Traditional powerful media houses like Nation, Standard and Royal Media are grappling with huge wage bills following the entry of digital platform that has given birth to a number of tv stations which means revenue is being shared among many entities.
Media owners have in the recent past been caught in a delicate balancing act that requires them to cut cost so as to remain afloat in business and at the same retain talent within their web.
The rising wage bill owing to shared resources is seen to be competing with the regular income, thus media owners who are businesamen have adopted the early retirement option as the most effective way to curb the ever rising wage bill.
This can only be approached by one painful method of getting rid of those considered to be earning higher salaries, which the company can do without so as to bridge the gap and Royal Media Services is at it again laying off over 15 staff that include reporters, cameramen and technicians.
A source very close to the company but chose to remain anonymous told this blog that those retrenched were earning between 150,000 to 250,000 shillings had earlier declined to take a pay cut of 50% that had been tabled to them.
It would be interesting to see how Kenya Correspondents of Association (KCA) and Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) will react to this new development because it is coming barely under 12 months after MediaMax company fired over 50 journalists who were mainly poached from Royal Media Services just before the 2013 general elections.
Among those sent on early retirement include Evelyn Wambui who had earlier been earmarked to head the new Inooro tv but the idea was shelved after it emerged that she can’t speak fluent Kikuyu.
Others are swahili guru Patrick Injendi, Senior Political reporter who was recently poached from the National broadcaster KBC Kendagor Obadiah, Fiona Kenga, desk editor Daniel Korir. Cameramen were not spared either Lawrence Munene and Ngei Musomba were fired too.
The features desk has been greatly affected with the exit of Evelyn Wambui who has been holding the docket following the departure of Sally Mbilu and Judy Kosgei who left the company last year under unclear circumstances.
ENDS......
Media owners have in the recent past been caught in a delicate balancing act that requires them to cut cost so as to remain afloat in business and at the same retain talent within their web.
The rising wage bill owing to shared resources is seen to be competing with the regular income, thus media owners who are businesamen have adopted the early retirement option as the most effective way to curb the ever rising wage bill.
This can only be approached by one painful method of getting rid of those considered to be earning higher salaries, which the company can do without so as to bridge the gap and Royal Media Services is at it again laying off over 15 staff that include reporters, cameramen and technicians.
A source very close to the company but chose to remain anonymous told this blog that those retrenched were earning between 150,000 to 250,000 shillings had earlier declined to take a pay cut of 50% that had been tabled to them.
It would be interesting to see how Kenya Correspondents of Association (KCA) and Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) will react to this new development because it is coming barely under 12 months after MediaMax company fired over 50 journalists who were mainly poached from Royal Media Services just before the 2013 general elections.
Among those sent on early retirement include Evelyn Wambui who had earlier been earmarked to head the new Inooro tv but the idea was shelved after it emerged that she can’t speak fluent Kikuyu.
Others are swahili guru Patrick Injendi, Senior Political reporter who was recently poached from the National broadcaster KBC Kendagor Obadiah, Fiona Kenga, desk editor Daniel Korir. Cameramen were not spared either Lawrence Munene and Ngei Musomba were fired too.
The features desk has been greatly affected with the exit of Evelyn Wambui who has been holding the docket following the departure of Sally Mbilu and Judy Kosgei who left the company last year under unclear circumstances.
ENDS......
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Asante sana, this is lovely.