Hawaii Public Radio nears fundraising goal for transmitter on Mauna Loa

Hawaii Public Radio is nearing its goal of erecting a transmitter and tower at Kulani Cone on the slopes of Mauna Loa to broadcast its second programming stream, KAHU-FM, also known as HPR-2, to East Hawaii.

A grassroots campaign started 13 months ago received a major holiday gift from the McInerny Foundation, who donated $40,000, HPR announced in a statement Wednesday. That leaves the public radio station about $15,400 shy of its goal of $150,000 to cover projected costs of state-of-the-art equipment, engineering and legal services, and the first year of overhead.

“That $40,000 grant from McInerny has really, really put some wind in our sails,” Michael Titterton, HPR’s president and general manager, said Wednesday. “A few weeks ago, we were $55,000 away and now we’re $15,000 away and that’s great.

“… We’re always excited to add another station, another outlet to the network. But this is the last lap. It’s been like running a marathon for the last decade and a half, now. We’re absolutely with the finish line in our sight with this station, and when we get it on the air, we will have completed the whole business of getting two networks on the air out to the whole state.”

Recently acquired by Hawaii Public Radio, KAHU’s radio signal is currently heard in Hawaii Island’s southernmost districts, where it carries HPR-2, as well as providing critical access to emergency broadcasts. Once the station’s coverage is extended to East Hawaii, local residents will be able to hear HPR-2 programs — world news, locally produced talk shows and an eclectic variety of music from contemporary Hawaiian to Latin jazz. HPR-1 and HPR-2 already are available to Hawaii Island listeners, and listeners worldwide, via Internet streaming and mobile applications.

Titterton said the transmitter project “has been moving along” and construction will start soon with an anticipated sign-on date early next year.

“We’ve done all the design work and we’ve had special antennas fabricated and the antenna’s sitting on a loading dock in Nova Scotia, waiting to be shipped down here,” he said. “It’s not like we’re sitting here waiting, but there were some buttons I just couldn’t afford to push until we got within sight of the finish line, and we pretty much have, at this point.”

Since fundraising began, $134,594 has been contributed by 248 individual charter members, with lead gifts including $20,000 by the Atherton Family Foundation, $10,000 by Hawaii Electric Light Co. and a matching gift received from KTA Super Stores ($20,000 in memory of Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi, founders of KTA Super Stores and K. Taniguchi Ltd.).

“It could absolutely be said that this project, as difficult and essential as it is, wouldn’t be where it is right now if it weren’t for Barry Taniguchi,” Titterton said, and added the KTA CEO and president is a “superstar.”

“He was offered the opportunity, to put it euphemistically, to be the lead gift in this campaign. And I have to say, he did not flinch. KTA has been supportive of this operation ever since we’ve been on the air on the Big Island.”

Taniguchi said he enjoys public radio and thinks bringing both HPR stations to East Hawaii is important to the community.

“When HPR first came to Hilo many years ago, we were one of the original contributors to the project,” Taniguchi said. “This is like coming full circle. HPR-1 came many years ago. Now this is HPR-2, the last leg. I’d like to see this completed so East Hawaii’s not excluded from HPR programming in the state.”

Titterton said a direct-mail flyer was sent to almost 8,000 households in East Hawaii with the hopes of raising the final $15,400. Donations to the East Hawaii transmitter project are also being accepted on HPR’s secure website, tinyurl.com/EastHawaiiHPR2, or by calling 955-8821 during business hours.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.