On May 29, 2020, the television industry was on the brink of a major shake-up as top editors at Citizen TV, KTN, and K24 were expected to change positions.
Peter Opondo, the former editor-in-chief of Mediamax Network Ltd, has left his position after overseeing a lay-off of over 160 employees, mainly from the TV and radio departments. Opondo is reportedly headed back to Royal Media Services (RMS), where he will likely take up a new role.
At RMS, Opondo's return is expected to ruffle feathers in the top editorial leadership, led by Joe Ageyo and Linus Kaikai. The media house has been feeling the financial pains of maintaining a star-studded team, which blows millions of shillings every month in salaries and allowances.
Linus Kaikai, who joined RMS in 2018 as strategy and innovations director, has reached a deal to rejoin KTN. Kaikai left KTN in 2009 to join NTV, but returned to KTN in 2020 after a surprise deal to partner with K24, its rival, on news and programming.
The shake-up is expected to affect the editorial departments of Citizen TV, KTN, and K24, with several top editors set to change positions or leave their jobs altogether.