With the imminent launch of three new subscription broadcasting
services and e.tv’s 24-hour news channel, the poaching war for
experienced broadcasting professionals has well and truly begun, writes Lloyd Gedye in the Mail & Guardian.
Rumours abound about who will be the next to jump ship to join rival broadcasters, but one of the latest to take the plunge is former e.tv news reporter Macintosh Nzimande.
Nzimande is locked in a dispute with his former employer as a result of his decision to take up a management position at new entrant Telkom Media.
At the heart of the dispute is the fact that Nzimande, as a member of e.tv’s strategic management team, was privy to information about the launch of e.tv’s 24-hour news channel, which would be a direct competitor of Telkom Media’s 24-hour news channel, to be headed by Jimi Matthews.
Matthews told the Mail & Guardian that the introduction of new broadcasting players created opportunities for media practitioners and it was only natural that people change jobs in the media sector.
“The reality is if we are going to launch a professional operator it will have to be with a mix of experienced people and novices,†said Matthews. “Where do the experienced people come from? They come from other media houses.
“However, I will not engage in a wage war. If we don’t deal with this in a responsible way, it will come back to bite us later.â€ÂÂ
Debora Patta, e.tv’s head of news, told the M&G that with the news television industry on the brink of major expansion, it was an extremely exciting time for journalists.
Click here to read the full report, posted on M&G Online.ÂÂÂ
