Biz Buzz

Why is Samajwadi leader Amar Singh in tension? This time it's not because a channel istargeting his friend Amitabh Bachchan but because the Samajwadi Party leader has beenserved a notice from the Department of Excise for having served liquor at a lavish partyhe organised on January 26, 2001. And guess who was the star attraction of the show? Well,besides Amitabh Bachchan and the routine lineup from Mumbai, the list also included the PrimeMinister's foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya, who came with his family and stayed late. Singh, last heard, was wondering how to handle the crisis.

When it's oil, there has to be politics. And it could be strange as well. Consider thelatest case in point wherein investigating agencies have found that Petroleum and NaturalGas minister Ram Naik sanctioned licenses for as many as 20 petrol pumps to MPs belongingto the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh which is going to the polls next month.Is this a move to keep Mayawati and company happy? Perhaps yes. And more so because the BSP --according to party insiders -- is a better bet than the SJP. And surprisingly, this comes afterall the hullaballo over the Vincent George case.

This is not sweet news for Citibank. After all, for years it took pride in displayingits million-dollar line: The Citi never sleeps. And why not? It had a lion's share in the6.5 million credit card market. But now, the Standard Chartered merger with ANZ Grindlayshas put Citibank in the number two slot. So what next? An aggressive marketing drive(which includes a drastic reduction of fee of the once-exalted Diners Card and offers forcollege students) and a series of new campaigns over the next couple of months.

Is this a fightback time for Zee Telefilms? While channel owner and promoter SubhashChandra granted interviews to a selected few in the Indian Capital and waxed eloquent onthe channel's relation with tainted broker Ketan Parekh, its new CEO Sandip Goyal hasalready started what he calls the first exercise to beef up content. The first move is topoach Raveena Raj Kohli, Channel9 India's programming chief and get -- within a short span-- at least four good programmes on air. But yes, the channel is yet to pick up themuch-talked about stake in Tehelka and is still not sure whether it should continuenegotiations with filmstar Ashutosh Rana to revive Sawaal Dus Crore Ka. Interestingly,Goyal -- after Subhash Chandra -- will be visiting the Indian Capital next week to meet anumber of senior bureaucrats to explain the channel's point of view (that it's not againstany party but corruption in government).

The Ambanis, it seems, will never be out of news. Consider the latest proposal fromMakers Chamber IV to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

The group has suggested that thegovernment should work out a plan wherein (to start with) buildings housing all governmentorganisations would replace almost anything and everything that is made of wood. Why?Because the group feels hard plastic - which it gets in abundance as by-product from itsrefineries -- is an excellent, eco-friendly alternative. And with a wholelot of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) already clamouring for ban on felling oftrees, the PMO -- it's reliably learnt -- has forwarded the same to the Ministry of UrbanDevelopment for a detailed analysis.

Information and Broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj appears to be on a warpath.Recently, Swaraj instructed Prasar Bharati CEO Anil Baijal to scrap a major project theboard had sanctioned to Mumbai-based Nimbus Communications. The project, which allowedNimbus officials to work out of the precincts of Mumbai Doordarshan, was to producebusiness bulletins for over four hours from Monday to Friday at a whopping cost of Rs 35lakhs per week. But why was the programme cancelled? First, it was found out that Nimbus Communications had no prior experience in handling serious business programmesand secondly, there were relatives of Principal Secretary and Security Advisor BrajeshMishra on the board of the company. And finally, Nimbus had been blacklisted by theInformation and Broadcasting Ministry for not clearing DD's dues. Is that an openrebellion by a section of the NDA cabinet against the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)?

After Sandip Goyal of Rediffusion shifting as CEO to Zee, what is the next big move inthe Indian advertising industry? First, there are talks about HTA president Sunil Guptabeing elevated, though not many are clear as to why is Gupta being elevated as a chieffinancial officer (CFO). Secondly, what is the amount Reebok paid spinner Harbhajan Singhfor a two-year contract? Insiders claim it's almost the same as what Coke is currently payingHrithik. Any guesses for the amount?

Will this be a case of right to freedom of expression? Or will it be a case ofan advertisement in bad taste? The Bennett Coleman group, it's reliably learnt, has sued EquusAdvertising CEO Suhel Seth and Indian Express group of newspapers CEO Shekhar Gupta for anundisclosed amount for carrying what the Times group said was an outright defamatorycampaign. But what did the campaign show? Well, it showed The Times of India as plaintoilet paper and urged readers to switch to The Indian Express. This happened in Punewhere Express officials claim their daily is read by more people than The Times of Indiadespite the latter's higher sales.