Joe McNamara, vice president and general manager of WBNG-TV in Binghamton, N.Y., will become KHON's new vice president and general manager, according to WBNG's Web site.

McNamara's hiring comes as the station's buyers, SJL Broadcast Group of California and the Blackstone Group of New York, told KHON staffers that they plan to lay off as many as 35 of the station's 112 workers.

McNamara, who could not be reached for immediate comment, replaces Rick Blangiardi, who had decided to leave the station to assume similar duties at KGMB 9.

McNamara, 49, has worked at WBNG for 24 years.

George Lilly, SJL's chief executive officer, could not be reached for immediate comment.

Greg Catlin, news director at WBNG, said the station in upstate New York reaches a viewing audience of about 1 million people.

Fed says Hawai'i housing market still going strong

The Federal Reserve, in a report released today, pointed to Hawai'i as one of the few western states where the housing market is still going strong despite a moderation in other areas of the region.

"While some of the hottest markets in the (western) district have cooled, for example, Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area — other areas, such as Oregon and especially Hawai'i, have reportedly heated up further," the Fed said in its latest snapshot of business activity nationwide.