‘I thought I would do Medicine’

Ritha Clarisse Bumwe is the prime news anchor at the Remera-based TV10. She moves from Radio10, a sister radio station, where she did the same job. She spoke to Moses Opobo about her transition from radio to the small screen. When and why did you join the broadcasting profession? I started my career in 2001, as an intern with the National University radio, Radio Salus. I was doing Journalism and Mass Communication at the university, so it was a way to get first-hand experience on how things are done, especially in news. I couldn’t bring myself to imagine the process by which we hear what was broadcast on radio. However, while still in high school, I never dreamt of this profession at all. Rather, I thought I would do Medicine, or become an accountant like my mum. But with time, journalism came on my mind, I got hooked because I liked listening to news, and I liked what the presenters did. How did you join TV10? I joined the station when it opened in June. I wanted to have some experience of TV broadcasting, having been a news anchor at Radio10 for a long time. How does reading news on TV compare with that on radio? When you are talking in a radio studio, you are alone but speaking to millions of people out there. I like it when I get feedback on the things I say on radio. When it comes to the screen, it’s a totally different thing, because people are watching you, so you have to manage both your voice and appearance. On radio, there is no one looking at you, so it’s all about managing the voice.