By Barry Villamil, President, Rotary Club of Pearlridge
Mahalo to KGMB, Hawaii News Now Senior Account Executive Mike Perkins and Producer/Director Michael Harris for hosting Rotary Club of Pearlridge (RCOP) Board members for the club’s Vocational Tour of the KGMB Hawaii News Now facilities on Friday, November 1, 2024.
Our vocational tour started with an orientation session in the Hawaii News Now conference room by Mike Perkins that included covering operations and also the impact and broadcast excellence in all three Hawaii News Now stations and affiliates KGMB (CBS), KHNL (NBC), and K5 deliver in Hawaii television media. Perkins also presented us with the company’s relationship between Hawaii News Now broadcast content and connection to affiliate programming. He also spoke of their award-winning news programing and the amount of news being presented each day. Also, the excellence and popularity of their news broadcasting team. I was impressed learning that Perkins is a former University of Hawaii Rainbow Warrior football player who played for former Hawaii News Now General Manager and current Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
Hawaii News Now Producer/Director Michael Harris led RCOP Board members on a wonderful and informative tour of the Hawaii News Now offices, production and broadcast control rooms, and broadcasts studios. We learned of the responsibilities of the engineers working in the broadcast control room and the first-class employees who make it happen with state of the art technology provided to them. Also, the technology that has transformed the broadcast studios and has automated many components to a live news broadcast. Perkins is also a veteran producer/director for iconic live broadcasts such as the annual Merrie Monarch Hula Festival and annual Kamehameha Schools Song Contest. Also, in studio local programs like Let’s Talk Story with MeKenna Maduli.
We all had a great time and appreciate the opportunity to meet and learn from media television broadcast experts Mike Perkins and Michael Harris as well as take the Hawaii News Now tour that truly made a difference in the way we look and perceive the local news business. We would also like to say mahalo for the opportunity to take part in an extensive Q&A portion of the tour.
The RCOP finished their Hawaii News Now experience with lunch and fellowship at Niko’s Pier 38.
Mahalo to Rotary Club of Pearlridge Board member Clarence Delude III for setting up the Hawaii News Now RCOP Vocational Tour.
Also, a heartfelt mahalo to all RCOP Board members who participated in the Hawaii News Now RCOP Vocational Tour:
Dick Mosko, Rick Lau, Gordon Arakaki, Skip and Itsuko Suzuki, Randy Ching, Ed Kido, Clarence De Lude III, (Barry Villamil).
Service Above Self
Photos by Barry Villamil
