Gray Names Pickman GM of Hawaii Stations

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Gray Television said that it promoted Katie Pickman to general manager of its TV stations in Hawaii with the retirement of broadcast veteran Rick Blangiardi.

Pickman had been director of sales at Gray’s KHNL, an NBC affiliate, and KGMB, a CBS affiliate since 2017 and has lived in the state since 2014. She has been in the media business for 20 years and serves on the board of Make-A-Wish Hawaii.

The promotion is effective immediately.

Blangiardi began his television career in 1977 at KGMB before stints with stations in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He has been back in Hawaii since 2009. He is considering running for mayor of Honolulu.

“Rick’s commitment to the people of Hawaii and to the dedicated staff of Hawaii News Now cannot be overstated. We will definitely miss his tremendous leadership and his passion for the people and the place,” said Pat LaPlatney, Gray’s president and co-CEO.

Commemorating Blangiardi, the Hawaii News Now studio on Waiakamilo Road is being dedicated as The Blangiardi Studio.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.