‘Coconut wireless’
gets it wrong on
Oprah’s comments

Some are blaming the talk show
host for promoting Big Island
real estate, but she never did

HILO » In addition to retiring baby boomers and low-interest rates, some Big Island residents have another reason to blame for their soaring property values: Oprah Winfrey.

Some residents are blaming the talk show host for reportedly mentioning on her popular television show to buy property on the Big Island -- specifically Hilo and Puna.

The only catch is, the allegations that have been spreading across the island are false.

Beauty shop owner Jan Ikeda said her customers tell her the same story about Winfrey all the time.

"It was her," Ikeda said. "She said to buy on the Big Island."

Home prices are at record highs statewide including a median price of $370,000 on the Big Island, up 34 percent since last year and more than double in five years.

The truth is, Winfrey, who owns 102 acres on Maui, never mentioned the Big Island on the show in question. Her guest was real estate mogul Donald Trump on April 8, 2004, when she mentioned Hawaii.

According to transcripts, Winfrey said she likes investing in land because "God's not making any more."

"So if you get oceanfront property in Hawaii, a couple thousand acres ... right along the beach. God's not making any more land in Hawaii," she said.