TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Aloha Friday
for KAIM managerThe staff at Christian broadcasting company Salem Media of Hawaii Inc. bids General Manager Doug Campbell "godspeed" today.
On Monday, California-based parent company Salem Communications Corp. informed him it would make a leadership change for its Hawaii stations.
"There were tears in the hallway," Program Director Michael Shishido said. "(Campbell) is extremely well-regarded."
"He really ran the place not so much as Doug Campbell the GM and 'what I say goes' but it was Doug Campbell one of your co-workers and 'let's all work this thing together,'" Shishido said.
Campbell said: "It was an honor to work with (Shishido) and (Operations Manager) Jack (Waters) and I hope that they would say they didn't work for me but that we worked together." He will pursue other opportunities, he said.
Campbell oversaw the blending of facilities and cultures following Salem's October 1999 purchase of KAIM-AM/FM, KGU-AM and KHNR-AM from separate companies. The KAIM combo was changed from nonprofit to for-profit status and in his three-year tenure Campbell is credited with increasing revenues 15-fold. He was also tasked with taking KAIM-AM, Hawaii's only 50,000 watt AM radio station, off the air to enable a Salem station in Los Angeles to boost its power.
Salem last month agreed to acquire the Japanese-language KJPN-AM from Honolulu-based International Communications Corp.; it has not disclosed plans for the station.
"Salem has achieved progress in building out its Hawaii station cluster and looks forward to continuing this momentum under new management," Regional Vice President Ken Gaines said in a statement.
Former Honolulu broadcast executive T.J. Malievsky has been named general manager.
"He'll be here Monday morning to take over," Campbell 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