NTV’s frequent technical hitches, live-mic gaffe could put off viewers

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

On Sunday, an unhappy viewer made the following comment on WhatsApp: “What’s happening on NTV news? The newscaster didn’t know she was on air, and was busy adjusting her hair, yawning, clearing her throat… even took a phone call, and said, ‘We can’t have this conversation’.”

This embarrassing moment, however brief, reflects poorly on the anchor and the station. It distracts the viewer from the news content and makes them focus on the individual presenting the news instead.

The journalist becomes the news.

More embarrassing live-mic or hot-mic gaffes, as these mistakes are known, have been recorded in many other stations in the past.

There have been cases of presenters dancing, or cursing the script or an individual, unaware that they are on air. Television and film experts say the gaffes are caused by equipment malfunction, failure by the presenter to pay attention, or miscommunication between the presenter and the technicians.

Sunday’s live-mic incident is, however, the least of NTV’s troubles. The station seems to be grappling with technical hitches, particularly during its prime-time bulletin, NTV Tonight.

A week hardly goes by before a bulletin experiences a technical difficulty, such as sound failure, causing a delay and forcing the anchor to apologise to viewers. There have also been cases where the anchor introduces a story but an unrelated clip is played, and has to be withdrawn. At other times, the anchor introduces a story, only to announce a delay in its airing.

These technical hitches compromise the bulletin’s quality and credibility. They put off viewers who expect a flawless experience. When the audio drops or the video freezes mid-story, an impatient viewer will easily switch to another station. At a time when television viewership is declining globally — with the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 revealing that social media and online video platforms have overtaken traditional television for the first time as the world's leading source for news —NTV cannot afford to drop the ball on quality.

The report recommends that legacy media should work to retain their audiences by winning their trust.

From recent strong investigative features, such as the exposés on bribery and hooded gangs in the Ol-Kalou byelection, and the special report on illegal gold mining on River Yala, it is evident that the journalists and editors are taking the recommendation seriously. The technical teams should address the challenges or risk being seen as the weak link in this effort.

For audience-centric media organisations, the delivery is as important as the content.

***

Don’t mess with the crosswords and puzzles

The Public Editor received an avalanche of complaints about the Sudoku game on Wednesday. “Whoever did this in the Daily Nation today deserves to be caned”, wrote a reader, who attached a copy of the already solved puzzle that was published.

Another disappointed reader wrote: “About the only reason I still buy a hard copy of the Nation is Sudoku. Then today, after running all my errands and settling down to exercise my brain, I found the puzzle already filled. Do I get my money back?”

The leisure page of newspapers is a favourite for many loyal newspaper readers who enjoy the crosswords, puzzles and word games. Some say it is the first page they turn to before sampling the rest of the newspaper’s content, while for others, like the one above, it is one of the reasons they buy the newspaper.

Apart from exercising the brain, enthusiasts say crosswords and puzzles help them to relax as they take their minds off work. They learn new vocabulary and facts in history, geography, literature and other subjects. For some, solving crosswords and puzzles is a social activity which they undertake as a couple or in groups.

The page should not be taken lightly, as missing one’s favourite crossword or puzzle can be disorienting and could spoil his or her day.

The person responsible for the error blamed it on a “mix-up of grids” and apologised to the game’s enthusiasts.

Unfortunately, the damage was already done, and some readers might not forgive him.

Reporting originally appeared via Nation Africa. Read the full source for additional context.