Gray’s ‘Hawaii News Now’ Pairs Traditional Journalism With Local Traditions
Hawaii News Now, a three-station news operation, has unique coverage requirements due to the state’s history and natural beauty which draws tourists. But it shares the conundrums all local TV stations are facing.
Hawaii’s ‘This Is Now’ Bridges Digital, Broadcast
The digitally native Hawaii newscast This Is Now has taken off thanks to production DIY simplicity, giving room for stories to breathe and buy-in from the broadcast side at Gray Television’s KGMB and KHNL Honolulu. Click through to read the full story.
KITV, KGMB, KHON, KHNL, KHII and KIKU are now broadcasting with ATSC 3.0 technology.
Katie Pickman New GM Of Gray Honolulu Duo
She is promoted from head of sales to succeed the retiring Rick Blangiardi, who plans to run for mayor of Honolulu.
FCC Grants Raycom, HITV Honolulu Renewals
The FCC has granted the license renewals of Raycom’s KHNL and KGMB, both Honolulu, and HITV’s KFVE Honolulu, denying a license challenge by Media Council Hawai’i and putting a final nail in the group’s long-standing complaint that Raycom and KITV had run afoul of local ownership rules.
Exclusives
Hawaii News Now Dominates Social Media
Raycom’s Hawaii News Now, the digital presence that rolls up its CBS, MyNetworkTV and NBC affiliates, is Honolulu’s commanding leader on social media according to Shareablee data. Nicole Bento, its digital content director, says Facebook has become essential as the leading platform for its news brand, and Facebook Live is now a key tool there.
Honolulu Digital Arena Pits Three Against One
In 2011, Honolulu’s digital news leader StarAdvertiser.com, the online home of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, put up a paywall. The move turned out to be a boon for its main competitor, HawaiiNewsNow.com, operated by three TV stations, which saw its Web traffic jump and remain strong.
FCC Rejects Challenge of Honolulu Triopoly
The Media Bureau says that the 2009 deal that resulted in Raycom running three stations in Honolulu, including the NBC and CBS affiliates, did not violate the law or commission precedent as a local opposition group had contended. However, the bureau is concerned about such arrangements and said it would look into them in the context of its ongoing review of the broadcast ownership rules. It also fined MCG Capital, Raycom’s partner in the deal, $10,000 for violating public file rules.
The LMA/option between Raycom and a subsidiary of MCG Capital that has created a three-TV station cluster in Honolulu is under formal assault by Media Council Hawaii. Rules of engagement just released by the FCC show that many of the pertinent facts will be kept under wraps.
