ehind every great fortune there is a crime, wrote French novelist Honore de Balzac several hundred years ago (the quote really became famous only after it was used in The Godfather by Mario Puzo). And while law-abiding citizens and institutions besides Bollywood heroes will go out of their way to caution that ultimately crime doesn�t pay, the fact is that the fortunes of our news channels seem to hinge on crime. Crime reportage, rather. And almost every news channel worth its TVR is vying to establish a lead in crime reporting.

Look at the line up. STAR News has Red Alert, Aaj Tak fights with Jurm, ZEE News has Crime File while NDTV has Metro FIR on its Hindi news channel and Dial 100 and Investigation on its English news channel. INDIA TV joined the fray recently with a refurbished version of Most Wanted, Sahara Samay marks a presence in the genre with Hello Control Room and Chargesheet, while general entertainment channel Sony has a slightly dramatised version of a crime show in Crime Patrol. ... more