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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Indigo stays for now;
Austin Vali leaves, againIt's too early to say that Indigo Eurasian Cuisine has received a new lease on life, but it does have a six-month extension of its lease on Nuuanu Avenue.
Its owners have been negotiating with Hawaii Theatre Center for many months approaching the Sept. 30 end of its 10-year lease with no option.
The extension was required as Indigo and Hawaii Theatre Center management have not been able to agree on terms.
"We hope we can resolve it for the sake of Chinatown," said Indigo President and co-owner Dave Stewart in July.
"We just received our copy today," said chef-owner Glenn Chu on Friday. "It was executed on Monday."
"I think what we really need to do is come to terms now," he said. If there is no agreement, Chu and Stewart will have enough time to find another location.
"It's at the point where we can't do improvements or change things because we don't have a long-term lease.
"We want to make the extra effort to make things happen," Chu said. "I love being in the downtown area."
Separately, Hawaii Theatre Center re-elected Robert Midkiff as chairman and announced new board members and officers at its annual meeting Thursday.
Vali isle-hopping
Cox Radio Hawaii Vice President and General Manager Austin Vali is leaving for Long Island, N.Y. Yes, again.But you just lured Dan Cooke to do the morning show, TheBuzz reminded him.
"It was something I said. He heard my show," said Cooke through Vali's speaker phone.
"I can't possibly stay here and be embarrassed much longer," Vali countered. The two once did a morning show and the shtick just keeps on coming.
Vali has been promoted to market manager overseeing WBAB-FM 102.3 and WBLI-FM 106.1. He had moved to Long Island after selling KRTR-FM 96.3 and KXME-FM 104.3 in 1998, but returned to Hawaii in 2000 to run the stations he once owned.
Mike Kelly, also a vice president and general manager, has been named Hawaii market manager over Cox's Honolulu operations.
Radio insiders have been skeptical about how long the dual VP-GM arrangement for a single station cluster would last. Vali and Kelly each ran separate groups until Cox made its second group purchase in 2000, bringing KCCN-AM/FM and KINE-FM into the fold.
"Bob (Neil, President and CEO of Atlanta-based Cox Radio Inc.) had always said Hawaii would have two GMs," Vali said. "But as long as Mike and I were here, and Mike and I have worked really hard to bring the two groups together, it finally got to the point that no matter what we do, as long as there's a Hawaii-one and a Hawaii-two, the only way to make it one group was for one of us to bow out."
Originally from Long Island, Vali jumped when the opportunity arose, he said. He starts Nov. 3.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
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
