After Sacking 300, Standard Group Begins to Shut TV Stations

The Standard Group, which is facing severe cashflow problems, has shut down one of its TV stations. It is understood that KTN News, a sister station to KTN Home, ceased broadcasting from 5^th July in a low-profile manner.

KTN News programming, which was mainly news and news features, has switched into KTN Home, the company’s flagship TV station.

The move comes barely a week after the Standard Group management announced it was laying off 300 employees to cut costs and save the company from going under. Insiders say already 200 employees, including senior newspaper and broadcast editors, have been sent on leave pending their exit.

“Many guys have been sent on compulsory leave,” an insider said. “Everyone who has been asked to go on leave is not coming back.”

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Most of the KTN News employees have been let go, except a few who have been absorbed by KTN Home in its various departments. The closure of KTN News marks the beginning of a restructuring of the media company’s operations away from retrenching staff. Cutting off KTN News, with other operations in radio and TV expected to follow, is hoped to make Standard leaner and agile enough to recover from its current financial mess.

KTN news was launched in July 2015, and has been closed down exactly nine years later. It was unveiled as a 24-hour station focusing on delivering comprehensive, incisive news, current affairs programming, documentaries and features.

Then CEO, Mr Sam Shollei, said KTN would break new ground in TV programming because it would give Kenyans a variety of news channels to watch. Indeed, it has broken new ground, covering news and analysis round the clock, but found it hard to break even.

It also offered Standard Group an alternative chancel for live broadcasts as KTN Home maintained normal programming. KTN News has been broadcasting in both English and Kiswahili.

Standard Group board issued a redundancy notice late July in what is understood to be a massive layoff of journalists and other operational staff. The board says deep cuts will help the company bounce back from its perennial losses.

The management attributes the move to the difficult operating environment and its long-drawn effect on revenue generation. “This situation has been witnessed on the back of shifting trends in media consumption, occasioned by technological changes in the digital media landscape and emerging consumer preferences which have necessitated a rethink of our business model,” it says.

Standard Group announced Ms Marion Gathoga-Mwangi as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 4^th July. Ms Mwangi took over from Mr Joe Munene who has held the position on interim since 6^th July, 2023 after Orlando Lyomu left. Other TV stations likely to be closed include KTN Farmers and KTN Burudani, with focus also on the Spice and Vybez radio stations.

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