Hawaiʻi Island listeners can now tune into University Radio Hilo or URH on the air at the newly founded FM 101.1
“It took many years to get our FM license, then it’s taken time to get all the equipment, then to get it all connected, but it’s been a great learning experience and leadership journey for our students,” says Ellen Kusano, director of the Campus Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. She says the station broadcast should have a five-mile range from campus.
Kusano gives credit for the achievement to Kyle Douglas, URH radio engineer; Jake Galves, URH advisor; Sky Flores, executive chair of the 2014-15 Board of Media Broadcasting (BoMB); Theo Oneal, general manager of URH in 2014–15; Matt Groulx, executive chair of BoMB in 2015-16; and Brenda Burch, general manager of URH in 2015–16. Kusano also credits the URH staff, the DJs and all the volunteers who helped the team reach the FM goal.
According to Douglas, the station is currently in a testing phase for the low power FM system. “We have gotten reports that our signal has been caught well beyond our initial estimates and right now we are broadcasting at 30 percent power of what our license will allow us,” he says.
Douglas worked on the FCC application, the determination on equipment, and did most of the work with campus electricians to hook up everything. He was station manager last year. He says the project has been on-going for many years and finally having a FM signal will help the community know that the university does indeed have a radio station.
“We are hoping to use it as a tool to help strengthen the connection between the university with the community-at-large, all while giving students a chance to learn about the broadcasting industry,” he explains.
Douglas says a program schedule will be drawn up “when the bulk of our DJs return this fall.”
Tune in to University Radio Hilo at FM 101.1 or via the University Radio Hilo website.
