Posted on: Thursday, April 1, 2004

Changes at KITV-4

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Mahealani Richardson, weekend anchor at KITV-4 News, will become an early riser starting Monday, when she takes over, at least temporarily, the morning news reins on the ABC affiliate.

She will be the solo anchor, succeeding Jill Kuramoto and Paul Udell, who are being reassigned to reporting, though Kuramoto may be alternating with Tasha Kobashigawa as weekend news anchor.

"What we're doing, effective Monday, is making our morning news shows newsier, with less entertainment, less featurish," said Mike Rosenberg, the station's general manager. The overhaul, based on audience desires, places new emphasis on breaking news, overnight news and regular traffic and weather updates.

Ben Gutierrez will remain on board to handle weather, and a field reporter will be added for live reports.