TheBuzz
TheBuzz
The sale of Hawaii Public Radio's KIFO-AM 1370 has closed, much delayed from its planned completion in late February. Loss and gain for HPR
Hawaii Public Radio will continue to operate the station through the end of the month, according to President and General Manager Michael Titterton, "at which point Diamond Broadcasting will begin programming their new station which will bear the call sign KMDR.
"And if (the company) is not quite prepared to do that the station will go dark for a time," he said.
HPR regrets the interruption for listeners who can only hear KIPO's programming on its AM sister-station, Titterton said, but added that HPR plans to strengthen KIPO's signal to cover all of Oahu. He did not know when that would be completed.
The buyer, Utah-based Diamond Broadcasting Corp., a subsidiary of Legacy Communications Corp., has asked the Federal Communications Commission to change the station's call letters from KIFO to KMDR. The change was apparently granted and could have taken effect as early as July 15, according to the FCC Web site.
The transaction was negotiated by Titterton and Legacy President E. Morgan Skinner Jr., father-in-law of Diamond Broadcasting President Jeffrey Bate.
Neither Skinner nor Bate were available for comment or to confirm industry-insider talk of an all-news format.
Skinner is planning a Hawaii visit at the end of the month to tour potential locations for studios and offices, "somewhere in Pearl City with line-of-sight to the transmitter," near Pearl City Industrial Park, Titterton said.
As for HPR shedding its AM station, Titterton said, "It's a far, far better place we go than we've ever been before." HPR also operated KHPR 88.1 in Honolulu, KKUA 90.7 in Wailuku and KANO 91.1 in Hilo.
Proceeds of the $500,000 sale are being divided between retiring some station debt and rebuilding KIPO-FM 89.3. "It's going to be a huge leap forward," Titterton said.
Two production studios at HPR's Kaheka Street headquarters are being renovated as well, Titterton said, "and apart from all the adhesive fumes, I'd have to pinch myself because this is exactly where we want to be (financially.)"
Asked if he might be overstating the stations' earnings, he quipped, "Since we don't have any, we don't get to do that. As marginal an operation as this is, we've had a better year than WorldCom, Enron and Xerox."
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