PBS Hawai'i to cut five positions
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
Faced with dwindling income, budget cuts and a $500,000 shortfall in its fund-raising, PBS Hawai'i, the state's public TV station, is eliminating five staff positions effective Friday.
Two key executive producers-directors, who figure in most of the station's popular shows, are among those receiving pink slips, in addition to the PBS publicist and a graphic artist. A videographer post also has been cut, but the employee has been retained in another position.
"It's one of the the most difficult decisions I've had to make," said Mike McCartney, president and chief executive of PBS Hawai'i. "These are talented, productive, dedicated personnel. We had to do it (eliminate the jobs) to live within our means."
The station's executive producers-directors, Joy Chong-Stannard and Stuart Yamane, were among those let go, along with Kay Kasamoto, the station's publicist. A staff graphic artist also was being terminated, but a name was not disclosed.
Chong-Stannard, a veteran producer-director, has worked on such shows as "Donald McKayle: Heartbeats of a Dance Maker," "Biography Hawai'i: Aunty Maiki" and "May Earth Live: A Journey Through the Hawaiian Forest." She was not available for comment.
Yamane, the Emmy-winning writer-director of "Journey of Honor," produced and directed the ongoing musical series "Na Mele O Hawai'i," as well as the just launched "Art Stories" production.
"These are rough times," Yamane said. "It's one of those things that you're shocked, but you're not surprised."
He said the freedom will enable him "to do other projects of my own, since basically, I'm a producer. So it's highly possible that I could bring back to the station a production done as an independent producer."
He had been meeting with Jay W. Junker, an ethnomusicologist who specializes in Island music, over a new 13-week series of "Na Mele O Hawaii," planned for launch next August.
"It's still possible for the shows to continue," said McCartney of "Na Mele. "We have the time slotted and some underwriters. If we do it, it's highly possible Stuart will be involved — as an outsider."
McCartney called the job cuts "a last resort, following other cost-cutting measures — reduction in management salaries, elimination of conference travel and other budget adjustments."
He said that in the present weak economy, fund-raising fell $500,000 short. The economic retrenchment has also cut into interest revenue from the station's endowments.
The PBS budget for this fiscal year, ending June 30, is $5.3 million, and the station was able to generate money and pledges totaling $4.8 million for the next season, starting July 1.
"I'm not saying we're living one month at a time, but we've raised the funds to survive next year," he said. The job cutbacks will help balance the budget in light of the shortfall.
The station still faces financial challenges, including a federal obligation to be fully digital by 2006. It would cost an estimated $6 million to upgrade the present broadcasting system.
PBS Hawai'i also wants to build a new facility at an estimated cost of $12 million. The station now leases a site on University of Hawai'i property on Dole Street, near University Avenue.
Junker, an advocate of Island music and culture, said PBS' fate "is a sad tale of local stations in general, both the commercial and public television, and it's all because of cable.
"As local stations cut back employees and local productions, where will future generations learn about the culture of this community?" Junker said. "Hawai'i is very distinctive; if our stations here don't produce programming about Island personalities, artists and culture, who will?"
The staff reductions come in wake of the station's efforts to brand itself as a source of programming not found on network or cable stations. On Feb. 2 the station, previously Hawai'i Public Television, renamed itself PBS Hawai'i.
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.
