Coming Home to PBS Hawaii

    You never know whether a new job, a different career track, is going to work out. As it happens, I truly celebrate the start of my second year as President and CEO of PBS Hawaii.

     Last year, it was a bit daunting to leave a secure (longterm,"no cuts") commercial TV anchor contract with Hawaii's most-watched TV station, KHON2, for a new role at this small non-profit public television station, still re-inventing itself following decades as a State agency.

     My former longtime news co-anchor, Ron Mizutani, departed from KHON2 shortly after I did, to become a VP at Hawaiian Telcom. He found it was a role that took him away from his family too much and he missed the engagement in covering news. In six months, he joyfully returned to the anchor desk.

      Fortunately for me, PBS Hawaii is easy to love.

      I was attracted to PBS Hawaii by: its local ownership and the prospect of having more agility to serve the community; the smart and dedicated staffers who've insisted on quality as their standard in television and in dealing with others; board chair Neil Hannahs and other sage, committed board members who've navigated legal and funding transitions; the viewers who've kept contributing money even though they can watch PBS Hawaii for free; the corporate underwriters who've sponsored fine TV programs as an investment in Hawaii; and the perfect vehicle it offers to tell more stories of Hawaii and the Pacific.

      And who's not captivated by the mission of informing, inspiring, entertaining?

      Once settled in my new office, I learned about other things that PBS Hawaii doesn't highlight in employment ads, but which also matter to me.

      There's a family attitude of pitching in and helping, whether it's one's job or not. There's a culture of sharing good food. There's a dedication to taking care of and appreciating what we have. There's a fierceness in protecting the trusted, non-commercial PBS brand, a determination to uphold the model of television for the public good. And there's courage and good humor in facing the unpredictability of a media industry undergoing digital transformation.

     The person who served as interim CEO before I got here, Karen Yamamoto, could've sat back and watched me figure out over time the complex PBS national system of funding and program "streams," and divisional acronyms. Instead, she ably guided and advised me. For the most part, staffers welcomed me warmly, and we work collaboratively and productively. Independent producers stop by with fascinating projects. Top television talents with decades of Hawaii high-performance experience--filmmaker Robert Pennybacker and marketing exec Linda Brock--have joined our management team. Our other managers are great veterans here: Karen, Steve Komori, Lisa Levine, Lucy Ahn.

       Sure, I miss my friends and colleagues at the old workplace, I miss the Lokahi Giving Project, and I miss the satisfaction of crafting fair news stories under deadline pressure. But I've no regrets about leaving.

       Yes, you never know whether a new job, a different career track, is going to work out.

       I'm glad to be traveling my new road. In fact, I feel almost as eager to get to the office every day as I feel happy to see my family after a long day. On each end of the commute is a home. 

Comments

[Ernest O. Santos]

Aloha, Leslie you are a perfect example of the term "Do the right thing and get the right results". You've done so much for the people of Hawaii that's it's time you got your fill in life.
Aloha Ke Akua!