Cable Executive Retiring to Launch Production Company in Africa

by Frederick H. Lowe
Bob Reid, executive vice president and general manager of The Africa Channel, is retiring March 1 to found an independent company that will set up bureaus throughout Africa to produce original high definition programming for his former employer.

Reid, who has been the cable channel's top executive since it was founded in 2005, is moving to Accra, Ghana, which he will use as a base of operations to open the production bureaus.
 
“Our goal is to open as many as 10 separate bureaus across Africa in the next 18 months to provide content from Africa's 54 countries,” Reid told The NorthStar News & Analysis. An Africa Channel bureau is already open in Kampala, Uganda. The cable network broadcasts stories from Africa to the United States.

He said he has not decided on a name for his company.

“I have always enjoyed producing and creating content,” he said. "However, much of my role will be in overseeing local production teams."

In the future, Reid and The Africa Channel could jointly develop content to sell to other networks. Eventually, Reid's company wants to develop scripted content.

Reid will hire Africans to work in the bureaus.

“I have a stack of resumes to look through, and I have to find office space,” he said.  Reid and Elrick Williams, CEO Williams Group Holdings, a privately held Chicago-based investment company that is the majority owner of The Africa Channel, will travel to Accra, Ghana's capital on or around Feb. 25. Reid is scheduled to begin living in Ghana in May.

Reid, who has visited Accra twice, said he and the Williams Group decided to establish a base in Ghana because of the opportunity there to develop original content. In addition, he said the country has a stable political climate and business environment. It also is easy to fly from Ghana to the United States.

Prior to joining The Africa Channel, Reid was executive vice president and general manager of the Discovery Health Channel, where he oversaw programming and production. During his tenure, the network doubled its distribution from 26 million to 50 million households.

At the Africa Channel, which has its headquarters in North Hollywood, Calif., Reid was part of a team that negotiated distribution agreements with Comcast, Time Warner and Cox. He also oversaw the launch of the Africa Channel's HD simulcast in the U.S. and the launch of The Africa Channel in the United Kingdom.

Reid's successor has not been named. On an interim basis, Mark Walton, executive vice president of sponsorship and corporate development, will oversee affiliate sales, marketing and advertising sales. Shirley Neal, executive vice president of programming, will continue to oversee programming, production and network operations.