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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Rock station
on shaky groundA group of Honolulu radio stations are a step closer to local ownership.
The transfer of the broadcast licenses for KPOI-FM 97.5 and KHUI-FM 99.5 from New Wave Broadcasting LP to Salem Media of Hawaii Inc. has been granted by the Federal Communications Commission. The approval is separate from the financial transaction announced in May.
Data at the FCC Web site indicates the transfer of KDDB-FM 102.7 from New Wave to Maui-based Visionary Related Entertainment LwLC was granted Thursday. It was unclear if the transfer of sister-station KQMQ-FM 93.1 had also been granted but the applications were filed the same day in May. John Detz, Visionary president and chief executive officer, could not be reached to discuss the transactions or format plans for its part of the $11 million, four-station, two-buyer deal.
Salem Vice President and General Manager T.J. Malievsky was not at liberty to divulge Salem's plans for KPOI and KHUI, citing a confidentiality agreement. He expects the deal to close and the information blackout to lift in mid-August.
"We just continue to operate. We're in a transition phase and we're going into the process of transferring the assets of the company and tying up any loose ends with the customers, making sure they're serviced properly," said New Wave General Manager Dan Manella.
"It should be a seamless transaction as far as the public and advertisers are concerned."
However, it is unlikely Salem will retain the format of either station. KPOI is a so-called heritage rock station. It has long branded itself as "the rock you live on," word-play keyed off its rock music format and the island on which we reside. KHUI, referred to as "Bob-FM" has a hit-music format centered around the 1980s and 1990s. Neither decade was known for a preponderance of pop music anyone could consider conservative.
The publicly traded Salem Communications Corp. is focused on religious and family themed programming with three primary formats -- Christian teaching and talk, news/talk, and contemporary Christian music. No mention of rock or hit music.
In Hawaii Salem owns KAIM-FM 95.5, which plays contemporary Christian music, conservative talk radio KHNR-AM 650, Christian talk and teaching KGU-AM 760, KAIM-AM 870 which is also Christian formatted, country music KHCM-AM 940 and KJPN-AM 1170, which rebroadcasts KAIM-FM's music.
It owns five AM stations in Honolulu, which exceeds the present FCC ownership limit for a market the size of Honolulu. The rules allow one owner to possess seven stations in a single market, with a maximum of four on one band, either AM or FM.
New Wave and Salem are in a customary hands-off period pending finalization of the deal, meaning many if not most employees are in the dark about their futures.
Disclosure: Your columnist was employed by New Wave's previous management from 1994 to 1998.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com