For the second time in 18 months, local television station KHON will be sold to a Mainland buyer.

New Vision Television Group of Los Angeles will purchase the local Fox affiliate and sister stations KOIN in Portland, Ore., KSN in Wichita, Kan., and KSNT in Topeka, Kan., from Montecito Broadcast Group.

The price was not disclosed, and New Vision said it expects to complete the deal in the fourth quarter pending regulatory approval.

Joe McNamara, KHON's general manager, said he expects little change under the new ownership and will retain all employees under contract, including popular news anchor Joe Moore.

But news of the sale was greeted with skepticism at KHON, which has endured layoffs and other cost-cutting measures under Montecito's ownership.

"The reality of television station ownership being what it is today, I have no expectations that our new owners will be any different or better than our current owners," Moore said.

"I've heard too many lies from past owners about how committed they are to our people and to the state to trust anything a new owner says unless it is: 'This is all about the money and nothing else.' "

KHON has dominated Hawai'i television news ratings for years but the station's lead has eroded under Montecito's ownership.

Last December, KGMB passed KHON in the 10 p.m. news ratings, although KHON retains its leadership for the 6 p.m. time slot.

California-based Montecito attracted heavy criticism shortly after taking over the station last January when it announced that it was firing 35 workers, or nearly a third of its staff.

The move prompted eight managers to hand in their pink slips in protest.

The company later scaled back layoffs.

"They certainly reduced the staff and cut costs, and there were all kinds of technical problems that plagued the station," said Gerald Kato, a journalism professor at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

"I suspect that one of (Montecito's) legacies will be the tremendous cost cutting that has affected the morale and operations of the station."

McNamara defended Montecito's business plan, saying the company invested $3 million in upgrades.

Montecito, whose partners include Wall Street investment firm the Blackstone Group, purchased KHON and three Mainland stations from Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corp. for $259 million.

McNamara added that the buyers plan to expand the local station.

New Vision, a unit of Washington, D.C.-based Arlington Capital Partners, owns television stations in Birmingham, Ala., Mason City, Iowa, and Youngstown, Ohio. The company previously sold television stations in Santa Barbara, Calif., Amarillo, Texas, and Duluth, Minn.

Moore, whose contract expires in 2009, said he plans to remain at KHON.

"I think personally the days of owners of TV stations operating in the public interest are gone. From what I've seen, it's the employees that operate in the public's interest," said Moore.

"It would be a pleasant surprise if our new owner proves my perceptions wrong."

Reach Rick Daysog at rdaysog@honoluluadvertiser.com.