Howzit everybody...Billy V here...and here is the very first of what will probably be many "blogs" on "things". For those not familiar with blogs, I tend to think of it as "brain spewing", or "mental regurgitation". *laugh* The internet's way of having everyone express their opinions and thoughts :)

This week I'm getting the official "Hawaiian 105 KINE" training session. The bosses were all laughing when they told me I would have to go thru this additional training. Especially considering how long I've been around Hawaiian Music. Not as long as some, but probably just as close in a general sense.

I actually got my radio start on the Big Island. My introduction was done by an "odd" radio announcer by the name of Alfred Abreau. The "odd" as I became to find was not odd at all. It was just that he took PRIDE in EVERYTHING that was Hawai'i and LOCAL. Much different perhaps than I was used to. Everything had a purpose in the hawaiian system of thinking, and he was the ONLY person in the radio station doing it. He played traditional hawaiian music with a contemporary every now and then in the afternoons. Everyone else in the station played some OTHER kind of music, meaning mainland music. But because "Alapa'i on da Porch" had been there for so long thru so many format changes that he was kinda granfathered into the formats, and never changed. He took me under his wing, and proceeded to educate me on the fine dynamics of traditional hawaiian music and it's worth to not only the broadcast community of Kona and the Big Island, but to Hawai'i and the world.

I would be the only one to substitute for Alapa'i when he would take off or take vacation. After being with the station for 4 years, it was time for me to go off to Honolulu. No one would make a 20 year old Program Director, and I had done everything else at the small station in Kealakekua, Hawai'i. It was time to go. I looked at Kona, smiled...and spread the wings to the city of lights...Honolulu. Little did I know that Alapa'i Abreau was an alumni of KCCN 1420 AM Radio.

I would look for a job for 7 days, when I walked into KCCN 1420 AM. I would walk in on Dave Lancaster, who I had met and become friends with in my high school days. His reccomendation would land me my first job in Honolulu, as News Director. After a week working with Dave, I was moved to middays to continue my education in hawaiian music and 'Olelo Hawai'i with Jacqueline Leilani Lindsay, The Honolulu Skylark. Affectionately called "Sky" she would be come my Radio Kumu.

Sky moved to a new station to begin a new format that would mix Contemporary Hawaiian and Mainland Music. She wanted to show that Hawaiian music could stand right up there with the greats of the international music community. Sky asked if I would join her in the move and become her news director. As you can imagine, without a second thought, the answer was yes.

I would in the meantime work with one of the most influential figures I can think of in my radio career. One of course, being Skylark. The other would be Krash Kealoha. He opened up the mind to the possibilities, taught me that nothing is impossible, taught me to TRUST MYSELF which was one of the BIG things I had to overcome at the time. Sky taught me patience and timing and how important the hawaiian music and hawaiian language are to not only us as individuals, but "us" as hawaiians, and our possible contributions to the world. These two individuals have a large part in what I am today.

Due to mainland investors mismanging resources in Texas; KORL 650 AM closed it's doors. I was the last one out of the doors on a very sad day. I managed to find work at KCCN 1420 AM again for 29 days, in which I was hired at Krater 96 under Austin Vali. Here I recieved the technical side of radio education. Formats, FCC Regs, doing news, public service announcements and overnights. I was news in the mornings with Austin Vali and Dan Cooke.

January 1990 Skylark called again and said she needed my services to put KCCN FM 100 on the air. I was part of the first airstaff, I helped to build the production studios and on-air room. Building a station from scratch was one of the most enjoyable times in radio. Before May 14, 1990, no radio station played hawaiian music. There was NO hawaiian music on the AM dial either. NO Radio station played Hawaiian music as part of it's regular format. Not even Kalapana or C&K. We put on a radio station that blew up...it was the talk of the town in popularity. We came out of nowhere, and everyone...even other stations said it's only a "passing fad", they're and "ethnic station", they're listeners don't have any money.....But we did it.

Today in the 2000's, other station play hawaiian music as part of their regular format, unheard of in the 1990's. Companies even bought stations to compete directly against us; or to cash in the sudden popularity of music generated out of Hawai'i. I'm glad that KCCN FM 100 and Hawaiian 105 KINE are pretty much responsible for OTHER radio stations playing hawaiian music. NOW...FINALLY it's being heard everywhere and appreciated for it's value to lifestyle in Hawai'i; for hawaiians and hawaiians at heart.

July 14, 2006. After 16 years of doing Contemporary Hawaiian Music, I have come full circle. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'm so thankful that Brickwood Galuteria has been so gracious. He made EVERY attempt to make me feel comfortable and accepted here at Hawaiian 105 KINE. He took me around the station to talk to the members of the KINE working family. I thnk he was trying to prep me for this job 4 months ago by putting a bug in my ear that "Eh, you know Bill...there may come a time you could be mornings on KINE...howz dat sound to you?". He had kind of a serious smile on his face, but still laughing as if he was joking....he was trying to tell me something and I wasn't listening *laugh* July 14, 2006 was the day I was asked by management and Brickwood to succeed him on KINE.

Looking forward to my first day on-air on Monday...if nothing else, just to catch how many times I say KCCN FM 100 On-air. After 16 years, it'll be a hard habit to break, but I look forward to it! Here we go....IMUA!

I'll try to fit in another blog before Monday start day...Hope you have a wonderful day!

Mahalo for supporting Hawaiian 105 KINE online!!

billyv