Hari Kojima
Hari Kojima
By Tim Ryan
loses TV shows
Star-BulletinHari Kojima is out as the star of KHON's "Let's Go Fishing" and "Hari's Kitchen."
Kojima, who has been the "Let's Go Fishing" host since 1981, had been part of the show for all of the 29 years of its run. It is Hawaii's longest-running locally produced television program. "Hari's Kitchen" has been broadcast for about a decade, KHON general manager Kent Baker said.
"We parted ways," said Robert Penebacker, the station's marketing director. "We wanted to change the format of the shows, and (Hari) didn't feel like he fit in those changes."
Baker said both shows have had declining ratings and low profits for several years, which meant major changes had to be made.
"We tried for months to reach an agreement for him to continue on 'Let's Go Fishing,' but it didn't work," Baker said.
Kojima said yesterday that the major factor in his leaving the program after 29 years was not because of a format change but because he wouldn't accept the lower salary KHON offered.
"I wanted to continue ... but I couldn't afford to with the salary reduction offered to me," he said.
Kojima said KHON gave him severance pay, but declined to elaborate. He said he was notified last week that KHON was going with new hosts.
Unemployment is a new experience for Kojima who hopes to return to television programming with another station.
In Kojima's place, Ben Wong and Kenny Walsh will host "Let's Go Fishing" beginning Sunday. The program airs at 5 p.m.
The new format gives renewed emphasis on fishing in Hawaiian waters, Baker said. Upcoming shows include papio fishing off Molokai, crabbing and blue-water trolling off the Kona coast and bottom fishing off the Kohala coast and Molokai.
A new feature will be the "Tackle Box" segment with demonstrations of "trade secrets" by local fishermen, the station said. The show also will regularly offer tips on cutting and cooking fish.
Radio deejay Brickwood Galuteria will host the cooking show, "Hawaii's Kitchen," also starting Sunday. It airs at 5:30 p.m. and repeats the next Saturday. The program replaces "Hari's Kitchen," which, Baker said, featured primarily Waikiki chefs who "don't tend to cook like the rest of us."
The new format will feature more local, nonprofessional people who are interested in cooking. There also will be cooking contest segments, including one between fire stations, tugboat cooks and even celebrities. Vicky Cayetano will be guest cook on Sunday's premiere.
There will be about 52 new "Let's Go Fishing" shows this year compared to about half that in previous years, Baker said. About 45 "Hawaii's Kitchen" shows will air, he said.
