Joe Ageyo, Standard Group Editor, Reveals Why The Government Is Adamant About Digital Migration

Digital Migration has been the topic of discussion for a long time now, with four TV stations shutting down after their squabbles with the government went overboard.

While the government has been adamant that digital migration is a must, the three major media houses in the country have been requesting for more time to prepare themselves for the migration amid wrangles that a foreign company was awarded more frequencies at the expense of the local investors.

Standard Media, Nation Media and Royal Media have come under immense criticism from the government and a section of Kenyans for shutting down their TV stations from digital platforms, with threats for disciplinary action rife from the government.

And now Standard Media editor Joe Ageyo has bashed the government for lying to Kenyans about digital migration, making the four stations look like they are after money and not development.

In an article in the Standard, Ageyo says that he is not against digital migration but there are issues that should be looked into before the whole thing is realized.

First he says that the government’s motive is to control everything that the media does. He explains that giving KBC through Signet and PANG more frequencies at the expense of other local players is an indication that the government wants to control media through the two.

Ageyo highlights that PANG and Signet will be in control of frequencies and this means that they will be able to switch off any station that will try to criticize the government.

He gives an example of the numberless calls editors receive when carrying out investigative stories like those done by Mohammed Ali, demanding that such stories not be aired or published. Ageyo therefore believes the government will be able to switch off such stations when they want to criticize it through such stories.

He also says that those thinking that the three media houses fear competition are wrong. He assures that no media house is against digital migration and that the government is frustration freedom of the media through digital migration.

The four TV stations are still shut down.