Jordan Segundo has been hired by KITV and will make his on-air debut as a weather anchor and reporter later this month.
“I’m so excited. It’s going to be a great year,” Segundo told TheBuzz.
In 2003 Segundo was a top 32 finalist on “American Idol,” the first singer from Hawaii to get that far. He worked his last day at KHON-TV on Dec. 30 after nearly 12 years as a contributor to the station, whether as its “American Idol” analyst in a segment called “Idol Chat” or “doing stories that the younger generation would relate to,” he said.
More recently Segundo, 30, also has been a weekly host for the “808 Update” segment on “Living808,” a weekday morning lifestyle show on KHON.
KHON originally approached Segundo right after “American Idol” “and had me do stories,” he said.
“That’s where the passion started. I love television, being on the news, and being in the newsroom,” he said, so he decided to go back to school and get a degree in journalism from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, from which he will graduate in May. He already has an associate degree from Honolulu Community College.
His participation in “Idol” had Segundo performing across the nation in concerts and events with many big stars. He also had a principal role on “Hawaii Five-0” and in several TV commercials.
He called his departure from KHON “bittersweet” given that the last season of “Idol,” the show that made Segundo practically a household name in his home state, is just getting underway.
However, the KITV position “came up as I was finishing my last year at UH, and I felt that it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” he said.
“Jordan has grown tremendously in the last several years,” said KITV News Director Chuck Parker in a statement. “We are extremely happy that he will be joining the KITV team for the next phase of his career.”
At KITV Segundo will serve primarily as weekend weather anchor on Saturday and Sunday mornings, joining anchor Moanikeala Nabarro on “Good Morning Hawaii.” The broadcast is the state’s only weekend morning news show. He also will be reporting three days a week, with a beat, or area of coverage, that is “still in development,” he said.
KITV’s new owner, California-based SJL Broadcast Management, has upgraded the station’s technology, including the implementation of high-definition broadcast equipment and acquisition of new weather-tracking equipment.
Segundo is training for the role with colleagues and fellow weather anchors Pete Caggiano, a meteorologist, and certified broadcast meteorologist Paul Drewes to prepare for his debut, which will come on a Saturday, likely around midmonth, he said. The exact date has yet to be set.
Active outdoors, Segundo would regularly answer relatives’ calls asking about weather conditions to see whether their plans still could go forward.
His appreciation for weather information increased during the past hurricane season, adding to his excitement for the new gig.
“I was always on the Internet, using apps, tracking (hurricanes) on my own, so to do it on the air is bringing all my interests into one,” he said. His new role will allow him to share his information with a statewide audience, versus one relative on the phone.
Segundo still enjoys performing and has sung the national anthem at UH sporting events and “Hawaii Pono‘i” at a Pro Bowl game, and “luckily … I still will be able to pursue that passion.”
On the Net:
>> kitv.com
>> khon2.com
>> americanidol.com
Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com, or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
