Next Media Welcomes Capital FM, Beat FM, KIIS FM with New Radio Chief

KAMPALA — Next Media Group has formally brought Capital 91.3 FM, Beat FM and KIIS 100.9 FM into its operations at Next Media Park in Naguru, and appointed Peter Jackson Mungoma as Deputy Group CEO and Chief of Radio.

The direction was set out on Friday, 2 October 2026, during the group’s triannual Next Media Talks, held under the theme “Celebrate Uganda” as the country marks Uganda Month ahead of Independence Day on 9 October. The session doubled as a staff welcome for the Capital Radio team and a public introduction of the expanded radio portfolio under the banner #CapitalisNext.

Group CEO Kin Kariisa told the incoming stations their identities would be protected. “Your brands stay yours, and your listeners keep hearing the voices they trust,” he said in his welcome message. He later described the move to Next Media Park as a milestone in the group’s push for news, entertainment and digital-first broadcasting across Uganda and the region.

A new radio chief

Mungoma, who led Capital Radio Group as chief executive from 2014, joins with more than two decades in strategic leadership, commercial growth and organisational change across broadcasting, telecommunications and other sectors.

In the new role he will oversee radio operations and support wider leadership on commercial growth, digital transformation, team development and partnerships across television and digital platforms.

“Peter brings commercial discipline and leadership depth to Next Media Group. His record at Capital Radio practically shows what sustained growth and strong governance are. We welcome him as we build the next chapter for our radio, television and digital platforms,” Kariisa said.

Speaking at the talks, Mungoma said the integration was about more than offices and studios. “It’s not simply about moving offices. It’s not about new studios. It’s not about changing workflow. It’s about what becomes possible when two powerful media brands come together,” he said. He framed Capital Radio’s contribution as audiences, talent and heritage, and Next Media’s as technology, digital platforms, production capacity and investment.

What the stations add

The three stations join a house that already includes NBS Television, Sanyuka TV, Salam TV, NBS Sport, Next Radio, Nile Post and AfroMobile.

Capital FM has long served urban professionals, executives and policymakers. Beat FM brings a strong Luganda-speaking audience. KIIS 100.9 FM reaches younger, lifestyle-oriented listeners. Next Media says the brands will stay distinct inside one connected system spanning radio, television, online publishing, streaming and live events, so a programme can continue on video, social media or stage.

For advertisers, the group is positioning the lineup — including through United Media — as a way to reach separate listener communities across the day.

How the deal was built

The public story began on 23 June 2026, when the two sides announced a strategic collaboration on shared content and cross-platform work while stressing editorial independence. The arrangement was later completed as a full acquisition of Capital Radio 2015 Limited and disclosed as such in late July.

Company filings reported by industry outlets show Next Media Services Limited taking 1,417 shares, or 70.01 percent, and Kariisa personally holding the remaining 607 shares, or 29.99 percent, for full control of the 2,024 issued shares. Former shareholders included veteran journalist William Pike, media investor Patrick Quarcoo and businessman Hannington Karuhanga. Some industry reports have put the buyout at about Shs 12 billion; Next Media has not publicly confirmed that figure.

As part of the integration, the stations have relocated headquarters and production to Next Media Park, alongside the group’s existing brands. Kariisa has said the Uganda Communications Commission process is not finished, and that the group will answer the regulator’s questions. The transition therefore remains subject to that process.

Inside the Park

The same Next Media Talks mixed the business announcement with staff milestones. Sanyuka TV presenter Brian “Macona” Ssemanda made his first major public appearance since the 7 August road crash that killed colleagues Badru Kasirye and Isaac Ndamagye. He told the gathering he had been given a second chance and was returning “bigger and better.”

NBS Television anchor Canary Mugume used the day to mark eight years of The Big Talk, the programme he first produced and later hosted. The company also pointed to recent growth at Sanyuka TV, which it said had added 103,000 followers across social platforms.

Kariisa tied the welcome to a longer ambition: building what Next Media calls Africa’s largest indigenous media organisation, owned and run by Africans. For listeners, the immediate promise is simpler — the same voices on Capital, Beat and KIIS, now sitting inside a wider multimedia house at Naguru.