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As Kenya’s media sector grapples with enduring financial challenges, Nation Media Group (NMG) is poised to initiate another round of staff layoffs, signaling ongoing turbulence within the industry.
Sources within the prominent media conglomerate, headquartered on Kimathi Street, disclosed that senior management convened an online session with employees on the morning of Friday, June 7.
The primary agenda of the meeting centered on the somber announcement of impending job cuts, affecting longstanding personnel stationed at the Twin Towers.
Speaking anonymously to Kenyans.co.ke, well-placed insiders revealed that the layoffs are imminent, with affected individuals slated to be informed by Friday, June 14. The Human Resources department at NMG has discreetly maintained a roster of employees facing termination, yet no formal notifications had been issued at the time of this report.
Anticipated actions include the issuance of termination letters in the forthcoming week following deliberations between top executives and departmental heads. Sources indicate that journalists affiliated with NTV and the print division, namely the Daily Nation, are expected to bear the brunt of these measures.
During the tense Friday morning meeting, senior managers endeavored to justify the necessity of staff downsizing, attributing the decision to dwindling revenues. Despite previous rounds of layoffs, NMG continues to grapple with financial instability exacerbated by faltering revenue streams. The implementation of a paywall strategy, once hailed as a potential remedy, has failed to yield anticipated results, leaving executives grappling with uncertainty.
Moreover, employees seized the opportunity to voice concerns regarding sweeping changes to programming, particularly within the broadcast division. Questions arose over the significant reduction in airtime allocated to prime-time news broadcasts, prompting managers to defend the strategic overhaul.
In a gesture of support, the company pledged to provide affected staff with access to psychological counseling services and extended medical coverage until year-end. Notably, NMG has been undergoing a period of transformation in recent years, aligning its products and programming with the evolving digital landscape.
Amidst these shifts, notable journalists such as Dennis Okari and Mark Masai have found themselves casualties of the restructuring efforts, signaling broader implications for the industry’s workforce.
Source: Kenyans.co.ke
