Ako leaves KHON after 2 years co-anchoring morning news show
STAR-ADVERTISER / OCT. 2009
Diane Ako
Morning news show co-anchor Diane Ako is leaving KHON2 after two years of hosting “Wake Up 2day” with Ron Mizutani.
Previously, Ako anchored the KHNL morning news from 1996 to 2009.
Today marked Ako’s last day at the station, as her contract has ended and she chose not to renew it. In a Facebook post, she described the resignation as “happy news,” noting she needs a break from the early work hours.
Ako told the Star-Advertiser that KHON2 news director Lori Silva offered her a position as a daytime reporter at the station after the contract’s expiration but she declined.
“I’m really tired and I feel like I need to listen to my body and take a break,” Ako said.
According to the social media post, Ako, who has also worked as public relations director at Waikiki’s Halekulani, said she has “not been looking for a new job,” but is “open to all industries” that do not require a regular pre-dawn awakening.
Ako plans to continue blogging for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
40 responses to “Ako leaves KHON after 2 years co-anchoring morning news show”
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She has a future in Hawaii state government then, as a public relations hack. Or working to represent the unions. Definitely no pre dawn action there.
There you are – always with Aloha!
Always like Diane Ako but sometimes goals change and you need to weigh the pros and cons. Hoping her the best going forward.
agree
Yup! The bummer is she’s an awesome news anchor! Hopefully someone will offer her an evening anchor position!
Wish her the best in her future endeavors.
She was on TV again??
I like her. Guess she is married so no need to work. Best wishes in her future endeavors.
Google to see who her husband is.
I just did. Wow!
Two winnahs.
Husband Claus Hansen owner of Affordable Casket is in trouble for money laundering and theft? Trial set for June 2016.
Good on you, Diane. You’ve always done a good job. Now it’s time to rest. Money ain’t everything.
I wish her the best where ever her path less her.
**leads her (sorry, fat finger today)
Who gives a ?
You do. You read the article and responded to it.
So that means you do.
ehhhhh. she didn’t mention anything this morning. She and ron made good chemistry
Loved catching the morning news with Diane. Local girl with a great sense of humor. Will be missed.
When you got small kids, jobs such as this is always a challenge since somebody needs to get the kids ready for school and it will fall on the husband if the wife is not available.
She probably didn’t get her contract renewed because of her husband. His conviction had to be an embarrassment to the station after he said all the things about how the State was wrong and that he was innocent of which he was not. Working as a reporter doesn’t pay the same and it’s a demotion for her.
You had to go there didn’t you…shameful.
Why are you getting on Makiki’s csse, the husband is a convicted felon who was caught pocketing death benefits to grieving families. Did Ako know what the husband was doing just as others have asked if Albert Hee’s wife and children knew how their father provided them income, a new home in California and lavish vacation trips all over the world. If anyone should be ASHAMED it should be Ako’s husband for stealing money from people in their most desperate time and any associated person who knew what was going on but did nothing about it.
I totally agree with you inverse!
@makiki123: “Today marked Ako’s last day at the station, as her contract has ended and she chose not to renew it…”
Read the article. They offered her a job as a reporter.
You’d think that but remember Channel Two still has Nestor the Public Molester on staff. The bought and paid for rail councilman. How’d that rail work out for Hawaii there Nestor? Channel 2 – who cares we no watch them.
Why not if you can afford it? Unemployment, sheer enjoyment.
Wishing you all the best, Diane. Gotta take care da ohana and da body. You still young. Get plenty opportunities for you out there. Aloha…
Goodnite Kids, it’s great to read more pleasant and best wishes messages for Diane Ako than negative ones! All of you here have always been fair and nice. So Diane I joined them by saying good luck hope you get to read these pleasant comments of you from these wonderful people.
I don’t blame her for not wanting to work at pre dawn hours….it takes its toll on the body…it’s ok when you’re younger but get a lot harder when you get older……
She was the best female co-anchor and will be missing her. Very articulate, professional in demeanor, and well-mannered but not “snobbish” such that she made it warm and inviting listening to her in the a.m. unlike other female co-anchors on the other stations.
Wish her the best…she definitely has a great future in P.R……advertising………cheers!!!
You did a great job for the last 2 years on the early morning news desk. Time to work some normal hours and enjoy quality time with the family.
She’s very full of herself. Maybe her husband’s fraud activities have some thing to do with this.
Like they say two peas in a pod……
Ako has a Star-Advertiser blog where she’s psid to post three essays per week. On April 22, 2015, the day before hubby Claus Hansen, who owns a casket company, was set to go to court for arraignment and for the judge to set bail, wifey Diane (ab)used her blog with a glowing, gushing open letter to Claus describing what a wonderful husband and father he is.
http://smalltalk.staradvertiserblogs.com/2015/04/22/to-the-one-i-love/
I believe that blog was intended to influence the judge to set low bail. At the hearing, the bail was set at $250,000.00. That’s an awful lot of caskets! And it shows how serious his crime was. The influence peddling clearly didn’t succeed, but Diane abused her newspaper blog to try it.
From what read online he was charged with 6 class B felonies punishable up to 10 years for each count which meant he was found guilty of all 6 counts he could have faced a 60 year prison sentence if it was served consecutively. Instead he made a deal and lmeas guilty and ONLY has to spend 30 days in jail, a 6 figure fine and 300 hours community service. I think
he has since sold his funeral business in which he committed his scam on grieving families. I don’t
know if justice was served but his jail time of one month sounds like a great deal for him and the wife considering he was facing up to 60 years in the slammer. I do NOT have sympathy for him because he and Ako were making decent money but pure greed got the better of him and he got caught cause one his workers spilled the beans on him. With spousal privilege no way to ever find out if she knew. However another saying is birds of a feather flock together….
Interestingly enough, no mention on the khon2 website.
I found it kind of awkward that KHON would post the fact that Ako is married to Claus Hansen. In each recent report this was mentioned. It seemed that it would have been in better taste NOT to add that to the report. And then when she announces her leaving of KHON there is no news report of THAT. As others have noted, this news must have been an embarrassment to her and she may not have been aware of her husband’s actions. But still, I wish her the best. It is her husband that will have to face the music. Unfortunately, his actions now affect his family.
“I’m really tired and I feel like I need to listen to my body and take a break,” Ako said.
She looked like she was tired.