Oahu Publications names editorial director

Margie Jacinto recently joined Oahu Publications Inc. as senior editorial director.

Jacinto, who has a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a dual concentration in communications and literature from Ateneo de Manila University, got her career start with the international edition of Seventeen magazine in the Philippines.

She has since worked with a variety of print media groups, including Modern Luxury Media. Jacinto was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Hawaii.

Kamehameha elevates Bolson to VP

Marsha Bolson has been named the vice president of community relations and communications for Kamehameha Schools.

Bolson is a 30-year veteran of communications and community relations at Kamehameha. She currently serves as director of new media and the interim vice president of community relations and communications.

‘The River’ lags again in Nielsen ratings

"The River," the ABC paranormal drama based in Hawaii, drew about the same number of viewers Tuesday as it did last week: 4.78 million viewers for its fourth episode, according to Nielsen ratings information released by the network.

That put it well behind the CBS show "NCIS: Los Angeles" (15.88 million) and NBC’s "The Biggest Loser" (6.95 million viewers for its two-hour show).

Last week "The River" drew 4.98 million viewers.

Among adults 18-49 "The River" repeated its draw from the previous week: 1.7 percent of the total viewing audience and 4 percent of those watching TV at the time. In contrast, "NCIS: Los Angeles" attracted 2.9 percent of the total viewing audience and 7 percent of those watching TV at the time.

Island Air signs deal to expand its fleet

Island Air is planning to add six aircraft to its fleet over the next two years. The interisland carrier said Thursday it has signed a letter of intent to lease three ATR 72-212 aircraft before the end of this year and three additional ATRs in 2013.

"The timing is right, and as the economy rebounds, we look forward to growth and future opportunities to better serve our local communities and visitors with their interisland travel needs," Island Air Chairman Charles Willis IV said.

Island Air said it will integrate the ATR aircraft with its existing Dash-8 fleet.

CEO Lesley Kaneshiro said the airline has just hired seven new pilots. "As we grow, other employment opportunities will also become available," she said.

Jobless aid applications stay at 4-year low

WASHINGTON » The number of people seeking unemployment aid was unchanged last week, and the four-week average of applications fell to its lowest point in four years. The figures add to evidence that show the job market is improving. Applications stayed last week at a seasonally adjusted 351,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the fewest since March 2008, when the country was just a few months into the recession.

The four-week average, which smooths week-to-week fluctuations, dropped for the sixth straight week to 359,000. That’s also the lowest since March 2008.

Lackluster holiday lowers Target earnings

NEW YORK » Target Corp. reported that fourth-quarter earnings fell 5.2 percent due to sluggish holiday sales.

But the discounter, which said Thursday that its business has rebounded since then, offered a full-year profit outlook that was above Wall Street estimates.

Target earned $981 million, or $1.45 a share, in the three months ended Jan. 28. That compares with $1.04 billion, or $1.45 per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 3.3 percent to $20.94 billion.

Safeway profit slips 6% on higher costs

NEW YORK » Safeway Inc. said Thursday that its profit slipped 6 percent in the fourth quarter as it paid more to stock its shelves.The Pleasanton, Calif.-based grocery chain said it earned $215.6 million, or 67 cents a share, in the last three months of 2011. That compares with net income of $229.6 million, or 62 cents a share, in the same period last year. Revenue for the quarter was $13.6 billion, up from $12.8 billion a year ago.

On the Move

» Hawaii Pacific University has named Todd Simmons vice president of university marketing and communications. He is currently associate vice president of university relations and marketing at Oregon State University in Corvallis. His experience also includes work as director of public and government affairs at University of Oregon, director of marketing and media relations at Florida International University and director of media relations at University of South Florida in Tampa.

» TruTag Technologies, a portfolio company of SKAI Ventures, has hired Bill Melohn as senior scientific adviser. He has 25 years of Internet and network systems experience, most recently serving as vice president and chief technology officer of network systems at Cisco Systems. His experience also includes being Internet engineering manager at Sun Microsystems, director of software engineering at Auspex Systems, director of network engineering at Silicon Graphics and vice president of engineering at Flowwise Networks.