After the Standard Media Group recently shut down its news channel KTN News, senior anchor and president of Kenya Editors Guild Zubeidah Kananu has shared a heartfelt tribute as she bid the station farewell.
The celebrated Swahili news presenter took to her Instagram account to share a series of photos of when the channel began which she accompanied with her parting message.
“This is a special throwback to July 11, 2015. That day will forever be engraved in my heart. The day we launched KTN News, I had the honor of anchoring the first bulletin. It happened at Tribe-Village Market. I remember very well that I wasn’t supposed to be at the launch; I was called about 3-4 hours before the event,” she wrote.
Her photos included other well-known journalists, Betty Kyallo and Najma Ismael, who were emerging news reporters at the time but were shaped by the channel into prominent figures in the industry.
Zubeidah described the initial challenges faced by the journalists, noting that critics frequently mocked them for launching a new channel from scratch, particularly a 24-hour news channel, which was rare in Kenya.
In the last nine years, KTN News has become a reputable news channel, reshaping the narrative of broadcast journalism with round-the-clock news coverage.
“Days later, our critics joked that we were being watched by just three people—our family members. Many doubted us, laughing at the idea of sustaining a 24-hour news channel. Fast forward 9 years, and KTN News has become one of the top news channels in Kenya,” she wrote.
She thanked God for according her opportunity to serve in her capacity at KTN News which has aided in her career growth, becoming a senior Swahili anchor, moderating at the 2022 presidential and gubernatorial debates as well as her presidency at the largest organisation of journalists in Kenya at KEG.
“I’ll forever be grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to witness history being written and for being part of the amazing team that wrote that history. Ktn News will forever be dear to me, our baby, the platform that made me who I am today. #Forever❤️,” her caption ended.
Her message comes after a massive restructuring at the media house. Various channels at the Standard Media Group have ceased operations including KTN Farmers and KTN Burudani, with KTN News merging with the media house’s flagship channel , KTN Home.
This aligns with the media giant’s strategy to streamline operations and reduce costs in a challenging media landscape. Last week, 300 employees were retrenched due to redundancy, and those remaining whose divisions were shut down were reassigned to various departments. The restructuring aims to strengthen the company against further financial instability.