TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Hot on the heels of the Olympian feat of overtaking the lead in the 10 p.m. news race, KHNL is shuffling its on-air personalities and programs. Anchor away, anchor
return at KHNLBarbara Wallace is returning to the NBC affiliate's morning anchor chair effective April 1.
The morning show is being cut by half an hour and will now air from 5:30 to 7 a.m. weekdays, said Vice President and General Manager John Fink, who said the move should benefit ratings. Both KHNL and KHON received three ratings points and an 18 share in the just-released February 2002 Nielsen ratings.
"There aren't enough people watching TV (the first half-hour)," Fink said, "and it brings the whole two-hour number down."
The half-hour will be filled with NBC's "Early Today" show.
Interim morning anchor Minna Sugimoto will return to afternoon reporting duties.
"She filled in most capably, helping us maintain our 3 rating," Fink said. "She's been an absolute team player and will be going back to afternoons and will spot-anchor for us on an as-needed basis."
Former Star-Bulletin reporter Linda Hosek has given her notice and will relocate to Washington, D.C., where she'll pursue work in long-form reporting, Fink said.
News 8 has also restructured its newsroom management, leaving two-year veteran Managing Editor Dave Koga with a severance package.
Assistant News Director for Operations Randy Ennis and Assistant News Director for Editorial Ben Metcalf will continue to report to News Director Seth Feldman. Feldman celebrated his one-year anniversary in the job two weeks ago.
Wallace joined the station in January 1995 as it prepared to kick off its local news operations. She took medical leave in May and resigned in September "because I wasn't sure how everything was going to go," she said.
Wallace has medical clearance to return to work for the anchor position, but she won't be reporting. Without providing medical specifics, Wallace said, "my health is better, I had an opportunity to go back and I missed everybody there, I missed doing news; it was like home and family."
Her immediate family has grown since her departure. She married Ko Olina consultant Michael Kosmin in October. The next big family event is her daughter Paxton's 8th birthday slumber party.
Her April Fool's day return to work is no joke, "although I'm sure when I'm getting in at 4 a.m. it'll feel like a joke," Wallace said.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, 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