Former NTV presenter Mark Masai’s unveiled his new show on Monday, December 12, barely a fortnight since being pushed out at Nation Media Group (NMG) after 14 years.
Having been one of the faces of NTV for over a decade, the abrupt sacking of Masai as part of a wider restructuring at NMG dominated headlines. It’s therefore no surprise that Kenyans were keen to find out his next move.
After earlier teasing an upcoming online show/podcast, Masai on December 12 shared a teaser for the new weekly show dubbed ‘The Social Newsroom’. It will be produced in collaboration with Nairobi-based podcast studio SemaBox. The show is expected to feature insightful conversations on various issues.
The trailer quickly went viral and as of Tuesday afternoon had racked up over 9,000 likes, a pointer to the anticipation for the show. The Social Newsroom is slated to debut on Thursday, December 15th on Masai’s social media pages.
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“Ladies & Gentlemen: Here’s to the us!
To the new way of doing things.
To finding meaning in what we experience. To finding stories that matter to us. Welcome to the future,” Masai teased as he promoted the show.
The announcement by Masai received a mostly positive reaction from Kenyans online, with many stating that they looked forward to it. Others praised Masai’s tenacity, observing how he bounced back quickly after losing his job.
Sample some of the comments;
Chixue wrote: “The future belongs to those who embrace change and challenge and offer a new way of doing things. All the best Mark Masai, you have what it takes to create a new chapter.”
Africa Uncensored CEO John-Allan Namu, who left KTN to set up his own operation, simply told Namu “Welcome to the other side! All the best Mark.”
“Wow! Mark, you’re showing us the real meaning of resilience. We started off in the newsroom about the same time, and you’ve long outlived me and many others! Keep going!” shared Sheila Masinde.
Mwenda wrote: “I really stopped watching mainstream media because of bias I hope this is something different from what I ran away from.”
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