This Seat is Taken: New URH General Manager
Ke Kalahea’s September cover image, which accompanied Allegra Diaz’s arti- cle advertising the URH General Manager opening. Credit Allegra Diaz.
November 2021: URH’s new General Manager Ágata Alencar de Oliveira sitting in the booth. Photo credit Kevianna Hawkins-Adams
Those who read the September issue of Ke Kalahea may remember that University Radio Hilo was on the hunt for a general manager. After two months without leadership, UH Hilo senior Ágata Alencar de Oliveira joined the team.
“Most of [the challenge]...was not knowing what we could and couldn’t do,” said DJ Mikaela Wong, co-host of URH’s show ‘QueerTalk’. “For example, planning for events; usually the general manager handles all the fiscal or financial bits of that.”
It wasn’t until a few weeks into Oliveira’s start with URH that the station even began broadcasting regular shows again. “I actually did the interview to become VVP’s general manager,” Oliveira said. “But my experience is more in connecting people... the communication and really social part of it.”
URH DJs Josh Dylin Baldanado and Michaela Wong preparing for their Queer-Talk radio show. Photo credit Kevianna Hawkins-Adams.
VVP (Vulcan Video Productions) is still searching for a general manager with more technical skills, but when Oliveira was encouraged to apply for the same position at URH, she was excited. “I’ve been having a lot of fun so far,” she said.
Since her appointment, Oliveira has been familiarizing herself with URH’s vision and trying to figure out how she can help it get there.
“Our mission is actually broadcasting and educating people on broadcasting,” Oliveira said. “In the past, general managers have focused a lot on the event part, and not necessarily in the broadcasting aspect and the educational aspect.”
One side of this is getting her team more training; she plans to invite local radio professionals to give workshops to her DJs. Currently, Wong is the only person at URH who knows how to use audio editing software.
Oliveira reviews the current KUHH 101.1 playlist. Photo credit Kevianna Hawkins-Adams.
“We have a whole team of DJs, with only one DJ that knows how to do this one thing that everybody is capable of learning,” Oliveira said. Oliveira is also planning a giveaway in the next few weeks in which students can answer a survey letting URH know what they want to hear on the radio. Responders will receive a prize.
Another way Oliveria wants to better serve listeners is to play more international music on the radio. According to the U.S. News & World Report, UH Hilo is the most diverse college campus in the country, and Oliveria feels that URH could do more to acknowledge this.
“These students aren’t necessarily very well represented, especially on the radio,” Oliveira said. “We would like to see where our students are from internationally [and] play more music from where they’re from for instance, I’d love to play my Brazilian music on the radio.”
Oliveira was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, started university in Brazil, then came to Hawai’i to finish her undergraduate degree. “One thing I love about Brazilian music, especially with new coming artists [is] they’re really talking about social issues; socio economic issues and financial aspects and the government,” Oliveira said. “I get goosebumps talking about it because for me, it’s powerful, when we stand up and use our voices to go towards something we believe [in].”
For the past few weeks, four DJs have been hosting the four shows URH currently has. There are also trainee DJs and show ideas floating around that may soon be added to the docket. “We love getting new voices,” Oliveira said. “Any voices, strong voices, voices with opinions...come to us, we’re open!” If you’d like to become a URH DJ, contact Oliveira at urh@hawaii.edu.
To listen to URH, tune in to 101.1 FM.
(Left) URH Promotions and News Coordinator Michaela Wong speaking live on air.
URH DJ Joshua Dylin Baldanado speaking live on air. Photo credit Kevianna Hawkins-Adams