Celebrated media personality Catherine Kasavuli may be gone but her legacy in the profession lives on owing to the long list of achievements and accolades to her name.
From her stint at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) to her days at KTN and finally, a comeback to KBC’s legend’s edition - Kasavuli left her mark at every step she made in the industry.
In an interview with the Kenya Journalism Review, Kasavuli shared some of her tips and factors that came in handy throughout her successful career.
Sharpen your command of the language you broadcast in
During her prime days as an anchor, Kasavuli was known for her eloquence and near-perfect flow while casting the news.
According to her, proper command of English ranked high among the factors that spurred her career.
This could at least explain the reason why editors in the then-leading media stations in the country poached her from each other.
During her memorial service, Media Council of Kenya (MCK) official and journalist Christine Nguku revealed that Kasavuli played a part in her improvement in spoken English during her early days as an anchor.
"She taught me how to speak good English since I had come up with a funny accent. Whenever you were around her, she always impacted you. Her life was significant to each one of us even to those who didn’t know her,” paid her tribute.
Good in grammar
In addition, Kasavuli mentioned that proper mastery of grammatical rules is key to the success of a journalist's career.
While eulogizing her, Citizen Radio's veteran presenter Fred Obachi Machokaa stated that he was once recommended Kasavuli for a commercial owing to her eloquence and proper mastery of the language during her early days in the industry.
"I asked if she could do business reporting, she feared. I told her that her diction and English is good. I persuaded her to do her first TV commercial about Cerelac," Machokaa stated.
Be confident but not arrogant
Further, the former television maestro noted that confidence is key to succeeding as a journalist. However, she warned that confidence should be moderate to avoid reaching the extent of arrogance.
According to her, confidence, coupled with humility is key to succeeding in the competitive industry.
Hard worker
For Kasavuli, working hard was inevitable in the industry- especially with its competitiveness. She reiterated that one should be ready to burn the midnight oil and still "not appear as if you have gone through a hurricane" in the journalism field.
She reiterated that journalists should always strive to be at the top of their game in their endeavours.
Team player
Finally, she underscored the role of teamwork in succeeding. And sure enough, several colleagues praised her for her work ethic in her place of work.
