Tannya Joaquin brings a life-long love for storytelling and more than two decades experience as an Emmy nominated journalist to her role as Co-Host of Living808.
She takes pride in sharing compelling stories about Hawaii’s people, places, events, experiences, and aloha that make the 808 State special.
The broadcasting bug bit her early. She recalls producing and recording her own radio shows in her bedroom when she was 5 years old. “I was super shy growing up and I would only speak up if I had something interesting to share” she says. “Storytelling helped me find my voice.”
Tannya received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCLA.
She worked as a producer in Los Angeles and San Francisco and anchor in Ohio and Santa Barbara before making Hawaii her home in 2002 and joining KHON as anchor of the station’s top-rated morning news.
After taking a “time out” from news to be a Momtrepreneur balancing mom life with public relations for her family business GREEN Energy, the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, THE MODERN HONOLULU and Kona Brewing Company, Living808 called her back to doing what she does best: storytelling and connecting with viewers.
Tannya loves “Living808” with her son Kaimana and daughter Hana, enjoying local food, fashion, fitness and fun- which coincidentally are the focus of Living808. “It combines all of my interests and experience with a schedule that works as a mom,” she says. “Plus, we have so much fun doing Living808, it’s a dream job.”
Tannya has a few broadcasting claims to fame. She received an Emmy nomination for her reports on the molasses spill into Honolulu Harbor that killed thousands of fish. She was the first Hawaii broadcaster to incorporate social media into newscasts (Would you believe that was back in 2009?) and she once played a news anchor on Hawaii Five-O but jokes that she wasn’t convincing.
Tannya Joaquin teams up with John Veneri and Mikey Monis for Hawaii’s original lifestyle show, Living808, weekdays at 9AM on KHON2.
As for her own ohana, if they’re not traveling, you’ll most likely find them on an outdoor adventure boating, surfing, snorkeling, or hiking somewhere in the 808.
