Willis Raburu Joins TV47 [VIDEO]

Celebrated media personality Willis Raburu has joined the fast-rising TV station TV47 under Cape Media Limited.

Raburu announced his debut on Tuesday, August 22 on the Prof. Simon Gicharu-owned TV station through a video montage he shared on his social media platforms, just two months since his exit from Citizen TV under the Royal Media Services (RMS) where he spent the last 13 years.

At his new home, his first away from Citizen TV, he will host a new show dubbed 'Wabebe Xperience' every Friday at 10 pm, a show that is expected to compete with the likes of Citizen TV's 10 over 10 and NTV's The Trend in terms of Friday night shows.

Here is the video:

Welcome to the new journey… THE WAIT IS OVER! Announcing my partnership with @tv47news WABEBE! #WabebeXP pic.twitter.com/R3YyGfd5OF — Willis Raburu (@WillisRaburu) August 22, 2023

"I’m excited to be joining Kenya’s fastest-growing media house, TV47," stated Raburu. 

"This partnership shows their commitment to diversity, quality and excellence, and I’ll be joining a team that continues to exhibit and grow these amazing tenets. Buckle your seatbelts! We are in for an amazing ride."

Raburu is known for captivating audiences wherever he goes and whenever he appears and his presence is set to shore up TV47's numbers across the country.

TV47's acquisition of the celebrated media personality is seen as the perfect move in terms of building itself up to compete with the major mainstream media channels in terms of viewership and tap into the Generation Z (Gen Z) category which its rivals have ignored for years.

To ensure this, the media house has poached some of the youngest top talents from other media houses including KTN, Radio Maisha, KBC and even BBC.

When announcing his exit from Citizen TV on Monday, June 26, Raburu expressed his gratitude to RMS for the opportunity to serve at the station, where he started as an intern and rose to one of Kenya's top TV personalities.

"Over the past few weeks, since June, I have had the opportunity to reflect on a lot of things concerning my life. What has become a general theme for me is gratitude. I am grateful to you who has walked with me in those 13 years. I have been in the media doing several different things. I am grateful for the opportunity to come out and do what it is I love.

"This week, I bid farewell to Royal Media Services, my home for 13 remarkable years. Thank you for the platform to break barriers, inspire change, and connect with all of you. Onward to new adventures," he stated.

Raburu also lauded RMS for giving him the opportunity to grow in different multi-media sectors including interviewing President William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta.

"It has allowed me to grow in my appreciation of people and things. From the time I started as an intern in 2010 at Royal Media to the different stories that I have done including an interview with the sitting President William Ruto. I have travelled, made the news and done different types of products on air," stated an emotional Raburu. 

In his farewell message, Raburu revealed that he documented his 13 years of work in a book titled 'Undefined' highlighting how he amassed his various talents, a book he noted was already on sale.

In July 2023, he was appointed as Nairobi Governor Sakaja's Communications Director, responsible for managing press relations and developing contacts with media personalities and influencers, adding to his wealth of experience in marketing and communications where he worked with several brands and amassed over 1 million followers across his social media platforms.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen who would take Raburu's place as 10 over 10 host as Citizen TV has been doing screen tests using various media personalities, as Viral Tea has been learning for some time.