KCCN AM regains Hawaii businessman Duane Kurisu has purchased KCCN AM 1420 from Cox Radio Hawaii for between $500,000 and $1 million. The station was never listed with a broker.
local ownership
from Cox Radio
It will have to change the call
letters it has had since 1966By Erika Engle
eengle@starbulletin.com"Duane is one of our largest clients," said Cox Radio Hawaii Vice President and General Manager Mike Kelly. "He was looking for a radio station and this station fit him real well. That's when talks began with our ownership," Atlanta-based and publicly traded Cox Radio Inc.
Kurisu's Hawaii Sports Network purchases air time for such events as ILH sports broadcasts, Kelly said.
Kurisu's portfolio includes commercial real estate company Kurisu & Fergus, Hawaii Winter Baseball, PacificBasin Communications LLC, the Hawaii Sports Network and partial ownership of the San Francisco Giants.
The 10 employees, informed of the sale yesterday morning, will be retained, according to PacificBasin President Floyd Takeuchi.
The station had introduced a new morning duo, adding Jo McGarry to the Bobby Curran show, just hours earlier.
Veteran Hawaii broadcaster Don Robbs will be coming on board as the station manager and Sheldon Nagata will serve as sales manager for the station, Takeuchi said. Studios will remain at 900 Fort Street Mall alongside the other Hawaii stations belonging to or operated by Cox Radio.
"We will maintain a relationship with Cox Radio," which will provide management, back-office and engineering services, Takeuchi said, adding there is no definite closing date for the deal, which is pending Federal Communications Commission approval. Such approval is normally granted in 90 days.
Kurisu was not available for comment.
"He's developing a media group," said Kelly, "He has magazines and now he has a radio station," adding it would not surprise him if Kurisu were to purchase additional radio properties.
The station purchase will necessitate a change in the call sign it debuted with on Oct. 31, 1966. KCCN AM was founded by a trio of businessmen named Carle, Claus and Neville. Kurisu has people investigating new call letters, Kelly said.
The purchase includes the KCCN AM tower, antenna and broadcast equipment on Hart Street in Kalihi, broadcast equipment in the on-air studio and broadcast contracts with the University of Hawaii, CNN News and Westwood One, Kelly said.
Programs that have been with 1420 AM will remain, Kelly said. "Mr. Kurisu likes the programming and doesn't want to change that."
However, some programming not currently on the air may be added, he said.
"There are some natural partnerships that will probably evolve with Hawaii Business magazine, Honolulu magazine and Hawaii Remodeling. There's some synergy that can happen there because of his companies and what the radio station can offer."