‘Hawaii Five-0’ finishes second in close ratings race with ‘Castle’

On a night when dancers, football and the San Francisco Giants claimed millions of viewers, CBS Television’s "Hawaii Five-0" finished a close second in its weekly battle with ABC’s "Castle."

With its 10.86 million viewers Monday night, "Five-0" increased its audience over last week, while "Castle," which drew 11.27 million, lost some from the previous week, according to Nielsen ratings information released by CBS.

Last Monday, "Five-0" drew 10.23 million viewers while "Castle" drew 11.32 million.

Overall Monday night, "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC, which precedes "Castle," drew 19.93 million viewers. The World Series on Fox drew 15.98 million, and ESPN’s "Monday Night Football" drew 14.95 million viewers.

Despite bankruptcy, Blockbuster to hire 4,000 workers for holidays

DALLAS » Don’t count Blockbuster out yet.

The Dallas-based movie and game rental chain is hiring about 4,000 seasonal employees to staff its stores nationwide this holiday season. That’s comparable to previous years when Blockbuster wasn’t reorganizing under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Craig Mabrey, Blockbuster’s director of recruiting, said the extra hiring is necessary because store traffic increases the week leading up to Thanksgiving, and momentum continues through the week after New Year’s Day. Blockbuster employs 25,500 in the U.S.

As part of its reorganization, Blockbuster is expected to close more stores, but the company won’t confirm a number.

Wynn Resorts reports third-quarter loss as it pays $64.2M to cut debt

SAN FRANCISCO » Casino-resort operator Wynn Resorts Ltd.’s third-quarter revenue soared to $1 billion, including a nearly 50 percent increase at Wynn Macau, the company said yesterday. But it recorded a loss including $64.2 million in costs for reducing its debt.

The Las Vegas-based company, run by billionaire Steve Wynn, also declared an $8-per-share dividend payable Dec. 7 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 23. The special dividend will distribute more than $900 million back to shareholders, nearly half of Wynn Resorts’ cash on hand.

The loss of $33.5 million, or 27 cents per share, for the period that ended Sept. 30 compares with net income of $34.2 million, or 28 cents per share, a year earlier.

Airbus’ efforts to boost presence in China paying off with jet order

LONDON » Airbus SAS, for decades the also-ran behind Boeing Co. in China, is set to reap one of its largest orders yet from the country as a local factory attracts Chinese carriers and air travel in the region booms.

The company may secure a contract from China for at least 100 aircraft as early as tomorrow, when Chinese President Hu Jintao visits France, four people familiar with the talks said. The accord would have a value exceeding $8 billion, the largest since French President Nicolas Sarkozy brought home a $17 billion deal for 160 jets in 2007.

In a bid to reach parity with Boeing in 2013, Airbus has added an assembly line in China, its first outside Europe. While two-thirds of large airliners in Chinese fleets were made by Boeing three years ago, Airbus will account for 45 percent of the total in mainland China by the end of this year, according to London-based aviation data company Ascend. Airbus entered the country in 1985, more than a decade after its U.S. rival.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaiian Airlines has appointed Judith McCoy as station manager for the company’s operations at Pago Pago International Airport in American Samoa. She was previously an administrator for the Office of Homeland Security in American Samoa’s Department of Homeland Security as well as an operations coordinator and certified transportation broker for the Select Carrier Group in Dallas.

Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties has announced that George Qiao has joined the King Street office as a previews team member specializing in commercial and high-end properties. He has been a Realtor, broker and vice president for several realty groups on the mainland as well as a broker associate at IRN Realty in Los Angeles.

Hawaii Medical Association, a professional membership organization for physicians, has announced Morris M. Mitsunaga as its president, a volunteer position. He is the chief of orthopedics at the Queen’s Medical Center.

Title Guaranty of Hawaii employees raised $25,000 in pledges to support four United Way organizations: Aloha United Way, Hawaii Island United Way, Kauai United Way and Maui United Way.