Posted on: Tuesday, May 13, 2003

KHON, KGMB await fate

Advertiser Staff

One proposed Federal Communications Commission rule change would allow a company to own two TV stations in more markets and three in the largest cities like New York and Los Angeles. A market must have at least six competitors for a company to own multiple stations.

The proposed change could determine whether two Honolulu TV stations — Fox affiliate KHON and CBS affiliate KGMB — can be kept by Emmis Communications Corp., an Indianapolis-based company that has owned both stations for two years under temporary FCC exemptions.

The temporary exemptions leave Rick Blangiardi managing both stations, and have led to some news production being consolidated despite separate newsrooms.

Blangiardi did not return telephone calls seeking comment on the FCC proposals yesterday.