Non-Stop Flight To Write-Off Island

• In what may be the single largest group of broadcasters to ever join forces to buy one radio station in a tropical paradise, the newly formed Kauai Broadcast Partners LLC has filed an application with the FCC to buy KZZV-FM in Hanapepe, Hawai’i, on the beautiful island of Kaua’i. Kauai Broadcast Partners LLC is the brainchild of Larry Fuss, who, in 1999, launched KKHJ-FM on the island of Pago Pago in American Samoa. “At the time, it was widely thought I was crazy,” Fuss said. “Building a radio station on a small, isolated island 8,000 miles from my home base seemed like an insane idea to many. But, it has been immensely successful, and now, 18 years later, has grown to a two-station cluster, a cable TV channel and an LPTV. When the opportunity to buy a station in Hawai’i came along, I reached out to a bunch of friends and everyone agreed that owning a radio station in Hawai’i would be a fun project. As a result, Kauai Broadcast Partners LLC was born.”

Fuss has assembled an illustrious list of nearly two dozen partners in the new venture, including Rob Sidney, former PD of WLYF/Miami; syndication pro Scotty Meyers of John Tesh fame; Julie Koehn of WLEN-FM/Adrian, MI; Paul Tinkle of Thunderbolt Broadcasting, Martin, TN; Paul Gardner of KELK & KLKO/Elko, NV; imaging v/o talent Mark McKay; Greg Tacher of Tacher & Associates in Bellevue, WA and many, many others. That’s Fuss (right), with partner Paul Tinkle (left) bookending the aforementioned Mr. Tesh a few years back. “This deal went from ‘crazy idea’ to reality in less than 30 days,” said Fuss, adding, “The biggest challenge so far has been listing the broadcast interests of all the partners on the FCC transfer application.”

KZZV has been dark since August, and the partners are now working on a new format and call letters with a launch date tentatively scheduled for Summer 2018. Fuss said, “This will be an incredibly fun project… Plus, those who are involved can take business trip to Hawaii!” You are advised to “stay tuned!”