Kim Montour will report to duty Monday as interim general manager of KGMB-9, the CBS affiliate that is being sold by Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corp. Outgoing general manager Rick Blangiardi will remain vice president and manager of sister station KHON-2, the Fox affiliate.

"I'm pleased that Kim Montour has been selected to replace me as interim manager," Blangiardi said.

Emmis is the midst of selling four stations, including its two Honolulu holdings, which Blangiardi has managed for 3 1/2 years, and the separation of powers is seen as a way to ensure a smooth transition.

"She worked here at KHON-2 and KGMB-9 for nearly eight months," Blangiardi said. "I asked her to come over when I first got here. We've had a long-standing personal friendship. Through that association, I think it will be a smooth transition, for Emmis and for Hawai'i."

Blangiardi called the appointment "a strategic move, in the pursuit of finding the best possible buyer for KGMB."

The Federal Communications Commission forbids one owner to operate two stations ranked among the top four in a market, and a waiver had been extended to allow the duopoly.

Blangiardi said that in light of the future sale, his management of both stations "could have compromised the situation."

Montour's arrival was announced to KGMB staffers in an office memo earlier this week. She is vice president of news for Emmis.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.