Vision Group shuffles editorial team

Nov 02, 2010

THE New Vision has restructured its editorial management team in order to strengthen the newspaper as the leading daily in the country.

By Raymond Baguma

THE New Vision has restructured its editorial management team in order to strengthen the newspaper as the leading daily in the country.

The restructuring exercise was overseen by a consultancy firm, as well as the company’s board of directors and the internal audit department.

Announcing the new structure yesterday, the Editor-in-Chief, Barbara Kaija and editorial overseer of the Vision Group publications and broadcast platforms, said the appointments were based on merit, considering journalistic experience and management skills.

She said the new team would promote the tradition of high quality journalism the newspaper is renowned for, as well as boost the profitability of the company.

Vision Group, which is listed on the Uganda Stock Exchange, boasts of subsidiaries that include five radio stations, four magazine titles, two television stations and eight newspaper titles.

The Chief Executive Officer, Robert Kabushenga, explained that the restructuring was undertaken after concluding the recent diversification and expansion of Vision Group.

“We realised that we could not sustain the developments with the old structure which was designed to run only a newspaper company.”

Kabushenga also said that the board of directors decided to change the management structure so that the new business responsibilities could be managed better.

“The new structure is meant to help us position the right skills for the relevant responsibilities,” he added.

Kaija said the new appointments were meant to deliver quality journalism and ensure profitability for Vision’s 2,000 shareholders.

The company maintains a dominant market share in newspaper sales and advertising spend today. The flagship New Vision title maintains the highest national circulation, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

The newspaper has witnessed a 20% growth in circulation since April this year and currently sells about 33,900 copies daily. There has also been growth in Bukedde sales from 24,000 daily in March to a current average of 31,000 copies daily.

Kaija attributed this to strong team work, and the redesign of the newspaper which has contributed to a 6% growth.

The new editors at a glance:

Ben Opolot – Managing Editor:

Formerly a chief sub-editor, he has worked with New Vision for 16 years. He has overseen the quality and house style of the editorial products. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and two post-graduate diplomas in education and IT, all from Makerere University. He also holds a Masters in Media and Journalism Studies from Rhodes University, South Africa.

John Kakande – Editor New Vision:
Formerly news editor. Holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Makerere, with a post-graduate journalism training from Cardiff, UK. He started his journalism career 24 years ago. He joined New Vision in 1994 as a political reporter, became Parliament editor, deputy news editor before becoming the news editor in 2004.

Cathy Mwesigwa – Deputy Editor New Vision
The former features editor has 15 years of experience in journalism. She holds a degree in Mass Communication from Makerere University and a Masters in Public Health Leadership from Uganda Christian University Mukono. She started her career in The Weekly Topic newspaper before joining New Vision in 1995.

Hellen Mukiibi – News Editor:
Formerly deputy news editor, she has for the last 20 years held various senior posts in the media industry. Mukiibi is experienced in newspaper journalism and management, received training at various international institutions in Europe and South Africa. She joined New Vision in 1989 as a reporter.

Samuel Apedel – Deputy News Editor regional/general news:
Formerly the website editor, he holds a Masters in Communication Studies from the University of Leeds, UK. He has worked for New Vision for 12 years, has been managing the website since 2006 and overseen its growth into the most profitable news website in Uganda.

John Eremu – Features Editor:
Formerly investigations editor, his career spans more than 13 years since he joined the New Vision in 1995. He was appointed education editor in 2004. Two years later, he became the deputy features editor before he was tasked to set up the investigations desk 18 months ago.

Louis Jadwong – Head of Digital:
The former sports editor holds a degree in literature and English language. He wrote his first sports article as a freelance in July 1989 while still at university. He was Uganda’s sports writer of the year 1991. He became a staff reporter in December 1992.

Felix Osike – Deputy news editor for politics & investigations:
Formerly assistant deputy news editor in charge of politics and special investigations, he holds a Masters of International Journalism from Cardiff University (UK).

Robert Mudhasi – Chief Sub-editor:
Formerly a deputy chief sub-editor, he holds a Masters of Education degree from Makerere University. He has worked for New Vision for the last 14 years. As deputy chief-sub-editor since 2004, he had ensured content quality and design in addition to training new staff into professional sub-editors.

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