We have had television news in Hawaii for more than 60 years, and when broadcasts first started, news anchors and reporters were predominantly Caucasian men, both in Hawaii and on the mainland. During the 1970s things began to change: The on-air staff of television news slowly became more diverse. This month we look back on the diversity changes in local television news media that occurred 40 years ago.

In the 1950s and ’60s, women were almost nonexistent on Hawaii television news. Linda Coble helped break that mold in the early 1970s, anchoring first at KHVH (now KITV) and for many years at KGMB. She was the first woman Bob Sevey hired.

A big change came in July 1974 when Barbara Tanabe arrived from Seattle’s KOMO. She would co-anchor the KHON news with BJ Sams for five years and remain a fixture locally for almost another decade.

In the early ’70s there was some headway in representing the local population with anchor Ken Kashiwahara and reporters Chapman Lam, Scott Shirai and Karen Ahn.

In 1975 KITV had reporters and anchors Don Rockwell, Warren Moran, Jacque Scott, Tom McWilliams, Terry Zahn and Don Baker on the news staff with Greg Lucas and Jim Leahey on sports. Then Lucas, Leahey, Zahn, McWiliams and Baker were let go.

At KITV a melting pot of Chinese, Hawaiian, Filipino and Japanese staff was hired with backgrounds in radio and newspapers, some with little television experience.

Mason Altiery was brought back to KITV as the senior news veteran to head the new anchor team, co-anchoring with Gene Okamoto.

Paul Guanzon led the way with sports, while Ahn, Roberta Wong and Matt Levi reported.

Weather was handled by Emme Tomimbang.

“I think the diversity of our team showed we could do it and that we were groundbreaking. Before that no local ethnic minorities were on the air. Other stations began following suit. KITV stuck their necks out and were ahead of everyone else in testing the waters and going where no one else had gone,” said Tomimbang.

Many of the new on-air reporters and anchors grew up in the islands, helping to change the perspective of journalism to reporting with a more local focus.

She feels that she and her other colleagues benefited from growing interest in advancing local culture and arts. “The Hawaiian Renaissance of music, comedy and entertainment was beginning. We were all riding the same wave,” said Tomimbang.

Then KITV news director Stewart Chiefet not only changed the local on-air talent, but also changed the news to a one-hour broadcast, which was unheard of at the time but provided more exposure for homegrown TV journalists. It would be called “Newscenter Four.”

The new local lineup debuted in September 1975 and triggered criticism from some in the Hawaii media.

Bill Mann, a writer for The Honolulu Advertiser, was critical of the changes at the time: “The show is an embarrassment from any perspective you want to view it — as a newscast, as entertainment, or even technically. ‘Newscenter’ has been on for about three weeks now, and if anything the patient has been moved from the serious list to critical.”

As time went on, the local faces became fixtures at KITV and other local stations.

Tomimbang credits Chiefet with his vision for “island television” back in the 1970s. “Today, look at all the local faces on KITV, the local teams on HNN and KHON. It began with us,” said Tomimbang.

A.J. McWhorter, a collector of film and videotape cataloging Hawaii’s TV history, has worked as a producer, writer and researcher for both local and national media. Email him at flashback@hawaii.rr.com.