MEDIA RELEASE
Ka’u Community Radio (KAHU 91.7 FM) announces it has received funding of $76, 405.00 from a grant made effective Aug. 31 approved by Gov. Neil Abercrombie and expedited through channels by Sen. Gil Kahele and Hawaii State Civil Defense in order to move the station’s transmitter and antenna 1,000 vertical feet up to a nearby mountain in Naalehu.
This grant comes outside of already awarded assistance from county Civil Defense Agency, which has announced the county would pay for the hard-wiring of the station to be one of three on the island to receive emergency alert broadcasts straight from the CCD office as opposed to the mp3 files currently emailed to stations alerting of impending dangers.
KAHU 91.7 FM has been on the air since June 28, 2010 and is a community radio station funded through grants, donations and community support, and with its affiliations to the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and Native Public Media as the only Native Hawaiian owned and operated station in the United States.
KAHU 91.7 FM is expanding its services to further continue “shepherding†the communities it touches with music, culture, news, weather, interviews and emergency alert services which will now expand from approximately 7,000 to 21,000 listeners on the volcanically active, weather enhanced, flood and tsunami prone area of the southern region of Hawaii island.
During an Aug. 27 interview at KAHU 91.7 FM, Kahele said, “KAHU is an important part of the community in this region of Hawaii island and having good friends in this district, as well as a long-term friendship for many years with Station General Manager, Wendell J. Kaehuaea, it was crucial that this grant be expedited to ensure the emergency disaster preparedness and safety for the residents of this area.â€
As County Councilwoman Brittany Smart continues to make monthly appearances on the station updating residents of Ka‘u District issues, Station General Manager, Wendell J. Kaehuaea said, “From the programming, local news and interviews, with the expanded coverage, especially regarding emergency alert services, this will enable a stronger sense of security for all of the families in the district. Once the installation is complete there will be a testing phase to ensure that the station is heard clearly from areas of Milolii to Mountain View. We hope to have all of our projections completed by year end.â€
The station antenna and transmitter disconnection and move begins Oct. 18 as it relocates from 96-3207 Maile Street, Pahala.
The station will continue to broadcast via online streaming access from its website.
The KAHU 91.7 FM radio broadcast expansion is projected to reach approximately 21,605 residents from Mt. View through the Ka‘u District and over to Milolii out of the total 165,411 residents on the entire island of Hawaii.
The mission of KAHU 91.7 FM is to embrace the communities that it serves in the District of Ka’u, around the island of Hawaii, the outer islands and beyond.
As the only Native Hawaiian owned and operated station in the United States and sole resource of emergency broadcast services to the District of Ka’u, the goal of KAHU 91.7 FM is to assist in keeping the doors of business open for local merchants and businesses, educate listeners to the Hawaiian culture and island diversity, support the community through a variety of unique avenues and offer a voice of friendship through music and programming.
— Find out more:
www.kahufm.com