KRYL (106.5 FM, "Y106.5") is an American

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

licensed to serve the community of Haiku, Hawaii, United States. The station, established in 2008, is currently owned by HHawaii Media and the

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which va ...

is held by Hochman Hawaii Five, Inc. Mostly

off the air In broadcasting, a dark television station or silent radio station is one that has gone off the air for an indefinite period of time. Usually unlike dead air (broadcasting only silence), a station that is dark or silent does not even transmit a ...

during the first 18 months after it debuted, the station began regular broadcast operations as a

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is commercially oriented crossover jazz music. Although often described as a "genre", it is a debatable and highly controversial subject in jazz music circles. As a radio format, however, smooth jazz radio became the successor to e ...

station in August 2009 before switching to

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

in March 2010.

Programming

KRYL broadcasts a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

format to

Maui County, Hawaii Maui County (), officially the County of Maui, is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It consists of the islands of Maui, Lānai, Molokai (except for a portion of Molokai that comprises Kalawao County), Kahoolawe, and Molokini. The latt ...

. A portion of this programming comes via satellite from

Dial Global Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The c ...

. Previously, the station had operated intermittently from its February 2008 launch until beginning regular broadcasting with a

music format in August 2009. The station flipped to the current country format in March 2010.

History

Launch

After more than seven years of delays, the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC) individually auctioned off the right to build more than 200 new FM radio stations in a process called "FM Auction 37" beginning in November 2004. There were four bidders for the right to build a new station serving Haiku, Hawaii, at 106.5 FM. This right was won by Joel Sellers of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, through her company Big Island Broadcasting, Inc. The winning gross bid was reported as $1,667,000. In December 2004, successful bidders Big Island Broadcasting, Inc., applied to the FCC for a

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

for a new broadcast radio station. The FCC granted this permit on February 24, 2005, with a scheduled expiration date of February 24, 2008. The new station was assigned

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

"KUHI" on December 21, 2007. After tower construction and testing were completed, the station applied for its

on February 22, 2008, and this was granted on February 26, 2008. However, in the rush to beat the expiration of the construction permit, the station's main

radio studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for recording and mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enough to record a single sin ...

s were not yet completed so KUHI began broadcasting under

program test authority In broadcasting, program test authority (PTA) is an authorization to conduct on-air testing of broadcast station facilities authorized to be built under a construction permit. Once this testing is successfully completed, and all measured paramet ...

from a temporary facility.

Falling silent

Just days later, on February 29, 2008, the station fell silent. Big Island Broadcasting told the FCC that it needed more time, possibly up to six additional months, to complete "location and construction of its main studios" and to complete the hiring of staff for the station. After notifying the FCC on March 26, 2008, the station applied for

special temporary authority Special Temporary Authority (STA) in U.S. broadcast law is a type of broadcast license which temporarily allows a broadcast station to operate outside of its normal technical or legal parameters. In the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) st ...

to remain silent while these issues were resolved. The Commission granted this authority on April 7, 2008, with a scheduled expiration of October 4, 2008. The station resumed broadcast operations from its new studio location on January 12, 2009. A few weeks later, on February 11, 2009, KUHI fell silent again. In their filing with the FCC, Big Island Broadcasting asserted that it needed to modify its

broadcast transmitter A broadcast transmitter is an electronic device that radiates radio waves modulated with information content intended to be received by the general public. Examples are a transmitter, radio broadcasting transmitter which transmits Sound, audio (s ...

and other transmission equipment but that the transmitter had been built by a foreign company that had since gone out of business. Citing the need for custom fabricated parts, the station believed that it could be back on the air in less than 90 days. The Commission held off on granting the new special temporary authority until July 9, 2009. If the station did not resume broadcasting by February 12, 2010, its license would be subject to automatic forfeiture.

KRYL era

After the station returned to the air on August 24, 2009, it applied to the FCC for a new call sign. The station was assigned current "KRYL" call sign on September 1, 2009. On August 25, after several brief periods of broadcasting over the previous 18 months, the station formally launched regular broadcast operations as a

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

KORL-FM KORL-FM (101.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Waianae, Hawaii, and serving the Honolulu metropolitan area. The station broadcasts a classic rock radio format, concentrating on classic hits of the late 1960s through the early ...

, broadcasting a

music format. The station's programming included a mix of local air personalities (including Johnny Miro in

morning drive Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...

) and the syndicated Smooth Jazz Network from Broadcast Architecture. In March 2010, KRYL dropped the smooth jazz format in favor of

programming. In October 2010, Big Island Broadcasting, Inc., reached an agreement to sell KRYL to HHawaii Media subsidiary Hochman Hawaii Five, Inc., for $450,000 in cash plus stock in the purchasing company. At the time, Hochman was already operating KRYL under a

local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one corporation, company agrees to operate a radio station, radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it ...

. The FCC approved the sale on November 30, 2010, and the transaction was formally consummated on March 3, 2011.

References

External links

HHawaii Media official website
* {{Authority control RYL Country radio stations in the United States Maui County, Hawaii Radio stations established in 2008 2008 establishments in Hawaii