The listener-supported Kauaʻi Community Radio station was broadcasting as the wind and rain from Hurricane Lowell tore through the island — and now it needs help to stay on the air.
Fallen trees and other debris surround the nonprofit radio station — also known as KKCR — which is located in the Princeville area on Kauaʻi’s North Shore. However, the station managed to stay on the air for residents Monday night while Lowell was at its closest to the island.
“We stayed on the air all night through the hurricane. I don't know how we were still able to broadcast on the internet, but it worked,” said General Manager Anni Caporuscio.
The station was relaying weather information about the hurricane, as it’s required to by federal mandates, but also took calls from listeners.
Caporuscio said the discussions covered the weather at listeners’ locations, whether they had electricity, and what else they were going through at the moment.
“They called mainly to say, ‘This is what I'm going through, and thank you for being on the air with me right now,’” she said, adding that it was important for her to be at the station with hosts and continuing to broadcast timely information. “I know that because we are the only radio station, it's a special thing that I need to be doing right now.”
She said Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami and Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency Administrator Elton Ushio also called in to provide updates to listeners.
Lowell left behind debris and downed trees in the area, but managed to miss the station itself and most of the property owned by KKCR staff and volunteers.
Caporuscio said KKCR lost its internet early Tuesday morning, but as of Wednesday said it was still the only radio station on the island still broadcasting, albeit to half the island — on the North Shore and the east side of the island.
“What we're doing on air now is alerting people of what’s going on. I’m (asking) the county … where are the road closures, who has water or doesn't have water, where are the food pantry giveaways?” she said.
The station is looking to get its internet back, and it needs diesel for its generator, which Caporuscio said will run out of fuel in roughly a week.
KKCR at risk of closure
Lowell came at an especially bad time for KKCR, which is in danger of closing permanently.
The station lost $83,000 in federal funding following the Trump administration’s spending cuts and the shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provided funding to local public radio and television stations.
The station’s annual budget is around $400,000, Caporuscio said.
KKCR begins its two-week Fall Fund Drive on Monday, during which the station was hoping to recoup the $83,000 in federal funds it lost. However, with resources likely to be distributed for other recovery services on Kauaʻi, there could be a dip in donations.
The drive could determine whether the station has enough funds to continue operations at all.
Caporuscio said KKCR’s availability during Hurricane Lowell — while all other stations were out — proves its worth.
“KKCR was founded for emergency communications, founded after Hurricane Iniki, and we have proved our efficacy by being the only radio station available during Hurricane Lowell and after,” she said. “We are proving our value right now.”
Listeners can donate at the station’s website or by calling 808-826-7771.
