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Ex-Honolulu Magazine
editor resurfaces --
at same company

JOHN Heckathorn, former editorial director at Honolulu Magazine, has been welcomed back to the corporate parent of the magazine's publisher.

Heckathorn had resigned July 1 after being told that PacificBasin Communications LLC, a publishing unit of aio LLC, wanted to change the direction of the magazine.

Heckathorn's departure raised considerable eyebrows and what-were-they-thinking chatter up and down Bishop Street and elsewhere in town, partly because Honolulu Magazine had just won a fistful of awards under his leadership.

"I was contacted by a rather prominent CEO ... who said, 'When this happened to me ... ' and he encouraged me to take some time off, which I managed not to do," Heckathorn laughed.

Now he's back at a new sister company, aio Interactive, registered with the state July 1. It will do business as aio Live!

"John's extensive experience working with the magazines, as well as his high visibility in the community, will help make these two ventures a success for aio Live!" said President Susan Eichor.

As director of integrated media, Heckathorn will provide editorial direction for www.iamhawaii.com, the Web portal that will combine content from PacificBasin's Honolulu Magazine, Hawaii Business magazine, HawaiiHome + Remodeling magazine and sister radio station KKEA-AM 1420.

Aio LLC is owned by Honolulu businessman Duane Kurisu, who is also a minority investor in the Star-Bulletin.

"It's a new direction for me, but also a new venture for the company. I'm hoping I've got a lot to contribute," Heckathorn said. "I'm an old dog who's got a chance to learn some new tricks."

One of his old tricks, a radio show on KKEA, will return to the airwaves Aug. 29. "Heckathorn's Hot Plate" will be about food and food for thought, he said.

"I'm hoping that it's going to be a great pau-hana show ... there are more reasons to go out than just restaurants; there's a lively culture of the town. Honolulu's become a much more interesting place and I think the radio show will reflect that."

To make room for Heck-athorn's show, the simulcast of the KHNL-TV news from 6 to 6:30 a.m. will be discontinued. Bobby Curran's 6 to 9 a.m. sports show on KKEA will stay put.

The station's programming line-up will stay sports-talk focused, with ESPN's Dan Patrick from 10 a.m. to noon, Jim Rome from 1 to 3 p.m. and Scott Robbs' "Sports Bar" from 3 to 6 p.m.

The pukas in between will be filled with locally produced shows featuring Artie Wilson and other voices familiar to KKEA listeners, but the station may also sell time for new shows.

Off and on the air

The long-whispered rumor about Kirk Fernandes' departure from being a KHON-TV reporter is true -- next week is his last.

Fernandes plans to attend graduate school at Boston University to study documentary filmmaking, according to Rick Blangiardi, general manager of KHON.

Blangiardi is also GM at KGMB-TV, which itself is expecting a new arrival. Keahi Tucker, known to viewers of WBAL-TV in Baltimore as reporter and anchor Noel Tucker, will be rejoining KGMB. He had previously worked in the newsroom in an off-camera capacity.

"The contracts are finalized. It's true that we've hired him. He's going to join us as a reporter Oct. 1. We're very excited about his decision to return home to Hawaii," Blangiardi said.