At a press conference that was held earlier today, Friday, 29 February 2008, chairperson of the board of Kaya Arthur Mashiatshidi announced that Deacon will be officially leaving the station on 31 March 2008. “She has been serving a three months' notice, and has agreed to stay [on] in a consulting capacity while we are still trying to find a suitable replacement,” he said.
According to Mashiatshidi, “Charlene grew Kaya's listener base from 603 000 to 1.383 million during her time. She has also managed a growth in advertising revenue in excess of 900% over the seven year period. Kaya is now the No.2 station in Gauteng after Metro and the second fastest growing station in the country with over 40% growth in the last year.”
When asked why she decided to leave the station now, at a time when everything seems to be going well following a period of controversy – especially since she doesn't have another job to go to – Deacon said: “You don't leave when the heat hits the kitchen and you know how to fight. You leave when you have reached a high note in the game.”
“I have enjoyed my many years with Kaya and the challenge it offered me to re-position and grow the business. I will miss the many people I have met and worked with. However it is time to move on and spread my wings; there are exciting things happening in the broadcast space right now and I want to be a part of it,” said Deacon.
Deacon started her career in the radio industry 18 years ago; she worked as an operations manager for East Coast FM before she joined Kaya in 2000 when the station was only three years old.
