Why Dzifa Bampoh quit Joy FM – The inside story

Many a time, we are hit by news of journalists quitting one media house or the other for a new challenge but what informs their decision, more often than not, remains a mystery to their many listeners, viewers or readers.

After 12 years of providing services to Multimedia Ghana Limited, operators of Joy FM, news anchor Dzifa Bampoh officially resigned from her post on Wednesday, a development which has attracted mixed reactions from the public.

While many have celebrated the Newsnite anchor for her dedication and commitment to the journalism profession over the past 20 years, one can only imagine what the departure of Dzifa Bampoh will mean to an already heavily depleted pool of talent at one of the leading media organisations in the country.

Dzifa’s exit brings to the fore the over 60 employees who have exited the company in the last 12-24 months alone and the various reasons for their departure. From technicians to camera operators, on-air personalities to production support staff, it appears the once highly resourced (human resource) empire created by Kwesi Twum is gradually tumbling.

Why Dzifa Bampoh really left the company

With her over 20 years experience in radio, one would have thought that such experience and loyalty would be rewarded with a management position of sort but that has not been the case for the lady many have become accustomed to on the 6pm belt on radio.

Having risen steadily for years to become an Editor at MGL’s Joy FM, Dzifa Bampoh has in the past few years not seen much ‘growth’ as far as an advancement in her career is concerned – a situation Abrantepa.com gathers led to her decision to seek pastures new. It is reported that she had been ‘overlooked’ by her superiors on countless occasions in the company’s search for qualified persons to lead the station’s editorial team as Managing News Editor – a position many yearn for right at the beginning of their journalism careers.

Dzifa Bampoh

Contrary to reports that Dzifa Bampoh found it difficult leaving the company she had so dearly served for 12 years, Abrantepa.com is informed the decision was perhaps one of the easiest the celebrated radio anchor has had to make as far as career choices are concerned. Reliable information from within MGL indicates that Mrs Bampoh served barely a week’s notice of her departure to her employers. It appears she was in more of a hurry to abandon the Multimedia ship than many have been led to believe.

Dzifa’s side of the story

Dzifa Bampoh tells Abrantepa.com her decision to leave Joy FM was to develop herself in a different aspect. While singing praises of the current Managing News Editor, Elvis Kwashie, Dzifa stated that she planned to move on after the 2016 general elections because she wanted to take her career to a different direction – something she cannot do at Multimedia.

“I don’t have any issue with Multimedia. I know when people leave, there is always a problem. In my case, it’s not the case,” the veteran journalist said.

After hesitating on confirming where she is heading to, Dzifa hinted she was moving to Tullow Oil but definitely not as Head of Corporate Affairs as widely speculated.

What next for Dzifa Bampoh and Joy FM?

There’s no doubt that Dzifa Bampoh is a talented personality with the requisite skill set to excel in her new career of corporate communications at Tullow Ghana. Her ability to lobby as well as manage and disseminate information is evident in the work she’s done over the years for businesses, ministries and several government agencies. In fact, many will agree with me if I say this deal is exactly what Dzifa Bampoh deserves.

Same may however not be said of Joy FM and indeed the Multimedia Group which has let go of talents such as Francis Abban, Ato Kwamena Dadzie, Stephen Anti, Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah, Sedem Ofori, Kwabena Kyenkyenhene Boateng, Bright Nana Anfoh, Alex Kobina Mensah, Anny Osabutey, Efua Acquaah Harrison, Felix Akoyam, Joojo Cobbinah among a tall list of others including Prince Minkah who quit the station after just 27 days on the job following his second spell with the media giant.

Whatever the reason(s) for the departure of these people, the optics do not look too good for a company that served as the hub of talented journalists who gave credible, compelling and authoritative information to the Ghanaian public on the once revered News platform.

With the exit of Dzifa Bampoh however comes Emefa Apawu, who is said to have already tendered in her resignation at Accra based Class FM as she joins the Multimedia Group’s Joy FM/JoyNews channel from Monday, June 5,2017 Abrantepa.com has gathered.

Emefa Apawu

Dzifa asserts she has no idea about Emefa Apawu replacing her adding, it was not within her purview to give it a nod or otherwise.

“That is not my decision to make. Management is free to decide how they deploy their human resource,” she noted.

Will Emefa be the replacement the station needs?

Time will be the best judge.