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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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New network affiliation in Hawaii up in the air
TT'S Sept. 17, do you know where your CW is?
The CW, the network created by the merger of The WB and UPN, debuts its fall season on Wednesday and has still not announced a Hawaii affiliate.
"We remain in vigorous pursuit of an affiliation deal," said Paul McGuire senior vice president for communications for The CW, on Friday.
A conference call with Oceanic Time Warner Cable scheduled for Sept. 11 was moved to Friday and the call ended with no announcement, according to a source at Oceanic.
But wait, aren't Oceanic and The CW related? Yes, they are.
The CW is a joint venture between CBS Corp., which owns the soon-to-cease programming UPN, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Oceanic parent company Time Warner. Time Warner is majority owner of The WB, which airs its last shows tonight.
The CW's official launch date is the Wednesday two-hour premiere of "America's Next Top Model," a model search reality show.
Pono publicity
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is preparing for its weeklong, fifth annual convention starting Sept. 25.
One of this year's legion of offerings, from the serious to the sublime, is a public relations and media workshop. It is to be presented by Adrian Kamali'i, president of Pae ' Aina Communications, and Mona Wood, president of Ikaika Communications -- both are native Hawaiian-owned public relations businesses.
"The entire week, as it has been planned for the last four years, is about empowering our people and organizations through these gatherings," said Kamali'i.
Kamali'i and Wood's goal for their workshop, is to teach nonprofit organizations how to produce news releases and interact with the media industry, to maximize the visibility of their missions and services.
Kamali'i cited Alu Like as an example of an organization that does great work, but whose work is largely unseen by the public.
The organization has been around 30 years. "They have worked their way up to a $20 million dollar a year operating budget and they have helped more than 100,000 people, but not many people know that," he said. Now on the board of directors, he will participate in creation of a public relations plan, to raise awareness.
"It is very Hawaiian not to brag," Kamali'i said.
Nonprofits, "especially Hawaiian nonprofits, they really bear the burden of the Hawaiian community and they are so busy during the day, doing what they have to do, that they don't think about sending out a press release as a necessity."
However, it behooves nonprofits to include publicity in its thought processes and practices, Kamali'i said.
"But when you increase your visibility, when you tell your story, it more effectively increases the chances for funding. People understand your mission better."
"There is nothing like having a supportive public sentiment for your organization," he said.
Attending the convention probably won't be a decision made on a whim, as admission is $480 for nonmembers which includes plenary sessions, luncheons and breakout sessions. The daily rate is $165 for nonmembers. Registration can be done online or by calling 521-5011.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at:
eengle@starbulletin.com