Old-school rockers, earthy hippies, surfer dudes, island activists, green thumbs, jazz cats and more. What do you get when you jam a multifarious selection of information and ear candy into a single spot on the radio dial? You get Kaua‘i
Old-school rockers, earthy hippies, surfer dudes, island activists, green thumbs, jazz cats and more.
What do you get when you jam a multifarious selection of information and ear candy into a single spot on the radio dial? You get Kaua‘i Community Radio, better known by the call letters KKCR.
Technically, KKCR doesn’t claim just one spot on the dial, but four — 90.9 FM on the North Shore, 92.7 in Anahola, 91.9 across the rest of Kaua‘i and 104.7 on O‘ahu. For the past decade, the Princeville-based station has reigned as the only community-based, listener-supported, non-commercial radio station in the entire Hawaiian archipelago. Staffed almost entirely by volunteers (more than 100), the station is supported exclusively by membership drives, underwriting and grants.
According to station manager Larry LaSota, community is key.
“The volunteers are the engine that keeps this whole station going,” said LaSota. “They create the energy that makes the station go.”
It’s little surprise that in such a diverse community, an equally eclectic collection of DJs rule the airwaves. Officially, KKCR’s programming includes Hawaiian, jazz, blues, rock, reggae, classical and world artists. Throw in surf music, community affairs programs, surf and weather reports and you’ve got a station that offers something for just about everyone.
Built in a bunker that looks like it could withstand an atomic blast, the state-of-the-art broadcast facility has been designed to be a reliable source of information in times of emergency. Most recently, when heavy rains soaked the island early last year causing the Ka Loko dam to breach and sever the island in two, KKCR kept island residents abreast of official updates and conditions.
In between emergencies, however, the show must go on.
Michele Rundgren, former member of the band The Tubes and the wife of rocker Todd Rundgren, hosts “Chick Rock, Chick Talk” on Friday afternoons.
“At first I appreciated the community aspect, that we could inform islanders of problems and events,” said Rundgren. “We reunited owners with their wallets and their pets, promoted local events. Next came an appreciation of the variety, a new sound every two hours. Then I realized that we have something that most stations do not — freedom. No one tells us what to say or play.”
That freedom leads to some interesting listening.
“We have the most diverse programming in regards to genres of music,” said Tracey Schavone, who has volunteered at the station for seven years and currently hosts three shows.
According to LaSota, the community KKCR serves isn’t exclusively made up of Kaua‘i’s year-round residents.
“We offer the island’s visitors a breath of fresh air,” said LaSota. “Once they find us, they lock on.”
Technology has made “locking on” to KKCR easy, even after visitors leave Hawai‘i. The station streams its content live 24-hours-a-day online at KKCR.org.
“I am always shocked by how many people listen to us online from all over the world,” said Rundgren. “I got a call from a coffee shop in Denmark at 4 a.m. once. He called just to let me know he was listening.”
Ken Jannelli, KKCR’s program/music director, said the online option keeps many former Kaua‘i residents tuned in with what’s going on back home. Mama Rosa, aka Rosa Russell, who has hosted “Loquat Lounge” for the past five years, recently received a mahalo e-mail from a former Kaua‘i resident serving with the Civil Engineer Corps as part of the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan.
“It’s a great way to connect families,” said Jannelli.
The station has its fair share of high-profile fans as well. In just the past year, Jackson Browne, David Lindley, Todd Rundgren, Jesse Colin Young (of The Youngbloods) and Graham Nash have all used their talents to help support KKCR.
Community interaction is another cornerstone of the KKCR ethos. On Wednesday afternoons, the phone-in program “Back to the Garden” focuses on organic gardening and sustainable, environmentally friendly practices. And earlier this month the hot topic was the appearance of the coqui frog on Kaua‘i and the din associated with the vocal amphibian. Moderating the discussion were Schavone and co-hosts Kamran Taleb and Damon “Dove” Liddle.
“They pose no threat, whatsoever,” said one caller.
“Nuke ’em,” said the next.
The passionate debate went back and forth for the better part of the hour before morphing into” Good Vibrations,” Schavone’s eclectic music show.
Not long into the program, another call came in. This time it was Rundgren, phoning from her car. A truck had overturned on Kuhio Highway and was blocking traffic in both directions. The island had again been severed.
It’s all part of helping the community and being a member of the KKCR ‘ohana, she said of reporting on anything from frogs to flipped freighters. Schavone interrupted the broadcast to break the bad news, and followed it with a dedication to those caught in the gridlock — U2’s “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of.”
Stuck in traffic, yes, but at least there’s something to listen to on the radio.
