Just hours after Royal Media Services issued a redundancy notice to its employees, the company’s human resources department started dishing out letters to those targeted by the restructuring of Citizen TV and its stable of radio stations.
Over 20 journalists had been sacked by last evening, including some big names in its broadcast division. Among those shown the door are TV news anchor Terryanne Chebet and Kirigo Ng’arwa as well as radio veteran radio presenter Anunda Sakwa.
Other prominent broadcast names dropped from RMS include political editor Shisia Wasilwa, Elizabeth Omolo, Agao Patrobas and Nasteha Mohammed. The retrenchment also chopped off big heads in editorial, pushing out Mercy Oburu and Patrick Mathangani, who were among the seven managing editors. [see full list below]
Terryanne Chebet’s sacking comes a four months after she unveiled her line of beauty products under the brand Keyara. The products include organic body and hair oils, which she founded two years ago. It’s not clear whether her sacking is linked to this or the fact that she runs Scarlet Digital, a PR and marketing agency which conflicted with her job.
SEE ALSO >> What Terryanne Chebet plans to do she leaves Citizen?
Ms Chebet, a newscaster-cum-business reporter, has been a prime time anchor on Citizen TV where she presents the Wednesday Business Centre news bulletin and the television’s daily business news. Ms Chebet has been lucky to work for most of the TV stations in Kenya – including KBC, K24 and international TV stations CCTV and CNBC Africa. She rejoined Citizen TV in 2014 after quitting earlier for CCTV.
Royal Media targets to fire 100 members of staff, mainly journalists, in a reorganization the management says has been necessitated by a shrinking broadcast market.
Increased competition brought by digital migration has cut ad revenues for most media houses, while the government has also consolidated advertising thus cutting off the profligate spending by various ministries and departments that benefitted media houses in the past.
Digital platforms such as Facebook, Google and news websites are also biting off a good chunk of audience and advertising.
Here is the interim list of journalists
- Terryanne Chebet
- Kirigo Ng’arua
- Jemima Mungai
- Anunda Sakwa
- Elizabeth Omolo
- Beatrice Njoki-Camera
- Brian Okutoyi-Creative
- Alex (alias Makarau)
- Agao Patrobas
- John Marete
- Crispin Njogu (alias Osama)
- Victor Kenani
- Mercy Oburu
- Gladys Kigo
- Shisia Wasilwa
- Philip Muruttu
- Nasteha Mohammed
- Young
- Paul Ngandu
- Emily
- Leah Ngari
- Abdi Osman
- Maureen Murimi
- Mathangani
- Mwenda Gichuru
- Makena wa matiiri
[crp]
