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Tammy Mori has left KHON-TV for a job as director of communications for the Hawaii State Judiciary system.
"It was a hard decision," she said. "KHON has been my family on and off for the past eight years."
When she learned of the opportunity at the Judiciary, she discovered "a great group of people doing great work, and it has programs there that are hidden gems, things I would love to have the opportunity to highlight," she said.
In her new job, Mori will oversee the media relations, volunteer services and Web offices of the Judiciary, reporting to Susan Gochros, chief staff attorney and administrator of the Judiciary’s Intergovernmental and Community Relations Department. Mori, who starts Monday, succeeds Mark Santoki, who has moved to another position within the Judiciary.
"We’ll be working closely together," Mori said Tuesday after having lunch with Santoki. "He’s going to be a huge help to me."
The job posting specified experience in media, public relations, the Legislature or a law firm, "and I had worked the 2011 leg(islative) session," she said. "I thought it was a long shot, even with all the background that I have," but she went for it.
The review and interview process took about three or four months and she had mulled over the decision within the past month, she said.
"Everything changes when you become a mom," said the mother of a 19-month-old. The regular hours and stability were big factors in her decision.
Mori initially joined the reporting staff at KHON in 2005 and left in 2008 to take on the information specialist position at the state Department of Transportation.
She was succeeded in that role in January 2011 by former KITV anchorman and reporter Dan Meisenzahl, returning to KHON as the traffic reporter for its morning news show.
After her daughter was born she returned to news reporting with weekends part of her regular work schedule.
"This is a huge crossroads … I’m excited to start," Mori said.
SPEAK UP OR PUT UP
It is license renewal time for Hawaii radio stations, and a group of TV stations is going through a transfer of control process, though it does not appear to be a sale.
It is at times like these that you, the listening and viewing public, can potentially have the most impact if you feel a station has not been operating in the interest of the community.
KGMB-TV and KHNL-TV and their respective sister stations are undergoing what is called a voluntary transfer of control. Alabama-based Raycom TV Broadcasting Inc., which owns the stations, has requested approval from the Federal Communications Commission to transfer control of the Hawaii stations to TV Stations Holdings LLC.
TV Stations Holdings registered with the state of Hawaii in February and Raycom Media Inc. President and CEO Paul McTear is listed as the sole officer.
The applications show there is no substantial change in ownership and control, according to an FCC spokeswoman.
Viewers still can file a petition to deny the change; however, it must be done before the applications are granted. The commission’s general practice, the spokeswoman said, is to grant the applications within a week or two of public notice issuance.
Meanwhile, some 120 radio stations on the AM and FM bands have applied with the FCC to renew their broadcast licenses.
The FCC will not deny license renewal if the station has simply changed format to a different type of music, however distasteful a listener may find the music.
However, complaints that raise questions about whether a station has operated in the best interests of the community it has been licensed to serve are likely to raise flags.
Listeners have three months from the date a radio license renewal application is filed to submit a petition to deny, and they can file an informal objection at any time prior to the FCC’s grant of approval, the spokeswoman said.
Regulations are a bit cumbersome for filing a petition to deny on paper and require multiple copies, but petitions also may be filed electronically via the FCC’s broadcast radio and television electronic filing system.
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