Presenters and other staffers of Next Radio are at a risk of losing their jobs as the station enters a fortnight long review and realignment of their programming, The Tower Post reports.
The realignment was communicated in an internal memo by Next Media Group CEO Kin Kariisa, dated March 3rd and whose copy this website is in possession of.
“… we undertook to review the performance of all Next Media brands to remain competitive in the market. The findings indicate that the tastes and preferences of our Next Radio audience have since shifted, requiring us to realign ourselves to meet these demands,” Kariisa wrote in the memo.
“Therefore, with immediate effect, there will be an extensive programmes review, including the realignment of all shows on Next Radio. As a result, all Next Radio personnel shall have scheduled engagements with the People and Culture office on their new roles in line with these reviews,” the memo further reads.
A source inside Next Media and in a position to know more revealed that all the stations’ workers have been put on probation pending the review which will advise who gets retained and who will leave the Naguru based station.
“Management has been tasked with managing the emotions of the presenters as they identify replacements – only a few of the current presenters are expected to remain,” the source revealed.
When contacted by The Tower Post, Next Radio Brand Manager Nicholas Ngobi declined to comment on the matter.
Desire Mugumisa, the Head of Corporate Affairs in the Office of the Next Media Group CEO confirmed the news of the realignment and restructuring but was hesitant to reveal more details.
“The Covid19 situation changed a lot of things but also gave us a lot of learnings. We shall be making changes to make the experience better for our listeners and our partners,” he said on phone.
Asked about the details of the realignments, Mugumisa said; “in the coming weeks, you will be able to witness the changes” but declined to reveal more.
Next Radio was launched in October 2018 as the first-ever audio-visual Radio in Uganda to compete with the traditional radio stations as well as have the visual edge over them.
The station employed youthful-entry level presenters, hired seasoned presenters from other radio stations and continues to leverage other sister TV companies including Sanyuka TV and NBS to expand its reach.
Next Radio also became Uganda’s second radio station to be added to DStv following Radio One and increasing means of accessing it which made it a talk of town but the vision bearers still think they have not attained what they set out to achieve.