KUALA LUMPUR – More than 24 hours after Ashwad Ismail was appointed as the Broadcasting director-general, a critical question continues to circulate among media practitioners: who will sustain the excellence of Astro Awani as the nation’s leading 24-hour news channel?
As of Tuesday evening, Astro has yet to issue an official statement regarding the vacancy for the Editor-in-Chief position.
However, sources suggest that the name agreed upon to continue the channel’s editorial leadership legacy is Zaiful Mohd Ariffin, the current Executive Editor heading Editorial Services & Business Development.
Zaiful is a seasoned figure in Malaysia’s broadcasting industry. He was a member of the pioneering team that established Astro Awani in 2007, marking the launch of the country’s first 24-hour news and current affairs channel.
Prior to his tenure at Awani, he served at ntv7 for six years starting in 2000, where he rose through the ranks from Assistant Producer to Producer.
Zaiful began his media career at Bernama in 1997 as a general and sports reporter. His portfolio includes coverage of numerous high-profile international events, such as:
- The Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the Commonwealth Games.
- The FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
- International-level badminton and squash tournaments.
At Astro Awani, his role as Senior Input Editor eventually led to his promotion to Executive Editor.
His current responsibilities are extensive, spanning news gathering, production, resource planning, content marketing and channel commercialisation.
To date, Astro has not issued any official confirmation regarding the appointment.