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Wimberly Allison hotels
are on fire, but they
are not burning

A business in flames is normally not a good thing. However, two foreign hotels designed by Hawaii-based architecture firm Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo have rated two of a possible three flames in the May issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

The magazine's ninth annual list of hot new hotels, scored according to look, location and service, rates a hotel hot, hotter or hottest with one, two or three flame symbols, respectively.

The magazine's graders rated the King George II in Athens, Greece, and the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa in Indonesia.

Gloves off, restraint shown

Local media watchdog Chris Conybeare and television executive Rick Blangiardi will square off across a round table for a taping of "Island Insights" that will air Monday night on PBS Hawaii.

Conybeare is an attorney and media professor long critical of concentrated ownership of media outlets, which has been allowed by Congress and the Federal Communications Commission.

Blangiardi is the Hawaii market senior vice president and general manager for Emmis Communications Corp., the Indiana-based company that owns KGMB-TV and KHON-TV.

"Emmis can call the shots" in dictating news content, Conybeare said.

Blangiardi replied that Emmis does not dictate news content and each newsroom differentiates itself, even if similar stories are covered each day.

Emmis has said it plans to sell its 16-station television group and Conybeare has pledged to make sure the stations are sold to separate owners.

Not on the hot seat for the taping was John Fink. He is general manager of KHNL and KFVE, the first two television stations in the nation to be owned by the same company, Alabama-based Raycom Media, in one market.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m.