Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Radio Free Hawaii

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: Radio Free Hawaii

    Okay when you talk of Anna Bananas, you gotta go back to the early 80's when The Pagen Babies played there nightly. I remember when the Kodak building was...the Kodak Building where you dropped off your film to be developed.

    What was that night club across Cilly's where that Condo now sits (also the original site of KC Drive-In) It had something to do with tomatoes.

    But Radio Free Hawaii. I remember when it started and the question around the water cooler was simply this: Who's gonna fund this radio station?

    When KHNR first went on the air I worked there on Richard Street and it was Tom Gentry that financed it's daily operations at a loss, then he had that accident with his power boat and everything changed slowly thereafter.

    Unless the listeners donate, get government or private funding or there's advertising I can't imagine how a radio station could last very long.

    How did Radio Free Hawaii stay on for as long as it did?
    Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Radio Free Hawaii

      Originally posted by craigwatanabe
      What was that night club across Cilly's where that Condo now sits (also the original site of KC Drive-In) It had something to do with tomatoes...

      ...How did Radio Free Hawaii stay on for as long as it did?
      Re: Club across Cilly's...I recall Masquerades (dance/top 40) in the front lot and Phaze (alternative dance/electronica) in the back, separated by an open courtyard. A fake i.d. got me some dance time in there

      Re: RFHawaii staying on the air...the first stretch I really thought it was due to the advertisers and the shows we were connected with. Of course, I'm still quite naive when it comes to how much things really cost.

      The second coming of RFHawaii was thanks in (large) part to an Adam Levy; I understood him to be the owner/president of Worlock Records based on the East coast. That was for the initial year on though I don't know the true terms of that dealie, I was just surprised, stoked and shocked that the format was going to get a second shot.

      You know that movie/book "Pet Sematary", where things come back and it's just not the same?...it kind of felt like that

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Radio Free Hawaii

        interesting comparison but you're right sequels never get it quite right. Too bad, good concept but...maybe if the station declared itself an endangered species and get federal grant monies to operate for survival...hmmm there's got to be an angle in there somewhere to broadcast as a 24-hour public service station with music as the PSAs as we all know there's a message in every song out there...except disco, still couldn't find the message, only the action, "push push in the bush".
        Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Radio Free Hawaii

          Originally posted by craigwatanabe
          i...maybe if the station declared itself an endangered species and get federal grant monies to operate for survival...hmmm there's got to be an angle in there somewhere to broadcast as a 24-hour public service station with music as the PSAs...
          Though the station had some blocked-programming (Ska Show, Punkaholic Session, Reggae hosted by Kimo the Baldhead at the Controls, Guest DJ's, etc) and even an Explicit Zone (where disclaimers ran overnight to bookend the FCC-deemed sort of ok time to run 'bleeping bleep filth n flarn and filth' filled music), the charm was that RFH had some kind of music rotation.

          We had music clocks to show us when to play our version of Powers and what have you, spot blocks (!)...we had advertisers! I still reel when I think that people bought ads on our dial! Bless em all!

          ...that's what I thought was unique. College stations have, for the most part, segments of genre-driven shows; Public radio, again 'themed' hours. Good stuff all the way around.

          Hmm, maybe the eclectic mix of ALL music was too much for some; that was the point of the ballot system, to get input of the songs/artists for the station, not just for a couple of hours. The hour(s) devoted to a style of music, again, was put on a ballot then voted on, majority ruled. When that became too much, it'd go up on the ballot to be voted on whether to continue or not.

          There was a measure of logic in the chaos that was broadcast, for sure...

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Radio Free Hawaii

            I remember the color wheels, you'd start the top of the hour with a power song with a red dot and work thru the colors; orange, yellow then hit the blues at the bottom of the hour and work your way back up with a good mix up to the top of the next hour.

            Each cart would be color-coded and the general rule was that when you finished playing a song, that cart would go back on the rack upside down so you'd know that you played that song already for that hour. At the end of that hour, the gopher would flip the carts over for the next hour.

            Yeah, "slamming carts" I remember that phrase all too well when the cart machines wouldn't accept a cart so you'd slam it in the slot thinking that would solve the problem.

            Alas, now it's "F9" or that red button in the middle of the console to start that next spot block right Kathy? Now days you cannot use that cliche, "up on deck" cuz their ain't no deck to lay your upcoming music carts on.
            Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Radio Free Hawaii

              Folks, it's been 7 years since Radio Free Hawaii went off the air. I am sure some of you may have some memories to share about the "Radio Revolution" which never caught on as an industry wide thing. This is the place to share that memory.
              My memory is of my Program Director stealing almost all of the ballots from the stores and 5 of us sat around writing down songs that absolutely sucked, knowing that the pinheads would play it. Sure enough they did play it and thought that they were revolutionizing radio by playing what the underground masses wanted to hear. When really the first month or so of RAdio Free Hawaii was programmed by other stations jocks (a fact unknown to this day) every song that we wrote down was played..."Flying Purple people eaters" etc.

              We stopped the station in it's tracks, it was one of the best guerilla tactic moves I have been involved in. We stole almost 90% of all ballots, it was a group effort, then we would sit around the radio with a pizza and beers and laugh our asses off.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                My memory is of my Program Director stealing almost all of the ballots from the stores and 5 of us sat around writing down songs that absolutely sucked, knowing that the pinheads would play it. Sure enough they did play it and thought that they were revolutionizing radio by playing what the underground masses wanted to hear. When really the first month or so of RAdio Free Hawaii was programmed by other stations jocks (a fact unknown to this day) every song that we wrote down was played..."Flying Purple people eaters" etc.

                We stopped the station in it's tracks, it was one of the best guerilla tactic moves I have been involved in. We stole almost 90% of all ballots, it was a group effort, then we would sit around the radio with a pizza and beers and laugh our asses off.
                Well, I appreciated your contribution(s) to the music rotation! See, proof that Norm (and many other persons) read and counted each ballot collected!

                I spoke to a co-worker about incidents like what you wrote about and it sounded like there really was more fun happening at our station than at yours
                Last edited by Kathy w/a "K"; August 7, 2004, 12:43 PM.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                  No matter what happens to any radio station, I think for sure it has made an impact on people when they can still talk about it long after its gone from the air. Radio Free Hawaii like several other radio stations that have either come before (1380 KPOI) or after it (99.5 FM The Breeze), have made an impression on people. In the end, I think it is good for us to remember these radio stations.
                  I'm still here. Are you?

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                    Originally posted by craigwatanabe
                    Okay when you talk of Anna Bananas, you gotta go back to the early 80's when The Pagen Babies played there nightly. I remember when the Kodak building was...the Kodak Building where you dropped off your film to be developed. What was that night club across Cilly's where that Condo now sits (also the original site of KC Drive-In) It had something to do with tomatoes.
                    That club was called The Stuffed Tomato. Don't ask why or how I remember THAT!!!

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                      Originally posted by mel
                      No matter what happens to any radio station, I think for sure it has made an impact on people when they can still talk about it long after its gone from the air....In the end, I think it is good for us to remember these radio stations.
                      So, which radio station(s) is generating 'passion' for themselves? Is there a dial that you tend to listen to because it Moves you

                      When I listen to the radio, it's like I'm observing rather than enjoying - once in awhile I hear something that makes me go "A-Ha! that's clever/funny/unique"...and reminds me why I love Radio in general!

                      You manage to remain unbiased all the way around and that in itself is Refreshing

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                        hey, im a dummy who put $10 into the 'bring back radio free' thing at radio free music years ago. i wonder what happened to that fund...
                        i saw 'kathy with a k' at a movie promo (i think it was seabiscuit) and we were like 'is she the one from raido free' and thought 'cool' =p
                        my friends used to always talk about eggplant and cd cafe, back before i knew them, and feel like i missed out that i didnt see those places (back then I was shaking my booty at cillys, masquerades, point after, and blue zebra)
                        if radio free was around today, i'd advertise my business on it but im crazy like that.
                        Last edited by Hellbent; August 26, 2004, 11:20 PM.
                        Aquaponics in Paradise !

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                          This will someday have to become another topic, but for now let's leave it here.... There is a movie in the making based somewhat on Radio Free Hawaii. The movie is being produced by an independent firm called TalkStory Productions. They have a nice little graphic on their website and a click away is a brief description of the movie that bears the name of this radio station. Hawaii Business magazine ran this articleabout the movie and mostly about the firm producing it.

                          Anyone know the latest status of this project?
                          I'm still here. Are you?

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                            Originally posted by Hellbent
                            hey, im a dummy who put $10 into the 'bring back radio free' thing at radio free music years ago. i wonder what happened to that fund...
                            i saw 'kathy with a k' at a movie promo (i think it was seabiscuit) and we were like 'is she the one from raido free' and thought 'cool' =p
                            my friends used to always talk about eggplant and cd cafe, back before i knew them, and feel like i missed out that i didnt see those places (back then I was shaking my booty at cillys, masquerades, point after, and blue zebra)
                            if radio free was around today, i'd advertise my business on it but im crazy like that.

                            Wouldn't advertising on Radio Free hawaii be a contradiction to their philosophy?
                            Life is what you make of it...so please read the instructions carefully.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                              Originally posted by craigwatanabe
                              Wouldn't advertising on Radio Free hawaii be a contradiction to their philosophy?
                              i think it was lack of advertisers that was its downfall.
                              Aquaponics in Paradise !

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Radio Free Hawaii

                                Originally posted by Hellbent
                                i think it was lack of advertisers that was its downfall.
                                that's an understatement

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X