TheBuzz Erika Engle

One by one, KHON assembles new management team

Funasaki has been with the station since 1989 and "appreciate(s) the opportunity to continue working with the many talented people in our marketing department and the other department managers," he said in a statement.

After a spate of recent high-level resignations at KHON, the other department managers so far include News Director Lori Silva, General Sales Manager Bill Spellman and Controller Alexander Rogers.

"To find someone with Kyle's credentials is great, but to have that person already in tune with the station and have a connection with the community presents a big upside for us," said Joe McNamara,* the station's president and general manager.

"He was kind of a quiet guy ... but there's a book of knowledge there."

Rogers starts later this month, while Spellman, who previously served KHON as vice president and general manager, returned yesterday.

"What I like about Bill is he knows what it's like to run a sales department but he also knows what it's like to run a television station ... he's got the full picture, which is a plus for me," McNamara said.

Five people, including McNamara, have now been hired to replace the nine management officials who resigned when the buyer of KHON, Montecito Broadcast Group LLC, took possession of the station.

Interviews for an information technology manager, for which the station received more than 30 applications, are under way, McNamara said.

The station "need(s) somebody with a little bit of vision, you don't just want a fireman there," he said.

The IT manager will be given the usual systems and Web-site work, but also will need to integrate the automation equipment and new software that Montecito is bringing in -- equipment that will result in the elimination of several jobs.

It is unlikely that KHON will again have two local sales managers, McNamara said.

The company announced plans to fire up to 35 people when it took over in January but has so far not laid off swaths of people. News Director Lori Silva accepted her promotion from executive producer on the grounds that news department layoffs would be minimal. McNamara has since said that no on-air news staff or full-time videographers would be fired.

Art Director Jocelyn Racoma accepted a voluntary separation package and Wally Zimmermann's executive news producer position was eliminated.