Former KGMB reporter a free agent
POSTED: Sunday, February 07, 2010
Teri Okita is not yet sure what she's going to do next.
The local girl and former KGMB-TV reporter/anchor, who did Hawaii proud reporting for CBS News from around the world, was among those felled by the job-cut ax that swept from “;60 Minutes”; through to her L.A.-based CBS Newspath offices last week.
The layoff estimate ranges from 150 to fewer than 100 based on industry reports, and was “;the second round of layoffs in the last couple years, (though) this was more widespread,”; she told “;TheBuzz.”;
Her contract was to end in April, and she had already talked with the network about leaving after her 10th anniversary, but “;it came as a surprise that it happened now.”;
During her CBS tenure, she went to Iraq four times; “;basically lived in Rome for six weeks while I covered the pope”;; reported from Gaza and Jewish settlements; did stories in Africa; and reported from the White House, the Supreme Court, and Congress. She was at the Pentagon on 9/11, reported from Ground Zero in New York City and later “;covered subsequent terror plots in London.”;
Okita was in Chicago on election night in 2008 and watched then-President-elect Obama, a fellow Punahou alumnus, give his acceptance speech.
After moving to CBS' Los Angeles offices, she “;was doing live shots in L.A. as news of Michael Jackson's death was breaking”;; was in New Orleans for the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; and “;you name it, I've covered every type of natural disaster possible—hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, wildfires, earthquakes.”;
Throw in seven Super Bowls and many red-carpet events including the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards and Golden Globes, and “;with the experience and stories I've been on, there's nothing to complain about—it's been a great ride,”; Okita said.
“;I could have never dreamed a big enough dream for myself that would have taken this girl from Hawaii to most of the biggest news events of the last 10 years.”;
In 1996 Okita's then-impending departure was duly noted by late Star-Bulletin columnist Dave Donnelly, who always did have an eye for pretty ladies.
“;Tears are already falling in some parts of town as the word leaks out that KGMB's Teri Okita is packing up and moving on to Washington,”; he wrote. She was bound for CBS affiliate WUSA-TV at the time, and the network scooped her up in 2000.
She plans to begin job hunting in earnest now that her timetable has been pushed up. This is one of those “;times of growth, and going through it is not easy, but when I get to the other side and I figure out what's next, I'll go, 'OK, now I know why this happened.'”;
She did not rule out a visit home to decompress.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Reach her by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).