TheBuzz Erika Engle

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2 veterans departing from KHNL-TV

KHNL weekend sports anchor and reporter Stephen Florino will be leaving his position at KHNL-TV and his career in television to become communications coordinator at Maryknoll School.

On the Net: » www.khnl.com

Also from the station, veteran reporter Beth Hillyer will not return from maternity leave to rejoin her fellow reporters.

The mother of twin sons, Lane and Luke, born in June, could not be reached for two rather obvious reasons.

"Her husband has a great job opportunity in Alaska," said John Fink, vice president and general manager.

Florino also had "a great opportunity," and Fink and the rest of the station wish them the best, he said.

Florino, a Mililani High School and UH Manoa graduate started his career more than 10 years ago as a sports intern at KITV with now-anchor Shawn Ching, which led to a paying job as a news producer. He started at KHNL in 2004 as a producer and reporter and started wielding a video camera for reporting assignments in keeping with the new videojournalist trend.

Steve Florino

He was "tired of the grind," which includes working weekends, holidays and "odd hours," he said.

His last day at KHNL will be Aug. 20, and he starts his new job the next day. "School starts on the 20th," he said.

At Maryknoll he will handle media relations and serve as editor of "The Knoller," the school's magazine.

Already pumping his new employer, he noted some notable alumni, including entertainer and former "American Idol" contestant Jasmine Trias; former Miss America Angela Perez Baraquio, KHNL anchor Stephanie Lum and Assistant News Director Rich Meiers.

The new job will have him not so much in the limelight, but Florino said, "feeding my baby girl is more important than feeding my ego."

Feeding babies, plural, is something Hillyer is no doubt doing a lot of.

Personal note to Beth from another mother of twins: It gets easier, until they start walking -- usually in opposite directions, both involving danger. Then it gets easier again.

Hillyer, from Nebraska, began her broadcast career in Arizona and has worked in Japan, other mainland stations and in Hawaii, at KHON and at KHNL, twice.

The station has already begun efforts to fill the positions.

"Certainly we need a weekend sports anchor and reporter," to take over for Florino, as well as a reporter, to cover Hillyer's slot, Fink said. She also had assignment-desk experience.

The station will welcome resumes from videojournalists, who report, write, shoot video and edit stories, hence the industry term "one-man band" for such all-around players.