of the controversial and corrupt Gupta family, then you'll know it now after reading
Rajesh Sundaram's insider-account,
Identured: Behind the Scenes at Gupta TV.
Published by Jacana and
available since Tuesday at R185 after plans for the book
was initially dropped in June 2014, the delicious book is a deep dive into the ugly acrimony, law breaking, physical and verbal abuse, secret political influence, clandestine payments, worker discrimination, out-of-control egos and shocking circumstances and work conditions behind-the-scenes of the setting up of the disastrous ANN7.
All of this of course quickly, and eventually, proved highly destructive from a brand perspective for the Guptas, ANN7 itself, but also for MultiChoice and DStv.
Selective excepts from
Identured: Behind the Scenes at Gupta TV published on Wednesday, media reports about it, and 2 interviews with
Rajesh Randaram, added another chapter and more shocking, sordid and extremely lurid details about what allegedly went on behind-the-scenes at ANN7 and its Midrand-based headquarters, and the alleged volatile, abusive behaviour of owner
Atul Gupta.
In a
must-listen interview with Biznews,
Rajesh Sundaram explained how ANN7 was rushed to air on DStv without proper time or testing, and how ANN7 executives blatantly lied to MultiChoice about ANN7 being ready to launch in 2013although it wasn't as far as its technical operations were concerned.
"We went to multiple meetings with MultiChoice. We were not prepared to go on-air technically, but we had to bluff our way through there."
He explained that "there was a lot of arm-twisting involved to get on DStv in the first place, that involved president Jacob Zuma himself".
He told Biznews that Indian staffers, brought to South Africa on tourist visas and who worked in the country illegally, had to live on the ANN7 Midrand construction site "in sub-human conditions".
"I realised that I had made a mistake - that I was setting up a monster station for the mafia in South Africa," said
Rajesh Sundaram.
Rajesh Sundaram told Biznews about the physical and verbal abuse staffers allegedly suffered at the hands of the Guptas like
Atul Gupta.
"There were staff that
Atul Gupta would slap; and physically abuse us; scream verbal abuse at people. For instance say the playout system crashes,
Atul Gupta would come into the production control room and start beating up the audio console person".
"
Atul Gupta would come into the newsroom and just slap people. There was an audio engineer who was slapped. There were others who were abused. And many instances of him just screaming his lungs out in the gallery about things he never knew about".
Rajesh Sundaram told
HuffPost SA in a second interview on Wednesday that "the intention to launch ANN7 was all wrong. The media is supposed to be a pillar in democracy. It was being abused. It was being misused. They just wanted a propaganda station".
He explained that
Duduzane Zuma,
Jacob Zuma's son sat in several meetings. "Duduzane was there and was the one who was dictating to us all what the editorial policy would be".
HuffPost SA on Wednesday also ran a print report about
Identured: Behind the Scenes at Gupta TV and how
Atul Gupta went beserk and screamed at
Nazeem Howa when
Nazeem Howa suggested that ANN7 hire
Debora Patta.
"She's a white bitch! She is not a journalist, she is a sensationalist. She is a well-known face on TV here, but her aggression is reserved for the government and its ministers,"
Atul Gupta allegedly yelled.
As ANN7 struggled to get journalist and presenters to join,
Atul Gupta told an underling "to get the modelling agency to send us sexy young models who will present our bulletins. We will not have to deal with these ugly old bitches anymore."
On
ANN7's disastrous launch day that
TVwithThinus detailed at the time - as well as
the on-air horrific mistakes,
Atul Gupta exploded at the Indian studio technicians and told them: "You bloody monkeys. F*cking get out of here, pack your bags and go back to India. You are all useless people."
Atul Gupta told executive,
Karun Shawney: "Look down, you fool, how dare you look me in the eye when you talk to me. Don't you know I hate people who dare to look me in the eye? You bastards are f*cking my channel and my reputation."
Indian staff members were paid much less than the South African workers but the Indian staffers were fed staff meals while the South African workers got nothing and had to look on.
"It was extremely distressing to see Indian staff sit down for dinner after a long day's work while the South Africans were not invited to join."
Atul Gupta was
allegedly racist towards South Africans, saying "The South Africans are a difficult lot. If you give them a lift back home they will see it as a right. These are leeches that want to suck the organisation dry".
On Wednesday
News24 ran a report from the book about how
Jacob Zuma himself chose the name "Africa News Network". Because the name was already taken, a "7" was added.
On Thursday in an interview with radio station 702,
Rajesh Sundaram told Bongani Bingwa that "Atul Gupta had no sense of what broadcasting is about. There were a few instance where he'd go and hit people you know, right in the middle of a broadcast".
Rajesh Sundaram also explained why the Guptas were so adamant and anxious to get ANN7 onto MultiChoice's DStv.
"Jacob Zuma had given a guarantee that money from government advertising agencies would come in to ANN7 and that this advertising revenue would then be given back to him through his son Duduzane."
