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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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Gennaula weighs anchor for a new journey
Longtime news anchor Kim Gennaula will leave KGMB-TV for Kapiolani Health Foundation, though her jobs will overlap for a time.
Her first day at Kapiolani as director of philanthropy will be Sept. 15, but she will continue to anchor the 10 p.m. news until Nov. 26, the end of the Nielsen rating period.
"It was an extremely difficult decision for me," she said in a statement.
"This is what I have worked for since high school ... I've had a fantastic 15 years at KGMB9, I am extremely proud to have been part of the station rising to No. 1 (at 10 p.m.). And I have loved every minute of working alongside my husband (Guy Hagi) and everyone else on the KGMB9 team," she said.
The team she is joining needs to raise money for a major renovation and expansion of Kapiolani Medical Center, which is also preparing its centennial anniversary.
While many know it is the only full-service pediatric hospital in the Pacific, "what they might not know is, that Kapiolani is nonprofit, or that it will never turn away a child because of inability to pay," she said.
It is a message she looks forward to trumpeting.
Come Nov. 27, the change will enable her to spend more time with her 4- and 6-year-old children while Hagi continues on as weather anchor at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
Gennaula preceded him in the job, joining the station in 1993 after reporting gigs in Texas and Florida. Hagi's first night at KGMB was Sept. 11, 2001.
Gennaula weathered a storm of controversy when her forecasts, based on the station's AccuWeather software, predicted a hurricane path inconsistent with that of the National Weather Service, which other stations were reporting. AccuWeather was wrong.
Gennaula has since garnered reporting accolades including an Emmy Award.
The new job is not a spokesperson role but it is likely to be visible, said Mike Robinson, foundation executive director. "It's a roll-up-your-sleeves" job in which she will serve alongside fellow Director of Philanthropy Lynne Wooddell.
Speculation about Gennaula's successor started swirling early yesterday.
The station is looking in-house and externally. It is likely some internal candidates will co-anchor the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts with Keahi Tucker, "and probably toward the end of this month we'll have our anchor lineup set," said News Director Chris Archer.
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:
erika@starbulletin.com