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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, October 20, 2009

KHNL-KGMB unveils new lineup


BY Rick Daysog
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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KGMB9's Keahi Tucker and Stacy Loe and KHNL's Stephanie Lum will anchor a joint 10 p.m. newscast when the stations' newsroom merger launches on Monday, according to promotional materials sent out by the stations yesterday.

Lum also will co-anchor a joint 5 p.m newscast with KGMB9's Tannya Joaquin under the stations' new talent lineup and news schedule, which was unveiled to major advertisers.

The stations' on-air lineup won't be finalized until later this week and could change, according to a newsroom source.

Under the new format, KHNL will move its 6 p.m. local newscast to 5:30 p.m. and both KHNL and KGMB will simulcast its 5 o'clock and 10 o'clock weekday shows. KGMB9 will have its own 6 p.m. newscast anchored by Tucker and Joaquin.

KGMB, KHNL and K5 announced in August that they plan to merge newsrooms, simulcast some news programs and cut about a third of their staff.

The so-called shared services agreement will result in the terminations of all but four of KHNL's on-air staff.

The surviving KHNL staffers include Lum, reporters Minna Sugimoto and Duane Shimogawa, and Mari-Ela David, who will be a weekend anchor.

Anchors Howard Dashefsky and Diane Ako are among the better-known KHNL staffers who were given layoff notices.

The newsroom merger has raised criticism from community groups such as Media Council Hawaii, which is asking the Federal Communications Commission to nix the merger of three of the state's five largest television stations.

The media council is also asking the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division to investigate.

Raycom Media of Alabama, which owns KHNL and K5, has said that the deal was needed to prevent one or two of the stations from going under.

The shared services agreement also doesn't require FCC approval because there's no change of ownership, Raycom has said.