KHNL hires Barbara Wallace, drops managing editor Koga

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Some visible reshuffling is under way in television news.

Barbara Wallace will rejoin KHNL-8 April 1, becoming the morning show co-anchor with Paul Drewes. At that time, the NBC affiliate also will cut back its morning telecast a half hour, beginning at 5:30 a.m. instead of 5 a.m., with the "Today" show logging on at 7 a.m.

"I'm ecstatic; I miss everybody a lot and I missed news," said Wallace, who had resigned from the station last August, taking a medical leave but vowing to return. Her health is fine now, she said. She formed a consulting company and did part-time work during her hiatus.

Minna Sugimoto, who was interim morning co-host, will return to reporting but will be available to fill in, as needed.

Dave Koga, who joined KHNL in November 1999, as managing editor, will be leaving that post in a staff reduction move, effective today. Reporter Linda Hosek leaves KHNL in two weeks to pursue opportunities in Washington, D.C.

Nielsen ratings, announced last Monday, put KHNL in a tie with KHON-2's morning show for a 3 rating in the February sweeps. (Each rating point equals 3,827 households tuned to the rated program.) KITV-4 had a 2 rating, and KGMB (which carries the CBS network morning show) had a 1 rating.

Other changes also are under way on TV news: Lynne Mueller is leaving her post as general manager of KGMB-9, effective May 31.

Mueller said her departure has nothing to do with ratings or station ownerships: She's getting married and plans to move to San Francisco.

"His name is Kent Kraley and he's a United Airlines pilot," said Mueller. "He's my golden parachute."

Indianapolis-based media firm Emmis Communications Corp., which owns KHON-2 and KGMB, has sought a year's extension from the Federal Communications Commission to continue its duopoly in Hawai'i, Mueller said. Present regulations forbid one owner to operate two of the top four stations in a single market.