The radio division of Mediamax Ltd has been left in confusion after head of radio, Joyce Gituro, resigned in a huff after what is believed to be a fallout with the company’s chief executive officer.
Ms Gituro was among radio journalists who joined Mediamax last year in August from Royal Media Services as Milele consolidated talent to grow its audience and advertising revenue.
Her exit, though, was seen coming. It is understood that she had resigned late last year citing frustration and interference, but revoked the decision after talks with management. The last straw in her back, however, was delivered by Mediamax chief operations officer Kenneth Ngaruiya, who is also acting as CEO after the exit of Ian Fernandes mid June.
It is understood that since her arrival at DSM Place there had been remarkable growth in revenues and ranking of the six radio stations under Mediamax including Msenangu (formerly Pilipili), Emoo, Kameme, Asena (formerly Meru FM), Mayiani FM and Milele, among others. Milele, for instance, had increased its revenues from Ksh4 million per month before she came in to between Ksh14-16 million, according to someone who has access to radio accounts.
Immediately she resigned, Joshua arap Sang, who was hired by the company’s Kalenjin radio station Emoo in June, was appointed deputy head of radio and will run the show until a substantive head is appointed.
The person says besides interfering with radio programming and planning, management has cut down on financing publicity campaigns used to draw in audience such as road-shows. “If you want to grow audience, you must spend, but the management is not very keen on this,” the person told BT.
Meanwhile, efforts by radio managers to expand audience have been frustrated by frequency hitches that frequently cut off listeners in some parts of the country. The hitches are notorious in some parts of Nairobi and Western Kenya.
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