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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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New ’Net show for those in the Nihongo-know
A Japanese-language podcast promoting Hawaii will be unveiled tomorrow by a Hawaii-based company, a former Hawaii broadcaster and a Japan-based new media company.
The Official Hawaii Podcast may be the first of its kind, according to TheBuzz's research.
That is not to say a lone, Japanese-speaking Hawaii fan hasn't been podcasting his or her ardent love for the islands on their own.
The Official Hawaii Podcast, however, is a professional venture involving ex-pat Hawaii radio personality Bob Zix, better known as Kamasami Kong, Japan-based Orbitune Inc. and Honolulu-based PacRim Marketing Group as the exclusive sales agency.
The show, "is a great way for Japanese fans of Hawaii to get their weekly 'Aloha Fix' at their own pace," said Peter Williams, Orbitune chief executive officer.
The weekly 20-minute show's hosts are Japan-based radio personality Akira Okada and Hawaii-based radio personality Yuki Hata. Kalapana band member Malani Bilyeu is also a cast-mate, with a Hawaiian word of the week feature.
The Mountain Apple Co.'s recording artists will appear in interviews beginning with Raiatea Helm.
The first podcast will also highlight the upcoming Aloha Festivals, Duke's Ocean Fest and thoughts on "Capturing Hanauma Bay Beauty," from Star-Bulletin travel writer Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi, said Dave Erdman, PacRim president and CEO.
Each program will include the types of information potential visitors want and expect, but, "we will also try to include some environmental (or) ecological events such as the Audubon Society Field trip to Paiko Lagoon," he said. The idea is, "to offer visitors a new way to participate in activities with local residents ... that support the uniqueness of our island environment."
The podcast is essentially a call to action to travel to Hawaii aimed at techno-savvy 25-to-40-year-olds, said Kong, producer and occasional guest host.
The podcast will have a dedicated Web site and a link at Hawaii No Arukikata online, created by PacRim and managed by its bilingual editorial and advertising staff. The Japanese-language, Hawaii-focused Web site receives more than 100,000 unique visitors monthly.
Web traffic between the sites will be regularly analyzed, as the goal is to make the podcasts financially viable, if not profitable.
Podcast listeners won't stick around for long commercial breaks, creating the need for less obtrusive advertising techniques, Erdman said.
New free podcasts will be available by 11 a.m. Thursdays, Hawaii time, or 6 a.m. Fridays in Japan.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, 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