Partnerships
No need to go it alone, when good help is all around.
Eighteen thousand words.
That’s roughly the final count for this month’s cover story, "The Honolulu 100." This salute to 100 citizens who made Honolulu what it is today is one of the largest features the magazine has ever produced. Of course, we couldn’t have pulled off something of this magnitude alone.
Early this summer, we met with Ronald Wright, chairman, and Linda Wong, vice chairman, of the city’s independent Honolulu Centennial Celebration Commission. Our goal was to find a way to honor 100 citizens who made significant contributions to the life and culture of Honolulu through the past 100 years. We turned to the public, historians and cultural leaders, as well as our own experience and research, to come up with the nominees, narrowing down hundreds of possibilities to the selection you find in this issue. For more information on the process, see here, to meet the members of the selection committee, see here.
There are more people to thank than we can list here for making this feature possible, but I especially want to thank the city for its help, and all the people our writers interviewed–your recollections, insights and, quite often, loans of photographs, were invaluable.
Cox Radio, another partner with the Honolulu 100 commission, will adapt these profiles for broadcast. "We will dedicate one day, Monday through Friday, to each honoree for 100 days," says John Aeto, director of sales. "The program will run on KCCN FM100, Hawaiian 105 KINE FM and 940 AM KKNE throughout the day from Nov. 1, 2005, to March 20, 2006."
Some of this material will also be adapted by KGMB9 for a multimedia presentation to be shown at the city’s Honolulu Centennial Gala Celebration, Nov. 17. KGMB9 is also working with the city on Honolulu 100, with special features planned throughout the year.
I’m pleased to announce here that, starting with this issue, KGMB9 and HONOLULU Magazine begin what I hope will be a long and fruitful partnership. KGMB9 has been on a roll lately, having just won the coveted 18-49 age bracket for the first time in 20 years and being the No. 1 station both in daytime and primetime.
What makes this relationship a good fit, though, isn’t those attractive ratings so much as common legacies: KGMB9 was Hawai’i’s first TV station, initially airing on Dec. 1, 1952. HONOLULU was the Islands’ first magazine.
You’ve probably seen some of KGMB9’s recent specials including Eddie Aikau Hawaiian Hero; Iz, The Man Behind The Music; Duke Kahanamoku; Kapi’olani Park and of course, HONOLULU Magazine’s 50 Greatest Hawaiian Music Albums.
This relationship is a way to share resources and expand what we do, using the power of complementary media to enrich our coverage. For readers and viewers, the partnership should bring more insight into life in the Islands, a better understanding of how things work.
We’ve also greatly improved this Web site. Subscribers can now access the current issue’s content online with a password, and anyone visiting can find archives of some of our back issues.
The site gives us a chance to give you more of what you find in the magazine. It’s also a place where you can talk to us. For example, if you think our Honolulu 100 feature has missed someone, or included someone that made you say, "What the heck is that guy doing on this list?" you can suggest your own Honolulu 100 honorees here.
Our contribution to Honolulu 100 officially closes with this issue. The city, however, will be celebrating all year. For more information on centennial events, see www.honolulupride.com.
