The Nation Media Group (NMG), the largest media company in East Africa, has announced it will be closing some flagship stations.
Its English radio station Nation FM and its Swahili TV channel QTV in Kenya and KFM radio station in Rwanda are being shut.
In a statement, the company gave these reasons for the decision:
We are reorganising ourselves with the objective of transforming the group into a modern 21st Century digital content company embracing a digital/ mobile first business model”
Massive job losses are expected.
The NMG publishes The Nation, Kenya’s largest independent newspaper, and The East African, which is distributed in the region.
The company was founded in 1959 by the Aga Khan, a spiritual leader and wealthy businessman who grew up in Kenya.
Staff at the radio stations and TV channel that Kenya’s Nation Media Group has said it is closing have been barred from their offices.
They were not allowed in when they arrived at work this morning in the capital, Nairobi.
The affected stations are Nairobi-based QTV, QFM and Nation FM as well as KFM, which is based in Rwanda.
QTV, its Swahili TV channel, has already gone off air and has been replaced with NTV, which broadcasts in English.
