Hawai'i Public Radio celebrating its first 20 years

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Peter Schickele — as himself and as P.D.Q. Bach — performs today in Honolulu, tomorrow on Maui. Peter Schaaf 'P.D.Q. Bach and Peter Schickele: The Jekyll and Hyde Tour' Part of Hawai'i Public Radio's 20th anniversary celebration 7:30 tonight Hawai'i Theatre Tickets: $25 and $30 (member discounts available) 528-0506 Also: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Maui Arts and Cultural Center's Castle Theater; $10, $18 and $25 (member discounts available); (808) 242-7469.

"Looking ahead to our third decade, I think we need to achieve 'Hawai'i Public Radio' as opposed to 'public radio for Honolulu and bits and pieces of other areas,'" Titterton said.

That goal — the same that excited and frustrated three previous managers since the station first hit the airwaves on Nov. 13, 1981 — is to take the music, news and information from HPR's two main stations and make it available to "anyone in Hawai'i who has a radio," Titterton said.

Limited money and Hawai'i's radio-wave-resistant terrain — have made bridging HPR's audiences difficult in the past, he said.

Programming from KHPR 88.1 FM, featuring classical music, NPR shows and cultural programming, is simulcast on KKUA 90.7 FM and KANO 91.1 FM. Programming from KIPO 89.3 FM, which includes news and information, as well as jazz, blues and Hawaiian music shows, is simulcast on KIFO 1380 AM.

But notable progress has been made since Titterton replaced controversial Anna Kosof in January 1999.

With broad support from the Hilo community, HPR established KANO with a transmitter in Papa'ikou in August 2000.

HPR's plans now include extending existing coverage on Maui and establishing a presence on Kaua'i.

"We're trying to build our technology in a way that will allow repeater stations the ability to feed back into Honolulu," Titterton said.

"This is a swim upstream from the tendency in Hawai'i to be O'ahu-centric," he said. "The goal is to have an interactive system that allows Hawai'i to talk to itself, to give people an equal voice in matters of the state. There's a clear and urgent need here that I think radio can usefully address."

The station as it exists today bears little resemblance to the operation that first began broadcasting around the clock because it couldn't trust its transmitters to restart each day. Dependent on federal assistance, corporate donations and listener support, the station has managed to navigate treacherous economic waters without compromising the quality of its programming. Indeed, it was just a few years ago that KHPR's staff took to the airwaves each day on equipment held together with duct tape.

"We had an accountant come in and take a look at our books," Titterton said. "He told us we were providing a $3- (million) or $4-million-dollar service on a $1.8 million budget."

Through a financial redesign that included scaling back ancillary businesses and special events, HPR has been able to stabilize its financial standing and focus on long-term goals, Titterton said.

HPR gets 53 percent of its money from listeners, up from 40 percent three years ago. HPR promotion director Judy Neale said about 10 percent of HPR members donate money during the network's semi-annual fund-raisers. HPR stations attract more than 100,000 listeners on any give month.

What keeps many listeners tuning in, Neale said, is the unique sense of community that public radio fosters. Or, as Titterton sees it, "It's more fun than is decent."