Board members of the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) elected former head of the Amhara Mass Media Bureau, Seyoum Mekonnen, as the new CEO of the national broadcaster.
However, according to the new proclamation for the establishment of EBC, Seyoum’s nomination is expected to be endorsed by the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) in the coming October.
A senior government official told The Reporter that the board of EBC, which is chaired by Getachew Reda, picked Seyoum to head the state media giant. But the source was reserved from giving details as when he was picked as the new CEO.
Seyoum has been the head of the Amhara Mass Media bureau. Before going to Bahir Dar, Seyoum had also served as chief administer of South Wollo Zone of the Amhara Regional State.
He graduated from Addis Ababa University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and International Relation in 2002. He also did his Master Degree in the US.
According to reliable sources, the former head of EBC, who resigned few months ago, Birhane Kidanemariam has been appointed as a diplomat in Los Angeles, US.
Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation formerly known as Ethiopian Television was established in 1964 with assistance from the British firm, Thomson. It was created to highlight the Organization of African Unity (OAU) meeting that took place in Addis Ababa that same year. Color television broadcast began in 1982 in commemoration of the founding of Workers’ Party of Ethiopia (WPE).
Currently, EBC has three regular channels broadcasting to Ethiopia. EBC1 is the main channel with 24 hours coverage, with content on culture, politics, documentaries, economy and movies. The second EBC2 is a channel which focuses on Addis Ababa and is run by the municipality. The last, EBC3, is a channel which focuses on dramas, soap operas, as well as lifestyle programming.
