Stay tuned for 10 more years of Joe Moore at KHON2.

The No. 1-rated news anchor since 1980 has a contract with Channel 2 that is about to expire, but Moore has decided to stay on for another decade, extending his 40-year broadcast career to 50 years.

"This was an easy decision for two reasons: I am not ready to retire and to paraphrase a line from a classic movie, KHON made me an offer I couldn't refuse," Moore told The Advertiser.

Moore revealed his decision at the end of last night's 10 p.m. newscast.

"I never imagined back in 1969, when I got out of the Army and started as a young TV reporter here in Hawai'i, that 40 years could pass so quickly, but it has," said Moore.

He was a sports anchor at KGMB for nine years, then moved in 1979 to KHON, then an NBC station and now a Fox affiliate since 1995.

KHON has been No. 1 in overall news viewership since 1980, when both the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts became the viewers' favorite. In 2006, however, KGMB began to cut into KHON's lead at 10 p.m., taking the top ranking for that newscast.

"It's clear that the Channel 2 News is in good shape, still Hawai'i's No. 1 choice for news, and committed not only to maintaining that position, but also to improving the quality of our news product. And, the station has the people in place to do just that," Moore told viewers last night.

He lauded News Director Lori Silva, and a dedicated staff of producers, anchors, reporters, cameramen and behind-the-scenes technicians.

He added that New Vision Television, current owner of KHON, and station manager Joe McNamara agreed with him that "40 years is a good, solid career, and we've made the joint decision that 50 years would be better."

"I would not have reached this decision under our previous owner, as they were not committed to the staff of the station or the people of Hawai'i, but in my judgment, New Vision Television is committed to both."

In the past, Moore has been known to criticize his station owners and policies on the air. But he told The Advertiser he has no inclination to shop for a job elsewhere.

"I never considered moving to another station," he said. "While I respect the talent that they have, I'm not a fan of the consultant-driven, cookie-cutter style of newscasts that they've adopted from the Mainland."