Breeze brings Hawaiian music

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Hawaiian music is back on Island radio, with a vengeance.

With little fanfare, KORL-FM changed its call letters to KHUI at 5 p.m. last Friday, inaugurating an all-Hawaiian format that programs traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music. The station, which kicked off its slogan, 99.5 The Breeze, is now showcasing all facets of Island music 24/7, with no deejay or commercials for the first month.

"Pua Hone," by The Brothers Cazimero, was the first tune aired under the format. The second was Na Leo Pilimehana's "Flying With Angels," and the third was Keali'i Reichel's "Kawaipunahele."

Mahlen Moore will be the station's program director. On-air personalities will be named later, said Jeff Schatz, vice president and GM of New Wave Broadcasting, which also operates four other stations here: KQMQ The Q (93.1 FM), KQMQ Radio Disney (690 AM), KDDB Da Bomb (102.7 FM) and KPOI (97.5 FM).

"With all the corporate consolidation of the radio industry, and not much localism anymore with music formats on the radio, we wanted to bring Honolulu a radio station that plays the local favorite music from Hawai'i," said Schatz.