Jaya TV is in a bit of a stupor since yesterday

Delhi TV news media has para-dropped in Chennai to give us a blow-by-blow account of the deteriorating health condition of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, aka Amma.

NDTV, as we write this short, is airing a special show on the functions of the heart, the lungs and how the wondrous ECMO device can help them “take it easy”.

Meanwhile, the one channel you would have expected to have all the “critical” details on the developing story of the day has gone into a stupor. Jaya TV, owned and managed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) members and Jayalalithaa’s associates, was flashing the Apollo hospital press release on loop yesterday.

Today, they have been featuring old movies and songs starring MGR and Gemini Ganesan.

Jaya Plus, on the other hand, has been flashing the news of Amma receiving constant support through ECMO on loop.

That is literally all that is flashing on the news channel’s screen at this point in time. Well, what can we say? At least they aren’t spreading panic and misinformation.

Meanwhile, rival Sun News, owned by Kalanithi Maran-led Sun TV Network, is doing a better job. The channel has journalists across the state reporting on various aspects of the story, mostly on how everyone is praying for Amma’s speedy recovery. In other news, its shares advanced nearly seven per cent after reports of Jayalalithaa’s declining health.