K24, the television arm of Mediamax Network Ltd, is understood to have reached the rare partnership with Standard Group’s KTN News, which will have the two stations merge part of their programming.
The arrangement is part of Mediamax Network’s latest restructuring as revenues shrink due to Covid-19 effects and the impact of an earlier drop in advertising.
According to people familiar with Mediamax affairs, the media house owned by President Uhuru Kenyatta is scrapping inhouse news programmes for K24 and eventually closing down Kameme TV, its vernacular television station.
Instead, K24 will be streaming KTN News feed during its primetime news hours of 7 pm and 9pm. Details of the arrangement remained scanty, but sources indicated Mediamax management would be holding a staff meeting this morning to give details of the planned redundancy and restructuring of operations.
K24 was established in 2007 while KTN News started operations in 2015, adopting the 24-hour news model that the former had started off with but dumped later to venture into mainstream programming.
KTN News and K24 arrangement that will be closely watched since it has the potential of touching off a wave of consolidation in the highly competitive yet merger-shy media industry. The closest media house consolidation is in newspapers where media houses share print presses to cut on costs.
With elections coming in two years time, the deal could signal the quest for media control by Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, who runs the Standard Group on behalf of the Moi family.
There’s already talk of a possible takeover of K24 by the Junior Moi, who has shown strong interest in the presidency as he seeks to perpetuate his late father’s political dynasty.
It’s understood Kameme FM will not be adversely affected by the latest Mediamax restructuring, announced in a notice released on 21st May by CEO Ken Ngaruiya, as it is one of the group’s cashcows.
