Media Prima losing its people under MMS

Media Prima losing its people under MMS.

It could not be immediately established where all these unfortunate people would go.

KUALA LUMPUR: Media Prima Bhd, touted the largest media group in the country, is losing its most precious resource even as it continues to bleed red ink viz. people through a mutual separation scheme (MMS), ironically a Christmas present of sorts.

The self-imposed bloodbath, described euphemistically as a management shake-up and downsizing programme in the same breath, affects staff at all levels and is reported to involve several hundreds.

Those whose application for the group's MMS offer has been accepted, according to a media update, will sign-out for the last time on Monday. It would be a bleak Christmas for them.

Except for those nearing retirement, the others leaving will reportedly be compensated one and a half times their years in service multiplied by their last drawn salary. Near retirement staff will get their last drawn salary multiplied by their remaining months in service. This latter group can't complain. The group needs them more than they need it.

The list of those departing Media Prima Bhd reads like a who's who. It seems that no one is being spared.

ntv7 and 8TV head of Mandarin News Raymond Tan Chin Tuan, Mandarin current affairs executive editor Tan Boon Kooi, and news-gathering executive editor of the two TV stations, Tham Chooi Foong are all leaving, according to the grapevine.

They are the key heads in the Mandarin news and current affairs divisions of ntv7 and 8TV.

ntv7 billingual news anchor Melissa Ong has confimed in a FaceBook posting that she's leaving as well after the company accepted her MMS application.

ntv7 English news executive editor Adriana Aris has also applied for the MMS offer but it's not known whether the company has decided to let her go as well.

It could not be immediately established where all these unfortunate people would go. In the past, they headed for the alternative media which they used to routinely attack as part of their work.

Media Prima, according to its website, "owns TV3, 8TV, ntv7 and TV9" lock, stock and barrel and "has more 98 per cent equity interest in the once-flagship The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd" (NSTP).

It also owns Malay dailies Berita Harian and Harian Metro, the latter beginning as what was supposed to be a temporary tabloid to give daily updates on the US-led Operation Desert Storm to oust Saddam Hussein from Kuwait but received phenomenal reception in the market to deserve "immortality:, and three radio networks viz. Fly FM, Hot FM and One FM.

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