STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3193

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.R. No. 22
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which
was referred S.R. No. 22 entitled:

     "SENATE RESOLUTION URGING LIBERTY NEWSPAPERS TO CONTINUE
     PUBLICATION OF THE HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN AND TO ACTIVELY
     SEEK A BUYER TO PRESERVE TWO INDEPENDENT DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN
     THE COMMUNITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to support the efforts to
maintain the operations of the Star-Bulletin and to secure a
buyer for the newspaper.

     Testimony on the measure was received from Save Our Star-
Bulletin, Democratic Party of Hawaii, The Hawaii Public Interest
Advocate, Hawaii Newspaper Guild, Hawaii State AFL-CIO, The
Honolulu Community-Media Council, and a University of Hawaii
journalism professor.

     Your Committee finds that the closing of the Star-Bulletin
will have a widespread and adverse impact on the State.  First,
more than one hundred fifty persons on the newspaper's staff,
many of them with families to support, will lose their jobs.
With only one other major daily newspaper remaining in the State,
these individuals and their families may be forced to leave
Hawaii and relocate to the mainland for their economic survival.
Additionally, more than four hundred newspaper delivery persons,
many of them young people helping out their families or saving
for college, will be unemployed.  Without a competing newspaper,

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3193
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advertising rates may rise, thereby affecting the business
community.

     Further, the State will lose a separate and independent
editorial voice in the community, and the breadth and quality of
news coverage will be affected.  The community will no longer
have access to diverse points of view in the daily print media
that is vital to the participation of an informed citizenry in a
democracy.  Therefore, the continued operation of the Star-
Bulletin is important to the social and economic well-being of
this State.

     Your Committee further finds that the efforts to keep the
Star-Bulletin publishing and to find a buyer for the newspaper
are supported by the Governor, the mayors of the counties, the
county councils, Hawaii's congressional delegation, the
Democratic and Republican parties, the majority of the Oahu
neighborhood boards, and over 150,000 Hawaii residents.  By
adopting this measure, the Senate will similarly express its
support for an independent and competitive media in the State.
    
     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to
this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose
of S.R. No. 22 and recommends its adoption.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Commerce and
                                   Consumer Protection,



                                   ______________________________
                                   BRIAN KANNO, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

 
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