Karen Meiring, one of the most respected and successful women in the South African entertainment industry, has been appointed as the new Head of kykNET, M-Net’s Afrikaans channel on DStv.

Meiring has been active in this field for 23 years, during which time she established a phenomenal track record as a trailblazing business woman and creative dynamo.

M-Net CEO, Patricia Scholtemeyer describes the appointment as a coup for the company and the channel: “Karen’s achievements in the arts underscore her vast array of talents, as business woman, publisher, stage performer, recording artist, and, above all, innovative leader. She is eminently suited to the task of taking over the helm of this winning television brand.”

Throughout her career, Meiring has been at the forefront of major developments on the South African entertainment horizon, one of the most notable being the establishment of the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, the country’s largest and most successful arts festival. During her tenure, first as pioneering organiser and later as CEO, the festival grew from humble beginnings to an astonishingly successful enterprise with an annual turnover of more than R20-million.

Her other leadership roles include directorship of Gigs Galaxy and stage and artist management at the Performing Arts Council of the Free State. She was entertainment manager of the legendary Club 58 in Hillbrow and guided the careers of pop icons such as Johannes Kerkorrel.

Meiring, a top-class entertainer in her own right, best known as a member of the award-winning a-capella group Cutt Glas, joins kykNET after a two-year stint as CEO of the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre and member of the board of the UNISA Music Foundation.

In 2004, she was honoured with the City Press / Rapport Prestige Prize for her achievements.

Meiring says she regards her appointment as one of the biggest challenges of her career. “kykNET is an extraordinary success story. My first mission is to maintain its winning momentum. In the long term, I must aim to steer it towards even greater heights.”

She takes over from Theo Erasmus, who was recently appointed Channel Director: General Entertainment South Africa at M-Net.

Scholtemeyer says Karen’s track record proves that she knows how to meet the needs of the market segment in which kykNET operates. “She brings a fresh perspective to a channel that has carved a distinctive niche for itself in local television. We hold her abilities in high regard, and we are confident that she’ll have a tremendously positive impact in the M-Net environment.”