Popular NTV journalist Smriti Vidyarthi has announced her exit from the Nation Media Group (NMG) following a stint spanning over 16 years.
Smriti took to her social media just before her prime-time news bulletin on Monday, February 10, to express gratitude to NMG and Kenyans as a whole for trusting in her and supporting her.
“Sixteen and a half years of service to the Nation Media Group and the nation. Thank you for trusting me. For now, tune in tonight at 9 pm for my last bulletin on NTV,” she wrote.
After the bulletin, NTV shared a compilation of tributes from her colleagues at the regional media house who narrated their own experiences of working with Vidyarthi and interacting with her on a personal level.
The journalist appeared deeply moved and couldn’t hold back her tears.
“I’ll miss you so much thank you for giving me a beautiful sendoff. I was not expecting that and tears galore on national TV. Thank you and I will miss you all dearly. Thank you to the rest of my team who are not with me right now for everything and also thank you to my viewers and the audience for trusting me. I truly believe that I am a respected journalist and to you, I say Asante, guys, this means a lot thank you so much,” she said.
Smriti Vidyarthi surprised
Moments later, a teary-eyed Vidyarthi was surprised by her colleagues in the studio, who presented her with flowers after her final bulletin.
They included renowned journalist and fellow anchor Bernard Ndong’ and NMG’s Digital and Innovation editor, Dann Mwangi.
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Dann Mwangi, who worked with Smiriti the longest, joined other colleagues in wishing her the best.
“Smriti you are a fantastic human being. You’re a professional per excellence I have hardly met people who are even close too much to the kind of person you are. You are a blessing to many of us we love the fact that you care about details you know, like now you’re telling us about overrunning. Some of the young guys who are here have so much they can say about you and the kind of impact you’ve had on their lives. Even us older folk those of us who are on the fourth floor and beyond we appreciate you,” said Mwangi.
He added, “This is one of the hardest moments for some of our careers, but we thank God that we have had the opportunity to have a friendship beyond just being colleagues. Thank you for your service and I wish you all the very best and NTV the best as well.”
Vidyarthi’s exit from the Kimathi Street-based media house comes having worked as a senior anchor and editor at the station for over 16 years.
Vidyarthi’s rise to the top
Before joining NTV, her journalism career kicked of her career at K24 as a news anchor in January 2008.
She would then join NTV in September of that year where she went on to anchor major live events and breaking news.
The journalist during her long stint at the media house conducted interviews with prominent figures such as Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, former Prime minister Raila Odinga, and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Usain Bolt.
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In addition to her role as a news anchor, the anchor produced and hosted NTV Wild Talk.
The program was dedicated to wildlife conservation and environmental issues where Smriti raised awareness about wildlife conservation and environmental issues.
The anchor holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Warwick and a master’s degree in international Broadcast Journalism from City University, both in the United Kingdom.
Vidyarthi won the Television & News Bulletin Award at the Media Council’s Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA) in 2013.
Throughout her career, the news anchor has been a prominent figure in Kenyan journalism, known for her professionalism and dedication to storytelling.
Other than anchoring and reporting, Vidyarthi also served as a master of ceremonies and moderator for various international organizations.
Many in the Kenyan media industry and her audience are eager to see where her next chapter will take her as she did not disclose her future plans.
Smriti’s exit from NMG also comes after former Managing Director (Audiences and Engagement) Oliver Mathenge announced his exit from the media house before securing a new role as a Consultant with Oxygène Marketing Communications Limited.
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