The Standard Group has suffered yet another blow after seasoned journalist Eric Latiff left the struggling giant.
Latiff became popular through ‘The Situation Room’ which airs on Spice FM every weekday morning.
In a statement on January 6, Latiff bid farewell to his colleagues and thanked the group for allowing him to be part of their team.
“On this 6th day of January 2025, my heart is heavy as I bid kwaheri to the brilliant team of colleagues at Spice FM and the Standard Group,” he said.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to once again be a part of Kenya’s oldest private media house, and I am proud of the teams that I leave behind in radio, TV and print.”
Latiff explained that he has been blessed to create and start new things and.
He was present at the launch of Kenya’s first 24hr religious media house – Family FM and Family TV, the first 24hrs vernacular radio station – Kameme FM and the first 24hr news and information TV station – K24.
Latiff said that there are chances of starting a new adventure and promised to keep his followers updated.
“Is there room for something new? Of course, always, and I sure hope to be a part of it soon. Wish me luck, I will keep you posted,” he said.
Launching Spice FM
In his announcement, he recalled the journey to launching Spice FM alongside his colleagues.
He said the station began airing at exactly 6 a.m. on August 20, 2019, with a team of four people.
Latiff said the team consisting of CT Muga, Ndu Okoh and Njeri Thorne took on the new assignment with dedication and a true belief that we could do it.
“It has been a great journey building The Situation Room to what it has become, and we have very many people to thank, not least the team of producers, marketing, commercial, technical and other colleagues,” Latiff said.
He mentioned that The Situation Room has become the home of Kenya’s Biggest Conversations, and it continues to host many thought leaders, community influencers, different professionals and duty bearers.
Additionally, he said the audience have been the biggest part of the show by tuning in on radio, Tv or digital platforms.
“It’s humbling whenever people reach out on calls, text or approach us with compliments, comments and suggestions for the show,” he said.
Also Read: Ndu Okoh Profile: Education Background, Family, Career and Net worth
Standard Group Struggles
His departure adds to the list of high-profile exits from the media house in recent months.
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The Group’s Editor-in-Chief Ochieng Rapuro resigned from his position on Friday, January 3.
SG has faced prolonged financial constraints leading to unpaid dues, unremitted contributions, and constant industrial threats from the employees.
On November 23, the Group’s employees threatened to down their tools due to unresolved issues by the management.
Sources revealed that some employees have not received salaries for up to five months.
This came after the Group declared over 300 employees redundant in July 2024 as part of a reorganization plan.
The company promised a one-year redundancy payment plan with instalments scheduled for September, October, and November 2024.
Eric Latiff Education & Career
Latiff trained as a Telecommunications Engineer at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) between 1995 and 1998.
He served as the founding station manager at K24 from June 2006 – June 2008).
Here, he played a pivotal role in launching K24, Kenya’s first 24-hour news channel.
Also Read: Yvonne Okwara Profile: Education Background, Family, Career and Age
He later joined the Standard Media Group (SMG) as a prime-time news anchor on KTN in April 2006.
Between March 2003 – February 2016, he served as senior online editor at Capital FM Kenya.
Latiff is also the founder and director of Zeze Digital & Zeze Tunes.
This is a data-driven marketing and communications agency based in Nairobi, specializing in tailored digital marketing strategies.
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