{"id":275,"date":"2026-05-26T11:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T11:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=275"},"modified":"2026-05-26T11:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T11:06:26","slug":"oha-weighs-purchase-of-kitv-kiku-from-allen-media-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=275","title":{"rendered":"OHA weighs purchase of KITV-KIKU from Allen Media Group"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is evaluating the potential purchase of a Hawaii broadcast company \u2014 a move that would place one of the state\u2019s major television stations under Native Hawaiian ownership.<\/p>\n

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OHA declined to say whether it has entered negotiations with a broadcast company or whether an offer has been made or is imminent. But sources close to the potential deal said the agency\u2019s acquisition target is the Allen Media Group-owned KITV-KIKU, the local ABC affiliate and a station featuring Japanese and Filipino programming.<\/p>\n

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KITV, also known on air as KITV4 Island News, is one of the top three major broadcast television news companies in Hawaii, along with Hawaii News Now, or KGMB-KHNL, the CBS and NBC affiliates, respectively, and Fox affiliate KHON2, but has experienced financial and operational instability in recent years.<\/p>\n

KITV was purchased by Allen Media Group, the broadcasting division of Byron Allen\u2019s Entertainment Studios, for $30 million in 2020. The acquisition included satellite stations KHVO in Hilo and KMAU in Wailuku, along with carriage of four digital networks: MeTV, Hawai\u2018i TV, Start TV and Heroes &Icons.<\/p>\n

AMG purchased KIKU-TV in a separate 2022 transaction.<\/p>\n

The company announced in June that it had hired Moelis &Co. to advise on selling stations in 21 markets, including Honolulu.<\/p>\n

\u201cSix years ago, Allen Media Group began the process of investing over $1 billion to acquire big four network-\u00adaffiliated television stations,\u201d Byron Allen, AMG founder, chairman and CEO, said in a statement at the time of the announcement. \u201cWe have received numerous inquiries and written offers for most of our television stations and now is the time to explore getting a return on this phenomenal investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to use this opportunity to take a serious look at the offers, and the sale proceeds will be used to significantly reduce our debt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, AMG sold 10 stations to Gray Media for $171 million, but KITV-KIKU was not included.<\/p>\n

Neither Allen Media Group nor KITV immediately responded to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser request for comment.<\/p>\n

On March 20, OHA issued a request for proposals seeking a media brokerage firm to conduct a valuation and full review for \u201cpotential acquisition of local broadcast television assets that operate within the Hawaii media market. These assets include television stations, digital platforms, and related media infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RFP outlines a 90\u2011 to 120\u2011day assessment of finances, advertising, digital platforms, Federal Communications Commission licenses, infrastructure, staffing and \u201copportunities for public interest and culturally grounded programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

OHA\u2019s Board of Trustees will take up a proposed media brokerage and advisory services agreement at its meeting Thursday.<\/p>\n

According to the agenda, the board will consider a $172,500 request from its Budget and Finance Committee for confidential due\u2011diligence work on a possible acquisition of assets and real estate from a Hawaii\u2011based production or broadcast company.<\/p>\n

OHA Board Chair Kaiali\u2018i Kahele declined to comment for this story, but at a May 13 Budget and Finance Committee meeting, he alluded to the potential acquisition while identifying the funding as an emerging need in the fiscal year 2027 budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs discussed in executive session previously and to be coming up at a future board meeting will be the potential acquisition of assets and real property controlled by a production or broadcast company serving the Hawaii market,\u201d he told trustees.<\/p>\n

Kahele also presented a slide outlining the rationale for exploring the deal, which read, \u201cFrom due diligence, OHA would fully assess the cost, scope, risks and strategic value of the opportunity, including potential benefits related to job creation, greater influence over Native Hawaiian storytelling and public messaging, and diversification of OHA\u2019s asset portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n

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OHA has previously considered purchasing local broadcast properties. In 2006, the Board of Trustees rejected a proposal to buy KGMB and its 41,000\u2011\u00ad square\u2011\u00adfoot property at 1534 Kapiolani Blvd., voting against even funding due\u2011diligence efforts. At the time, media observers raised concerns about a government agency potentially controlling a locally owned news outlet.<\/p>\n

OHA, a quasi-autonomous state agency created in 1978 by the Hawaii State Constitutional Convention, approved a biennium budget of more than $136 million for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It invests over $12 million annually in Native Hawaiian programs and has issued over $34 million in loans in the past decade.<\/p>\n

The agency\u2019s interest in media ownership mirrors Indigenous models such as New Zealand\u2019s Whakaata Maori television channel.<\/p>\n

Kuhio Lewis, CEO of the Hawaiian Council, said OHA purchasing a broadcast company would strengthen community connection, create jobs and support economic independence. He said Native Hawaiian ownership would ensure stories and culture are \u201ctold authentically, not filtered,\u201d noting that Maori media has helped \u201crevitalize their language.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis said Hawaiian organizations are increasingly aligned in pursuing economic sustainability. In recent years, the Hawaiian Council secured a destination stewardship contract worth tens of millions of dollars from the Hawai\u2018i Tourism Authority, opened the Na Lei Aloha hula and dinner show in Waikiki and the Kaula Lu\u2018au at Ko Olina Resort, and acquired Hawaii Stage, formerly Hawai\u2018i Stage &Lighting Rentals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all seem to be heading in a similar path, which is to have greater influence on the messaging and on the cultural interpretations,\u201d he said. \u201cHow do we create pathways for a resilient future rather than one where so much migration is occurring. Let\u2019s create something in the homeland that we can lean on.\u201d<\/p>\n

He emphasized that media ownership is tied to cultural identity and economic independence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s different interpretations, but in the same direction,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cWe are telling stories; we are creating and defining what our culture is to people, while OHA seems to be pursuing similar things on the media front. For us it\u2019s about economic development too. It\u2019s about how we become less dependent on federal and state funds, and to me that means we have to start being creative and generate our own revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis added that the media landscape is shifting quickly, and while he sees OHA\u2019s move as an investment, he suggested they might create something new that reenergizes the industry.<\/p>\n

Keith Vieira, a Native Hawaiian hospitality executive and principal of KV &Associates, said OHA\u2019s strategy aligns with broader efforts to expand Native Hawaiian workforce development and increase participation in key decision\u2011making sectors.<\/p>\n

He pointed to the Hawaiian Council as an example of how ownership changes expectations. \u201cIt gives them a seat at the business table as opposed to just comments on the sidelines,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you want to be taken seriously, you have to have skin in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vieira said media ownership would give OHA a more direct role in shaping statewide information flow.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a finger on what\u2019s communicated and the timing of what\u2019s communicated would benefit the community,\u201d he said. \u201cMaking sure the community is aware of key issues is a win for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

While OHA\u2019s mission focuses on Native Hawaiians, Vieira said the potential impact of media ownership would extend to the broader population. He emphasized that any involvement in broadcast operations must remain unbiased and centered on issues that are important to the community.\n<\/p>\n

Read more Andrei Svechnikov, Hurricanes grab edge over Habs with another OT win<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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