:: Channel 2 is with us
29 March 2007

I hope you have been as baffled by those adverts on all major roads around our green city under the sun. There’s this black one at the junction of Jogoo and Outer ring Roads with Bruce Willis and around him seem to have some form of hieroglyphics that I figure that you need to be a Navaho wind talker at least to crack. Ditto to one further up Jogoo road. A black background with Jennifer Lopez (never JLO) adorned with similar incomprehensible hieroglyphics. I figured that whatever these dudes were selling was for an up market audience that knew these icons of American entertainment and spoke the attendant Navaho. How was I to know that I was so close to my understanding of the facts as they are?

Tom Msindi, New CEO of Channel 2

It was last night when I found myself at the Grand Regency Hotel as you do. I was there for the re-launch of Metro TV as I thought. When I got there, I was met by the hieroglyphics earlier mentioned. I couldn’t read them but strolled in and headed straight you know where. With Tusker in hand, I could now survey the room and check out whom else was here. The gang was quite large. In the watu wetu section, there was Gitau. And Mumbi Mumbari who is currently with Ketepa. And Nelly Wainaina. And there was even Bidanya Barassa who I haven’t seen in yonks who was with some hot model friends. If you consider that Bidanya was like the short one in the group then you know they were mighty tall. And there was Bosire. And Hazel and Eric all with Oakland Media. And there was also Tony Gatheca. And many more pals. And then there was the bigger crowd. I saw Norman Mudibo who is currently presenting Money Matters on NTV. And there was also Kathleen Openda-Mvati who recently stopped presenting Enterprise Kenya on KTN. I suspect that she too has joined the stampede to Citizen TV but I have been wrong before with my suspicions. And there was Waithaka Waihenya who is now editor-in-Chief with the KBC. Also I ran into Janet Kanini Muiva who I last ran into during the Bank of Africa launch several days ago. And George Ikua who was also at the Bank of Africa launch where we discussed the bachelor lifestyle as we dashed for the good eats. There were enough pals that night.

Patricia Amira was emceeing at this event and as the guests were coming to give speeches, some light started filtering through my head about the event and its purpose. Metro TV had changed from being a boring channel where we watch the same John Travolta movie about him being a sound man ever week and was now being reborn as Channel 2. Suddenly it all hit me. The hieroglyphics were actually a 2 inside a C in a funky manner. Being slow is not too good I know but what’s a brother to do eh? There were a few speeches off course. Tom Mshindi who is the CEO of the new public private venture. His speech was well received. He explained why they were launching the station is a very low key venue like the grand regency. They wanted to kind of like sneak in (my words) unannounced and grow with time. I guess that the place for low key entries into the Kenyan market - Munyiri - was booked solid. Better luck next time.

Other speakers were David Waweru who is the CEO of KBC. This was the first time I laid eyes on this famous man and looks like a nice enough dude. Another speaker was a dude called Seti is the chairman of the new venture and he looks like a pretty bright Indian fellow. The pick of the speeches had to by Assistant Minister for Information one Koigi Wa Wamwere. Honestly, this was not the ideal man to launch a twenty four entertainment channel. The first thing the dude did was state that he would do two speeches; one in Swahili, the other in English. He started with Swahili, the theory being of course that if he started in English, we would probably not listen to the Swahili version. Here's what I discerned from his speech. Official government position: we welcome this new TV station to Kenya. I hope that you will expand your offering so that even Kenyans that don't speak English can enjoy. Koigi Wa Wamwere position: You people are bringing new content to Kenya. I hope you will not be airing 24 hour pornography. 24 hour pornography is no good to anyone. (I concur with him on this - I suggest two hours of porno a day which more than enough for a normal human.)

Dont even think of airing porn 24-7

Entertainment that evening was quite good with Carol Atemi doing a pretty decent job. My old pal Julius Opoti seemed to be fiddling some huge music mixing contraption in the back. A highlight had to be when one of Bidanya's model friends Liz Ogumbo (of Imani Models) who sang did her rendition of Erica Baduh’s “Call Tyrone”. That was a great delivery. Maybe next should could Kenyanise it kiasi and perhaps tell her man to “Call Njoro” or something.

Channel 2 looked real good last night. On a more serious note, I really welcome the new venture. They have an able CEO with Tom Mshindi and appointing him shows they have serious intentions in the Kenyan market. Its shouldn’t fail for lack of trying. And even their recruiting looks top notch. Catherine Maigua (ex-Ogilvy, ex-Oakland media) is a good recruit. They also promise to introduce programs to support Kenyan content production from the theatre scene and the like. It’s about time.

Pity my TV has such lousy reception where this TV station is concerned.

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