Conde Nast Traveler magazine's Hawaii Insider guide, in its July issue, hits newsstands this week and is already posted online.

Hawaii is on the cover “;and it features a great piece by Deputy Editor Hanya Yanagihara,”; who grew up in Hawaii “;and returns to the islands of her youth and finds them largely unchanged by time or the spotlight,”; said Megan Montenaro, associate director of communications for the magazine.

Yanagihara's loving, luxuriating, winding-like-the-Hana-Highway story details her too-long delayed trip home to the 50th state in the year of its 50th anniversary.

Additional coverage reflects the favorite places and things about Hawaii as told by celebrities with some sort of Hawaii connection.

They include Hawaii-born Carrie Ann Inaba, a judge on “;Dancing with the Stars,”; musicians Carlos Santana and Graham Nash, surfer Kelly Slater, AOL founder Steve Case, Mayor Mufi Hannemann, local celebrity chefs, food bloggers and, predictably, actors from the cast of “;Lost.”;

The usual hot spots get mentioned, as do some places that don't often get a national spotlight, including Lucy's Grill 'N Bar, Kalapawai Cafe & Deli and Morning Brew, all local favorites in Kailua, as cited by author Kaui Hart Hemmings.

In the feature titled, “;Scenes from Hawaii at 50,”; the magazine captures the essence of certain aspects of Hawaii that have lured visitors with their siren song, including hula, surf, the views, the beaches and more. It is accompanied online by a slide show.

Between Conde Nast's Hawaii Insider issue and the White House luau this week, the national media coverage will have many eyeballs perusing paradisiacal portals online, exploring our “;lucky we live Hawaii”; home virtually — and maybe eventually in person.

On the Net:

» www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/500989

» www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/501070

» www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/501069

» www.concierge.com/travelguide/hawaii

FOUND IN TRANSLATION

Kauai-based radio broadcaster George Hochman is purchasing two FM translators to counter the effects of Oahu's terrain on KORL-FM 101.1.

“;Hawaii in general is just funky. FM gets beat up so bad, so (the translators are) a way to improve (the) signal,”; Hochman told TheBuzz.

The signal of KORL-FM “;is like every station that has pockets where reception is bad”; and the station's smooth-jazz format “;is an audiophile kind of format,”; so Hochman's goal is to make the reception as smooth as the jazz.

Hochman's engineers will “;optimize”; the translators and may move them.

He is buying, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission, low-power FM translators from Idaho-based Radio Assist Ministry Inc. for $50,000 and $64,800, respectively.

Hochman declined to go into detail about why the prices were different — neither purchase includes a lease or tower site.

“;It's whatever you can negotiate,”; he said.

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Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Reach her by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)