China’s Xinhua News Agency To Launch CNC Television In Kenya

JACKAL NEWS – China’s Xinhua, one of the biggest news agencies in the world, will launch its English language television station in Kenya next year, CNC TV, sources told the Jackal News, in a direct confrontation with its Chinese government sister, CCTV.

The weak must die. (For those who do not understand, CCTV is like Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and CNC TV is like Kenya News Agency of China)

Xinhua Director General Wang Chaowen is expected to make the announcement later this week when the company is celebrating its 80^th anniversary, the source explained in an exclusive interview. Xinhua, currently based in Ngong’ Road, is building a massive state-of-the-art TV studios in Karen has started secretly recruiting staff.

“Xinhua is the official Chinese media in terms of investments and assets and it has more than over 80 bureaus across the world,” the official said, explaining that the Chinese outfit is bigger the Al Jazeera, BBC and CNN in terms of market capitalisation.

“The genesis of intense hiring of CCTV Africa came after they realized their its station Xinhua news agency started an English station (CNC TV) that started in July 2010,” another source explained.

“CNC TV that broadcasts on DSTV 415 had majored most of their news from Africa and mostly Kenya. CNC TV became the most watched TV station in the Asia continent mostly of the Africa stories,” the source added.

“CNC TV is the first China international TV station to hire Africans from the whole list of TV's owned by the country. CNC Africa News became a darling of the many viewers across the world, hence CCTV decided to step its competition so as to rival CNC to whom they had lost many audiences to, hence the massive hiring.

“But with Xinhua’s CNC TV growing popularity, the managing editor has decided to hire more reporters so as to sustain its presence and popularity. Xinhua will be celebrating its 80th birthday on Friday and competition is bound to grow with CNC investing heavily on infrastructure and human resources,” the source explained.

Several sources to the Jackal News that CNC TV is planning to start poaching employees from both local and international stations, notably Agence France Presse, Reuters, Associated Press, China Central TV, Al-Jazeera, BBC, KTN and others, a move that will send the Kenyan media market into depression.

The Jackal News will on Friday publish the names of local and international journalists who have already been hired by Xinhua TV.

So far CCTV has trawled for some of the best and the brightest, leaving most Kenyan stations licking their wounds, in what has become the biggest tsunami ever seen in the African, and your truly, the Jackal News, has been on the frontline keeping you informed.

Xinhua is the latest in a series of international TC channels that are opening shop in Kenya, the strategically-based east African nation.

This means that CNC TV alongside CCTV will be fighting the regional regional dominance of the tired horses like BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and several other small channels that are struggling to survive the highly carnivorous, but highly lucrative African media market.

In July 2010, Xinhua launched CNC World and said the station will be broadcasting English news programs 24 hours a day and as well cover breaking news and major political, economic and cultural news around the globe.

World renowned news and television organizations sent letters of congratulations to CNC (China Xinhua News Network Corporation), including News Corporation, the Associated Press, Thompson Reuters, Agence France Presse, Itar-Tass, Kyodo News Agency, the BBC, CBS, CNN, NHK and Al-Jazeera.

"Congratulations on the start of a most exciting venture. We wish you well and welcome Xinhua to the family of international news broadcasters," Steve Capus, president of NBC News, said in a letter.

Xinhua president Li Congjun said, "CNC will present an international vision with a China perspective. It will broadcast news reports in a timely way and objectively and be a new source of information for global audiences."

The UN Environment Programme, the UN Children's Fund and the UN World Food Programme sent letters or videos of congratulations to CNC. Kenyan Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka, also called Xinhua president Li Congjun to extend his congratulations.

China's government departments, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the General Administration of Press and Publication and the Information Office of the State Council, also extended congratulations.

CNC also received congratulations from major Chinese enterprises, including China Mobile and China Unicom, as well as media organizations, including the People's Daily and Guangming Daily.

The English service is one of Xinhua's initiatives to keep pace with a fast-developing global media industry.