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Louise Kim McCoy
leaves KGMB after
nearly 10 years

AFTER nearly 10 years with KGMB-TV, veteran reporter Louise Kim McCoy went missing from the station's newscast last week.

"I was told that my contract would not be renewed," she said.

Rick Blangiardi, senior vice president for Emmis Communications Corp., which owns both KGMB and KHON-TV, declined to comment.

McCoy's husband, Jim, was news director at KHON until his resignation in September 2002. He now works with public affairs consulting company Hoakea Communications LLC.

"She's won awards, and every day that she was there she was probably the (reporter on the) lead story more than half the time, probably three-quarters," Jim McCoy said.

Last June, the Society of Professional Journalists presented Kim McCoy and a KGMB news production team with an Excellence in Journalism Award for investigative reporting for a two-part series on the date-rape drug known as GHB. She had worked at KITV for six years before moving to KGMB.

Neither McCoy saw the unemployment coming.

"I'm just shocked and extremely sad because I've worked extremely hard and I always cared about the reporting," she said. "In fact, I was told repeatedly, 'You're so passionate about what you do.'"

Buenconsejo back at bat

Marvin Buenconsejo has departed desk duty for a return to reporting at KHNL-TV.

Promoted to assistant news director last April, Buenconsejo returned to the visible side of the camera lens as senior correspondent, effective yesterday. He was an original member of the station's reporting team when it launched its newscasts on April 17, 1995.

"As you know, it has been tough finding a reporter who can fill Marv's shoes," News Director Sue Levine told staff in a Friday e-mail.

"He's a heavy hitter and we need a heavy hitter," she told TheBuzz.

A bit of "aw shucks" seeped through Buenconsejo's voice on the phone.

"I was somewhat embarrassed but I appreciate the vote of confidence Sue had for me in that e-mail," he said.

Buenconsejo called his return to reporting part of a set of "sweeping changes" Levine is implementing to spur growth.

Rich Meiers, producer for the 10 p.m. news, has been promoted to assistant news director; Kurt Weller, producer for the 6 p.m. news, moves to the 10 p.m. show; and Serena Thomas moves into the 6 p.m. producer position.