Perry & Price

Last updated
Perry & The Posse
GenreNews/Talk/Music
Running time5-10am HST (Mon-Fri)
8-11am HST (Sat)
Country of originFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Home station KSSK (AM) and KSSK-FM
Hosted by Michael W. Perry
Original release1983 – present
Website
KSSK Radio - Perry & the Posse

Perry & The Posse is a morning radio show which airs six days a week on KSSK (AM) and KSSK-FM in Honolulu, Hawaii. The show is currently the number one morning radio show in Hawaii, capturing a 25 percent share of the state's listening audience. It is also consistently number one in market share nationwide in the adult contemporary format. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

History

After KSSK morning DJ Hal "Aku" Lewis died in 1983, KSSK moved then-afternoon host Michael W. Perry to the morning slot and paired him with former football coach Larry Price, who at the time was vice president of public relations for the station. Although Price had done some TV investigative reporting, he'd "never done radio, never even thought about it... then I had to get used to talking to a red light (in the studio)." [4] [5] The first time the pair had met was during one of the Jerry Lewis telethons in the 1970s. According to Perry, "[Larry] dared me to jump into a large pool of Jell-O fully dressed. I did that, for Jerry’s kids, but vowed revenge. I have been extracting that revenge very slowly over the past 25 years." [6]

From the beginning, people in the industry and in the listening public were skeptical that the show would work. According to Price, "Here's a haole guy with a local name and local guy with a haole name... One is from Virginia, the other is from Kalihi. How can these guys get along?" [7]

One item that Perry & Price kept from Aku's morning show was the "Coconut Wireless" name and sound effect that begins their news reports. According to Perry, "I think [Aku] had been using that [name and effect] since 1966." [7] Larry Price, one-half of the duo, ended his 33-year run in May 2016 on the top-rated morning radio show in Hawaii to focus on other interests. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

The "Posse"

One of the show's mainstays, which the station as a whole has adopted, is its cell phone "posse" network. Listeners make up this posse and serve as the watchdogs of the community. They call in to report traffic incidents and also report crimes and real-time updates (for example, where a stolen vehicle was last seen), although the station discourages people from directly confronting the criminals. Sometimes the network is even ahead of the local police, who are said to have radios tuned to the station to catch updates. [14]

The Posse has been so successful with catching criminals that a local bank created a C.A.T.C.H. (Citizens Against Troublemakers and Criminals in Hawaii) Fund. For every crime incident that the Posse successfully resolves, the bank donates $1,000 to the fund. Near the end of the calendar year, listeners vote to determine which local charity receives the proceeds from the fund. [15]

The Saturday Morning Show

Perry & Price's Saturday Morning Show, a live breakfast show, started from the Ilikai Hotel's Champeaux. Since then, the show has been held at the Sheraton Waikiki's Hanohano Room, the John Dominis restaurant, and Jimmy Buffett's at The Beachcomber. Since February 2012, the show has been held at the Jade Dynasty Restaurant at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. [2] [4] [7] [16] The show reportedly has one thing commercial radio has lacked for many years—a sense of spontaneity. According to Price, "it's wild, it's unpredictable... uncertainty makes it interesting." [4] Through the years, the Saturday morning show has attracted local and national celebrities, including Dolly Parton, Oprah Winfrey and Arnold Schwarzenegger. [7] The show airs live from 8 to 11 a.m. Hawaii time most Saturdays. On Saturdays that the show is not held, the station airs a compilation ("The Best of the Saturday Morning Show") of sound bites from previous shows during the same time slot.

Emergency information

In addition to their weekday and Saturday morning shows, Perry and Price have also gone on the air during emergencies, as KSSK is the state's designated emergency action system radio station. For example, when two earthquakes caused a power outage on Oahu in 2006, Perry and Price went on the air to deliver information from Hawaii State Civil Defense to their listeners. [17]

"Coconut Wireless" news and commentary

Perry & Price's "Coconut Wireless" news and commentary typically sees Perry taking the lead on national and international politics, while Price focuses on local politics, news and sports. Although the duo's slogan is "Perry on the left and Price on the right," their political views are the other way round. Perry describes himself as having "become much more conservative over the years... even though I was a Kennedy liberal. Hawaii is actually a much more conservative state than people realize." Price meanwhile is a dedicated middle-roader. [3] [4]

Their political commentary has occasionally drawn fire, such as when one of their comments elicited an angry phone call from then-mayor Eileen Anderson. [5] A more controversial incident happened in 2007, when Hawaii Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser (D-Kauai, Niihau) called in to talk about a legislative session that had wrapped the day prior. During the 15-minute interview, Hooser used the word "honest" in asking the hosts and listeners to assess some of the issues that arose in the session. That led to Price asking Hooser where he was from (California) and whether he had blue eyes (he did). Price then said:

When local people hear somebody from the Mainland talk about how honest everything is that means that something's wrong. You know when they say 'frankly' or 'honestly' we did a lot of things, you know and stuff like that, that sounds suspicious. [18]

As a result of the exchange, several Democrats and their supporters lambasted Price, calling him racist. [3] On the following show, Price apologized, saying:

I would like to take this time to apologize to our KSSK listeners and the people of the state of Hawaii for the inappropriate remarks made to Sen. Hooser on Friday morning's show. If my comments were offensive to anyone, I realize it was wrong to make them. There's no room for this type of insensitive language that I used. I have learned from this, and I hope that Sen. Hooser will accept my apology. [3]

Perry defended his co-host, saying:

You're crazy, you don't have to apologize. I am the blue-eyed member of this morning team. This was not about racism; it was about hypocrisy. [3]

While Hooser appreciated the apology, he believed that Perry and Price, as well as KSSK, were not taking the situation seriously. Several callers to the radio show agreed, comparing Price to CBS Radio's Don Imus, a shock jock who had been fired over a controversial remark about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. [3] [19] In response, Perry said:

A 15-second sound bite overwhelms a devastating, revealing 15-minute interview about our dysfunctional state Senate. We have a broken system here and we keep electing the people who are broken because nobody challenges them. So we challenge them and what gets reported? Blue eyes. ... You don't have to apologize, the Senate has to apologize. Blue-eyed Perry on the left. [3]

25th anniversary

In 2008, the Perry & Price show celebrated its 25th anniversary. According to Perry:

[We have] no clue as what makes us endure. We just knew we didn't want to burn brightly for a short time and then fizzle... we are dinosaurs! This kind of thing just doesn't happen in radio. Go all over the mainland and you cannot find a show like it. We're the Odd Couple, but it just works, probably because we have the same sense of humor. [4]

Related Research Articles

Eileen Anderson was an American politician who served as Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii from 1981 to 1985. She was the first woman to hold the office. A Democrat, Anderson served in various positions in the city and county and the state. She was the first Hawaii State Director of Budget and Finance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHON-TV</span> Fox/CW affiliate in Honolulu

KHON-TV is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of Fox and The CW. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KHII-TV. Both stations share studios at the Haiwaiki Tower in downtown Honolulu, while KHON's main transmitter is also located downtown at the Century Center condominium/business complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KITV</span> ABC affiliate in Honolulu

KITV is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Allen Media Group alongside multicultural independent station KIKU. KITV's studios are located on South King Street in downtown Honolulu, and its main transmitter is located atop the Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu.

KGMB is a television station in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, serving the Hawaiian Islands as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate KHNL and Kailua-Kona–licensed Telemundo affiliate KFVE. The stations share studios on Waiakamilo Road in Honolulu's Kapālama neighborhood, while KGMB's transmitter is located in Akupu, Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDDB</span> Radio station in Waipahu–Honolulu, Hawaii

KDDB102.7 Da Bomb is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Waipahu, Hawaii, and serving the Honolulu radio market. The Pacific Media Group station is known as "102.7 Da Bomb". It is currently one of three rhythmic contemporary outlets in Honolulu, along with 93.9 KUBT and 104.3 KPHW. KDDB also transmits on Oceanic Spectrum digital channel 854 for the entire state of Hawaii. The studios and offices are on Bishop Street in Honolulu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KQMQ-FM</span> Radio station in Honolulu, Hawaii

KQMQ-FM is a radio station based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Pacific Media Group outlet broadcasts at 93.1 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW. The station also transmits on Spectrum digital channel 868 for the entire state of Hawaii. It offers a proprietary blend of Hawaiian/Island Reggae and traditional Reggae music format branded as "HI93". The programming is led by local radio vet Kelsey Yogi. The station's studios are located in Downtown Honolulu and its transmitter is located near Akupu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSSK-FM</span> Radio station in Waipahu, Hawaii

KSSK-FM is an adult contemporary formatted commercial radio station serving the Honolulu media market. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and licensed to Waipahu, Hawaii. Studios are located in the Kalihi neighborhood of Honolulu, and the transmitter site is near Akupu, Hawaii.

KZOO or Kay-Zoo is a radio station catering to the Japanese community of Honolulu, Hawaii. The station plays news, talk shows, and J-Pop. It is owned by Polynesian Broadcasting, Inc. KZOO also retransmits on Oceanic Spectrum digital channel 888 for the entire state of Hawaii.

Larry Price is an athlete, media personality, journalist and former civil servant in Hawaii, United States. A resident of Honolulu, he is currently an author, political news columnist for MidWeek and radio co-host of the locally popular Perry & Price on KSSK-FM alongside Michael W. Perry. He also writes and produces television documentaries. Price was formerly an investigative reporter for Honolulu ABC network affiliate KITV. In celebration of its centennial, the City and County of Honolulu named Price to its official list of Top 100 Citizens.

Michael William Perry is the host, of the Perry & The Posse show on KSSK-FM in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also hosts the Hawaiian Moving Company television show on KGMB in Honolulu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDNN</span> Radio station in Honolulu, Hawaii

KDNN is a Hawaiian Contemporary hits formatted radio station based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The iHeartMedia, Inc. outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 51 kW. It also transmits on Oceanic Spectrum digital channel 851 for the entire state of Hawaii. Its studios are located in the Kalihi neighborhood of Honolulu, while its transmitter is located downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Hooser</span> American politician

Gary L. Hooser is an American politician who served as a member of the Hawaii State Senate representing Kauaʻi and Niʻihau from 2002 to 2010. He also served on the Kauaʻi County Council for four years before becoming a Senator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii Public Radio</span> Public radio network in Hawaii, United States

Hawaiʻi Public Radio (HPR), is a network of commercial and listener-supported stations broadcasting two streams on fifteen frequencies across the state of Hawaii. It is the statewide member of National Public Radio (NPR). The stations originate from the studios of The Hawaii Public Radio Plaza on Kaheka Street, near the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu.

Herschel Leib Hohenstein, aka Hal Lewis, aka J. Akuhead Pupule or Aku, was the morning air personality in 1965 at KGMB, an AM station in Honolulu, Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSSK (AM)</span> Adult contemporary formatted AM radio station

KSSK is an adult contemporary formatted AM radio station, licensed to Honolulu, Hawaii and owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Studios are located in the Kalihi neighborhood of Honolulu, and the transmitter site is located a mile from the studios. KSSK serves as Hawaii's primary AM station entry point for the Emergency Alert System, with KRTR-FM providing PEP capabilities on FM.

The state of Hawaii has the following popular media:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii House Bill 444</span> A 2010 bill to legalize civil unions in the US state

House Bill 444 was a 2009 bill of the Hawaii State Legislature, passed in April 2010 and vetoed by Governor of Hawaii Linda Lingle, that would have legalized civil unions for couples in the state of Hawaii. Its legislative process was accompanied by controversy over the bill's content and effects and rallies were held by supporters and opponents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Tokioka</span> American politician

James "Jimmy" Kunane Tokioka is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii House of Representatives since January 2007 representing District 15.

Earl McDaniel was an American disc jockey, actor, promoter, talent manager, and radio executive.

Kamasami Kong is an American disc jockey living in Tokyo. He has been active in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, as well as previsously in Hawaii with the radio program "The Kamasami Kong Show" on KKUA and KIKI. and Omega Tribe.<

References

  1. ↑ 25 Years Together Archived 2009-09-30 at the Wayback Machine . MidWeek, 6 Aug 2008. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
  2. 1 2 Perry & Price website Archived 2006-02-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dynamic Radio Morning Duo Shake Up the Airwaves (And the Senate). Hawaii Reporter. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Perry and Price celebrate a quarter century riding Hawaii's radio waves on Saturday. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 8 Aug 2008. Retrieved on 2009-12-01.
  5. 1 2 After a decade and a half as a radio duo, Mike and Larry have been together longer than many married couples. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 27 Aug 1998. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
  6. ↑ According to Perry and Price. Honolulu Magazine, August 2008. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Still Having Fun. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 12 Aug 2003. Retrieved on 2009-12-01.
  8. ↑ "After 33 Years, Larry Price Exits KSSK/Honolulu's 'Perry And Price'". All Access Music Group. May 5, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Larry Price to leave 'Perry and Price' radio show after 33 years". KHON2 . Honolulu. May 4, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ "After 3 decades, Larry Price to leave popular 'Perry & Price' morning radio show". Hawai'i News Now . Honolulu. May 4, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  11. ↑ Engle, Erika (May 4, 2016). "Price leaving Perry on morning radio". Star-Advertiser . Honolulu. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  12. ↑ Gordon, Mike (May 13, 2016). "Price less". Star-Advertiser. Honolulu. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  13. ↑ Wakida, Clayton (May 4, 2016). "Larry Price leaving top-rated morning radio show to launch sports show". KITV . Honolulu. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  14. ↑ Stick around for more changes. Honolulu Advertiser, 14 Nov 2004. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
  15. ↑ Waikiki Community Center received award from CPB C.A.T.C.H. fund [ permanent dead link ]. Honolulu Advertiser, 26 Nov 2009. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
  16. ↑ "Perry and Price leaving Jimmy Buffet's for Ala Moana Center". 2012-01-11. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  17. ↑ 2 stations take real-time lead. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 16 Oct 2006. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
  18. ↑ Perry & Price on-air interview raises tempers. Honolulu Advertiser, 5 May 2007. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
  19. ↑ Price apologizes on KSSK for Sen. Hooser comments. The Honolulu Advertiser, 7 May 2007. Retrieved on 2009-12-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.