KITV president, GM resigns for health reasons

KITV President and General Manager Joe McNamara, widely known as “Joe Mac,” resigned his position this week to focus on his health.

He disclosed his bone marrow cancer (multiple myeloma) diagnosis last year and took leave from the station to undergo three months of treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.

After his return to Hawaii and the station, he was further diagnosed with Parsonage Turner syndrome, an autoimmune nerve disorder.

Both diagnoses require a daily regimen, McNamara said, adding, “All this while trying (to give) the station a 100 percent effort at times was a bit overwhelming.”

“It is with heavy heart that I announce my decision to step down from my daily duties as president and GM of the station,” he said in a Wednesday memo to staff.

“I truly believe the station is in a better place than it was upon takeover in September 2015,” with millions of dollars invested in high-definition digital infrastructure and other changes that will include a new branding campaign.

George Lilly, chairman of station owner SJL Broadcast Management Corp., accepted McNamara’s resignation “with great sadness,” he said in a statement.

McNamara started with California-based SJL in 2000, serving as general manager of WBNG-TV Binghamton, N.Y., and in Honolulu, first KHON-TV and then KITV. He moved to the mainland after leaving KHON in 2012 when the station was under different ownership. But he returned to Hawaii in 2015 to take the reins at KITV, Hawaii’s ABC-TV affiliate, after New York-based Hearst Television sold the station to SJL.

“In every assignment Joe has done an exemplary job of improving every aspect of station operations while serving the needs of our communities,” Lilly said. “We look forward to consulting with Joe on issues of importance to the broadcast industry and maintaining the friendship that we have … enjoyed over these many years.”

McNamara’s last scheduled day in the office was Wednesday. A successor has not yet been named.