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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Insiders buy
radio station
they now runBig Island Radio General Manager Nelson Ray Parker and General Sales Manager Frank Hooton are buying KHWI-FM 92.7, a station they now run. And they are buying it from the company that bought it from their bosses.
Parker and Hooton's Aloha Radio Group is purchasing the station from Maui-based Pacific Radio Group Inc. for $350,000 and will assume operations Oct. 1 with a change to its urban format.
Big Island Radio sold KHWI and its seven sister-stations to Maui-based Pacific Radio Group Inc. in August. Separately, Pacific Radio had purchased four Hilo radio stations from Connecticut-based Maverick Media Inc. in April. Pacific Radio knew its second round of acquisitions of stations on the Big Island would put it over federal ownership limits, so it quickly moved to sell at least three stations. KHWI is the second one sold.
The first to go was KAOY-FM 101.5 in Kona, as reported here Saturday. Buyer New West Broadcasting plans to simulcast the contemporary hit and island music programming of KWXX-FM 94.7 in Hilo, on Kona's KAOY.
The third deal should be complete within the next few weeks, according to Chuck Bergson, president and chief operating officer of Pacific Radio. It is possible the third transaction will involve more than one station, he said.
Parker and Hooton are tired of building up stations only to have them sold out from under them, they told TheBuzz.
"We'd like to be in control of our own destiny," Hooton said.
"We're really excited about the opportunity of Aloha Radio. Radio with Aloha, bringing local radio back to a local audience," Parker said.
Aloha Radio Group will be a limited-liability corporation with the two as equal partners. Parker will serve as general manager and morning show co-host, and Hooton will lead the sales team.
The company is building studios in the tower of Hilo's Ben Franklin building on Kilauea Ave.
"Our view looks at the ocean on one side, the other is toward town and the other is the mountains behind. It's gorgeous. All we see is green and blue," Hooton said.
Parker's morning co-stars will be Oahu-based stand-up comedian and former KDNN-FM 98.5 personality Rodney Villanueva and Lisa Malakaua. Villanueva will join the show from Oahu via a T-1 line. "I don't know of anybody else who's doing that," said Hooton. The rest of the air staff will migrate over from Big Island Radio including Wild Bill Logan for middays, Justin Duty for afternoon drive and as program director, and the single-monikered Kapena, for evenings.
Oct. 1 is a major day for all the buyers and sellers involved thus far, even though final regulatory approval for all the transactions will not have been completed.
"The deal with Maverick will close for those four stations. It looks like we'll have a time-brokerage agreement in place with Big Island Radio to take over October first. That also means Chris Leonard can take over (KAOY) October first as will Nelson and Frank for their station," said Bergson.
"I think it's great for somebody who's been in the business to now step into ownership," he said. "It will have new meaning to them."
Like, the first time they threaten to send a complaint letter to corporate and realize they're corporate?
"Right," Bergson laughed.
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
