BYTE MARKS
Listeners get say on state of media

By Burt Lum

Radio and television are ingrained in our lives. There are very few days when the media blitz isn't a full frontal barrage. You need to escape to places like Kaho'olawe or be of strong will not to look or listen to what is being broadcast 24 hours a day.

For better or worse, that's the way it is. It's the art of selective filtering, though it wasn't always like that. There was a time when radio was fun to listen to.

Call it nostalgia or just being sappy, but there were radio programs that, in my mind, really stood out. Since I have now dated myself, these selections will come as no surprise. One of my fondest memories of radio was listening to KPOI-FM in the art building at high school. On the same set, DJ Harvey would play Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane along with the Crusaders.

This was circa early '70s. One of my favorite Neighbor Island radio stations back then was KAOI-FM and a DJ named Buddy Fo, aka Maui Bud.

That's when cool was defined by a whole different set of standards. Times have changed. Corporations now rule the airwaves, and finding the isolated independent voice is a treasured thing.

I was pleased to find Mel Ah Ching's Hawaii Radio and TV guide and forum at www.hawaiiradiotv.com.

It is a site allowing listeners to voice opinion about the state of media in Hawai'i. The site provides a complete listing of all the radio and television stations throughout the state. I love the archive section and the old play lists from stations such as KKUA and KPOI. They even have old bumper stickers from KSHO-FM, a station dedicated to jazz back in the '80s.

The forum, now at www.hawaiithreads.com/hawaiiradiotv, is a key feature. The public voice is vibrant here. If you've got something to say about radio or television in Hawai'i, this is the place to say it. It can be raw and uncut, but that's what makes it fun. ;-)

Burt Lum is one click away at www.brouhaha.net.