KZOO has kept isles, Japan connected for half a century

KZOO-AM 1210 marks half a century of broadcasting in Hawaii on Friday, the exact date on which the station signed on in 1963.

The station has a long heritage of keeping its Japa­nese-speaking audience members in touch with the Hawaii community as well as the homeland, but station officials have continually implemented new ways of connecting with core listeners as well as the broader community.

The most recent innovation is its announcers’ delivery of local news in Japa­nese on NGN, via a collaboration with the Japa­nese-language cable channel.

"We have a long history together," said KZOO Vice President Robyn Furuya. And since 2009 both have had offices at the Japa­nese Cultural Center of Hawaii. The local news started in August and airs once a day on NGN, though it airs multiple times a day on channels NGN provides to hotels, she said.

KZOO’s glass-walled satellite studio within Shi­ro­kiya at Ala Moana Center puts celebrity interview guests up close and personal to the public and was intended as another way to engage with listeners and those who might become listeners.

While visitors from Japan and elsewhere don’t participate in radio ratings surveys, getting big audience numbers never has been KZOO’s mission, which is threefold.

Its focus is on entertainment, education and emergency information, Furuya said. While the entertainment and emergency information aspects may be obvious, the education component is wide-ranging and relates primarily to the perpetuation of Japa­nese culture and serving as a bridge between Hawaii and Japan.

KZOO has staged an annual Japa­nese speech contest since 1965, and its annual song contest is a prelude to a large competition in Japan.

"Most of our judges are professional judges from Japan, (including) lyricists, composers and others in the music industry," Furuya said.

The level of competition in Japan is so high "that when you see the winner that performs at our contest, you would think they are a professional singer."

Hopefuls ranged in age from 5 to 95, and 57 remaining contestants will vie for the chance to compete in Japan at an event that also will include the KZOO 50th-anniversary concert.

Up-and-coming ukulele player and singer Aidan James will perform, and headlining will be Hiro­shima, a band that has for decades used Japa­nese and Western instruments to create its signature jazz sound. The band is best known in Hawaii for creating a jingle long used by Hawaiian Electric Co., which it also released in longer form.

The concert and song contest take place Nov. 17 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hawaii Ballroom.

RADIO MILESTONES

1963

KZOO-AM 1210 signs on the air with primarily Japa­nese programming.

1967

KZOO is purchased by Noboru Furuya, who served in the U.S. Army’s 100th Battalion, opened the old Nippon Theater and established Shiseido of Hawaii Inc.

1992

Noboru’s son, David, marries former KZOO disc jockey and 1987 Cherry Blossom Festival court attendant Robyn Kosaki.

1999

David Furuya becomes president of KZOO.

2002

Noboru Furuya dies at age 82.

2009

KZOO moves offices and studios to the Japa­nese Cultural Center of Hawaii at 2454 S. Beretania St. after six years at Manoa Marketplace and 39 years on Ward Avenue.

2011

Opens a studio in Shi­ro­kiya at Ala Moana Center.

2013

Launches Japanese-language local newscasts on NGN cable channel.

———
Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.