By Isaac Salima
Media giant The Times Group on Friday celebrated the end of the year 2023 by holding a party where some employees were also recognised for their outstanding performance.
The year will remain memorable for the media company after it scooped a record three Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Malawi awards as the best television (TTV), radio (Times Radio) and print media house.
The company also registered a record 26 individual media awards. In celebrating this feat and the end of the year, The Times Group employees gathered at their headquarters in Blantyre where they dined and wined.
Fatsani Kalonda, popularly known as Blackjak, was named the best in television with Ben Mapira scooping the award in the radio section.
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Lilongwe-based Cathy Maulidi was recognised as the best print journalist of the year at the company.
Times listeners and viewers were also given an opportunity to choose their personality of the year and Brian Banda emerged their favourite.
Employee of the year award went to newspaper designer Thomas Chilaya with cameraperson and final control centre operator Kondwani Mhone as the best in the technical department.
Charles Kamoto and Moses Chinyama were decorated from the production and sales departments, respectively.
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The company’s driver Gift Nkhata was named the most outstanding employee in the administration department while print machine operator Austin Odala was recognised as a long-serving employee.
In his speech, The Times Group Managing Director Leonnard Chikadya described the year as both good and challenging.
Chikadya said the year was great as the media house did wonders by dominating the biggest Misa awards and challenging in terms of business with the forex shortage and devaluation of the Kwacha hitting the media empire hard.
“It is now a challenge for us to retain these awards but I know that we will do it,” he said.
Chikadya also challenged the employees to come up with ideas to help the company to be afloat in a world where the print media is “slowly dying”.
“Lucky enough, we have the digital platforms, but we need to come up with new ways of doing things so that we can strive,” he said.
Last week, Times Television celebrated 10 years of broadcasting in Malawi and beyond.
