Makaula ended a one-year stint at KGMB-9, the CBS affiliate, on Thursday.

"Stephanie has done a great job for us," said Fink. "So we rewarded her hard work. And Walter's work at KGMB impressed us. We think they'll make a great team for our 9 o'clock news and great support for our 5, 6 and 10 p.m. news."

Lum has sat alongside Paul Drewes on "News 8 Today," the morning news, weather and traffic show from 6 to 7 a.m., preceding the network's "Today" feed.

"I did the nightside before, but I'm very excited about this different opportunity," said Lum. "It's a chance for K5 and News 8 to reach a bigger audience and one good thing is I get to sleep in late — though I'm an early riser."

Makaula said he also values the "opportunity that's rarely given in this business, to work as an anchor and a reporter."

Makaula looks forward to reporting for KHNL newscasts, too. "I like to be out in the field, working, so this will be a great opportunity for me," he said.

K5, the broadcast home of University of Hawai'i sportscasts, maintained a 9 p.m. newscast that ended in 1996. It opted to restore the early news for those who want their news in primetime and target a younger audience tuning into The WB programming.