KTN News Shuts Down After 9 Years on Air
Key takeaways
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- KTN News was a premier 24-hour news channel in East Africa.
- Based at the Standard Media Group along Mombasa Road, KTN News was popular for its captivating news features and documentaries including Paul Nabiswa’s Mirathi ya Siasa.
- Social media is awash with reports of its closure after 9 years on the airwaves.
- Its latest live feed on YouTube indicates that the channel has merged with its sister station KTN Home, a flagship TV station of the Standard Group.
- Reports on the now-merged TV channels follow the recent sacking of 300 employees from the Standard Group.
Also read: Mobius Motor Company Drowns in Debt, Forced to Shut Down
Cash-strapped KTN News forced to shut down
Despite the glamorous years on top of the airwaves assisted by top journalistic talents, KTN News struggled to break even.
The Nairobi-based TV channel was part of a financially ailing Standard Media Group.
Under the leadership of former Chief Executive Officer Orlando Lyomu, the media house was forced to close down its city center studios in 2021.
This move was understood to be a cost-cutting measure for the struggling media company, which had earlier laid off its top editors in 2020.
Journalists based at I&M Towers were relocated to the Mombasa Road headquarters to save on rent and other operational costs.
The dire financial situation persisted, mainly attributed to the sharp decline in viewership, advertising revenues, and newspaper circulation.
KTN News and Standard Media Group’s battle with a changing media environment
The widespread usage of social media for news and entertainment has spelled doom on big legacy media houses if the recent developments are anything to go by.
The Standard Media Group is the latest casualty in a string of radical shifts that have hit the media space.
Shortly after relieving 300 employees of their duties, the media house has been forced to wind down its KTN News channel.
Social networks like X, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook among others have pulled significant numbers of people off the news bulletins.
Popular for their instantaneous broadcasting of text, images, and video content, social media have become the most preferred sources of news in Kenya.
Although mainstream media stations are active on social networks, they struggle to stay afloat as viewership numbers continue to decline.
Also read: Stephen Letoo Joins Journalists in CBD Protests Against Police Brutality
Weeks after reports of government threats, KTN News is signing off from TV screens across the country.
In addition to bitter contestation with the state over its coverage of government, the premier TV station also succumbed to the harsh business operating environment in Kenya.
Just recently, motor vehicle maker Mobius Motors Limited also announced voluntary liquidation, effectively ending its existence.
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