KITV anchors leave desks to do more field reporting

Kenny Choi has disappeared from "KITV4 News This Morning."

Worry not, he remains employed at the station with a focus on the other end of the day as part of a realignment of the news team’s MO (modus operandi, method of operation, whichever translation you prefer).

KITV’s primary anchors will do more reporting, and "overall the story count will go up a little," said Andrew Jackson, KITV president and general manager.

"These changes represent both evolution and continuity for KITV," he said.

Relatively few primary TV news anchors do field reporting, though they often possess long institutional memory about the market in which they work, unless of course they have been market-hopping to career-build.

Paula Akana will continue anchoring the 5 and 6 p.m. weekday newscasts, but now free of her 10-to-11 p.m. anchoring duties, will contribute "great" reports, he said. She has been at KITV since 1983.

The 6 p.m. newscast has a new format with "three high-profile anchors," including Akana on set, with reporting from anchor-reporter Lara Yamada and "regularly" by fellow anchor-reporter Choi in the studio or "out in the field live," where he will work on stories for the 10 p.m. show, Jackson said.

During the 5 p.m. news Monday, Choi reported live from an elaborate Halloween haunted house in Kapolei.

The show’s pacing has ratcheted up as well, he said.

Sports director and anchor Robert Kekaula continues his 6 and 10 p.m. weekday appearances, while weather anchor and broadcast meteorologist Justin Fujioka is part of all the p.m. weekday shows.

"Ten p.m. represents the next generation for KITV," Jackson said. "We’re just thrilled with the chemistry and interaction of Ken Choi and Lara," and Kekaula and Fujioka also are key parts of the show, which is "Hawaii’s only hourlong news" at that hour, Jackson pointed out.

As for the Choi-vacated morning anchor desk, "it’s about a clear alternative in the marketplace," said Jackson.

Jill Kuramoto has returned to anchor status from her reporter position and will host the weekday show alongside longtime morning anchor Mahealani Richardson, weather anchor Moanikeala Nabarro and traffic and social media reporter Yasmin Dar.

Yes, it’s an all-female morning show — but it won’t turn into a cacophonous local version of "The View" any time soon.

While the four are "incredibly talented" and all are comfortable with one another, "it’s still a morning news show, with traffic, weather, local news" and national and international news, Jackson said. No changes have been announced for the year-old weekend morning news, anchored by Jodi Leong and Paul Drewes from 6 to 8 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

While the Nielsen November ratings period already is under way (Oct. 27 through Nov. 23), the changes are "not really aligned to the ratings book," since the change took effect Monday, Jackson said. "This is an opportunity for us to deploy this and monitor it, and we look forward to feedback from our viewers."