05-04-2010/05-06-2010 AKAGI NAMED ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR AT KSHB Brett Akagi, who spent nine years at WDAF-TV in Kansas City until 1998, has been named assistant news director at KSHB-TV Action News. He will replace Eric Maze, who left the station in February for WFTX-TV in Fort Myers, FL (LINK). Industry insiders are telling Bottom Line that Akagi will dramatically help turn the station around. "The guy has all the tools you would want in a broadcast journalist," said a former co-worker. "He's a big "J" news guy." Akagi will officially start June 1, according to an internal memo sent to KSHB staffers by News Director Peggy Phillips at the NBC affiliate. "His strengths as a consummate story-teller will be so important as we improve our coverage of the community and especially as we improve our enterprise efforts," said Phillips in the memo. A 1988 graduate of Fort Hays State with a communications degree, Akagi's first job was with KSNC-TV before moving on to WIBW in Topeka in as a photographer. After a year at WIBW he then joined WDAF-TV in 1989 as a photographer for nine years until moving to NBC affiliate KARE-11 TV in Minneapolis-St. Paul for 10 years as its director of photography. In October 2008, he joined the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as the newspaper's senior video producer, a position he currently holds. He recently was honored with three Edward R. Murrow awards for his work at the Star-Tribune.
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