TheBuzz Erika Engle

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Hawaii may soon have 3 radio station shows dedicated to golf

AVID golfers have gained a second Hawaii radio program devoted solely to golf -- and there will soon be a third. Golf clap!

OK, it's not for people who think golf on the radio has got to be even more boring than golf on TV.

KHVH-AM 830 is airing a Saturday morning golf show called, "The 19th Puka," hosted by KHVH morning man Rick Hamada and Scotty B., morning show host at sister station KUCD-FM 101.9-FM.

The show airs from 6 to 7 a.m. Saturdays, right before "The Golf Club," hosted by radio veteran Danielle Tucker. Her show has been on the air since 1999 and went statewide after its first year. It is the longest running network show in Hawaii, said Executive Producer Rick Gray. Tucker also writes a golf column for Oceanic Time Warner Cable's "Around Hawaii" Web site.

Her show airs from 7 to 8:30 a.m. Saturdays on KUMU-AM 1500 on Oahu, KONI-FM 104.7 on Maui, KTOH-FM 99.9 on Kauai and on KPUA-AM 670 in Hilo on the Big Island.

The new show hosted by Hamada and Scotty B. features golf news, tournaments, favorite players and predictions. Some segments of the show are named "Celebri-Tee Talk," "Local Pro-File" and "Where to Play, Where to Stay."

"Rick and Scotty's knowledge of the game, both as participants and fans, is the foundation of the show," said Paul Wilson, director of programming for the seven Hawaii radio stations owned by Texas-based Clear Channel Communications Inc.

Popular show

Tucker's show features guests from the mainland and neighbor islands and includes reports from a globetrotting golf writer.

General Manager Jeff Coelho asked Tucker to expand it to 90 minutes because it was so popular, she said.

"Even though I get to pontificate and talk about what I think, my real role is to elicit, from people, information, and get them to talk," she said.

Once, a golfer called in the middle of a game to seek help, as he was stuck in the trees and could not see the green. Golf pros from Seattle and Maui were guests and provided counsel to help him out.

"It was very funny," Tucker said. The hapless golfer was told to aim for the trees. He followed the advice and got out of the woods, literally and figuratively.

"Sure enough, I couldn't hit the trees if you asked me and I couldn't," he told the host and guests.

Tucker said she interviewed Michelle Wie during a broadcast from a golf event when the now-$10 million diva was but a wee 11-year-old. Wie was poised even then.

"She started answering me as though she were an adult," Tucker said.

Tucker's father, Edward "Tony" Tucker, got her into the game.

"His tee time was 7 a.m. Saturday ... and he never missed a tee time. The four of them would go out with their little cooler. The beer part was a little incongruous at 7 a.m.," she laughed.

Her father died in the early 1990s of throat cancer.

Going local

Meanwhile, Hawaii could soon get another local radio show on golf.

KKEA airs a national ESPN radio network show called "Inside Golf," in the wee hours of Saturday morning, but it is in negotiations with a golf show host locally, said Chris Hart, programming and operations director.

"We're really beefing up our local programming," he said. "We just started an HPU sports beat, all about (Hawaii Pacific University) sports, a mixed martial arts show, Artie Wilson has his own show."

The station is looking at starting two more, one about golf, the other, about running, because while "some of the ESPN programs are great, like Dan Patrick, as far as listenership, it's not huge," Hart said.

It is local programming that brings in ratings and revenue and it's not just about Michelle-mania.

"Golf is a perfect radio show topic because, No. 1, tons and tons of people play it, men and women. I think the sponsorship dollars are there because of the type of people that golfers are," Hart said.