Karen Meiring being replaced as kykNET’s Director

kykNET and Karen Meiring have been synonymous with one another since her arrival at the group in 2009. Meiring has spearheaded constant innovation and change and under her leadership the kykNET Channels and viewership have experienced significant growth. She will, however, be retiring from her role as Director but will continue consulting for MultiChoice.

This means that kykNET is welcoming a brand new Director in the new year. Waldimar Pelser has become an established name in the Afrikaans community as the Editor of Rapport and thanks to In Gesprek, a current affairs show that he anchored on kykNET (DStv channel 144), his name is well-known to the public.

Waldimar’s work as a journalist dates back to 2011 when he reported from across the continent as West Africa Bureau Chief for Media24 in Lagos, before being appointed News Editor of Beeld in Johannesburg, then Editor of the Sunday newspaper and in 2013 he was appointed Editor of Rapport. He currently also sits on the board of the Pendoring Advertising Awards, which advances commercial communication across all indigenous South African languages.

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Waldimar studied law and journalism at Stellenbosch University and graduated with a Master of Philosophy from Oxford University in 2003.

The new M-Net Director of kykNET Channels says: “As a viewer, and later presenter, I have come to treasure kykNET – a family of channels that finds so much to celebrate and cherish in our Afrikaans and South African culture. It is a great privilege to be granted the opportunity to help shape many more stories about who we are, where we come from and who we might become.”

Gideon Khobane, Group Executive: General Entertainment at the Multichoice Group, says: “We look forward to welcoming Waldimar Pelser to the MultiChoice family. His knowledge and insight of the Afrikaans community will stand him in good stead to continue the success of our kykNET channels.”

The kykNET brand now offers five channels, ensuring the accessibility of quality Afrikaans content for viewers and reflects the wonderful diversity of Afrikaans-speaking people and communities in South Africa.