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Permit for new
AM radio station
bought for $60,000

KAUAI-based Hochman-McCann Hawaii Inc. has purchased the license to build a 19th Honolulu AM radio station.

Partners George Hochman and Oahu-based Byron McCann bought the construction permit for KRUD-AM 1130 from Memphis-based broadcaster George S. Flinn Jr. for $60,000, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC has approved the transfer of the broadcast license and the financial part of the deal will close soon, Hochman said.

"We're going to put it on, hopefully by summertime, but we've got to build it," said Hochman. The studios will share space with Hono-lulu sister-station KORL-AM 690.

Separately, Hochman owns Kauai's KITH-FM 98.9 and KTOH-FM 99.9 and Maui's KONI-FM 104.7.

Hochman-McCann paid $550,000 for KORL in 2003. The station carries multicultural programming provided by individuals and businesses that purchase blocks of air time.

"It's kind of like old-time radio. There's no formula, no 'gotta be No. 1 (mentality).' They just super-serve their communities and we get really good response," Hochman said.

KORL carries primarily Japanese, Filipino, Chinese and some Spanish-language programming. Hochman plans a similar format for the new station, which will not be seen as serious competition by Honolulu's larger radio operators.

"I'm not going to be silly enough to try to compete on a little 500-watt AM station," he said. "I don't think we're going to be knocking off Perry and Price."

One of his first orders of business will be to request a call letter change from the FCC.

"If I had a sports station I'd probably keep 'em," as sort of a tongue-in-cheek, fun handle, "but no, I don't want to be known as 'cruddy radio'," he said.

Buzzbits

Computer repair company SuperGeeks has expanded to Kapolei, with a service center at 890 Kamokila Blvd. The new location makes three for the amusingly named company -- the others are at 2304 S. King St. and the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange. It also provides services on Maui and the Big Island. ... A mainland conference on speech recognition technology will feature a presentation by Renee Lum, assistant vice president for American Savings Bank's customer service center. The bank was recently recognized by InfoWorld magazine for implementing one of the 100 most innovative technology projects for 2004 in switching from touch-tone to speech recognition in its telephone banking services.