Backyard kanikapila, the loose, unplanned jam sessions where whoever brought a ukulele just starts playing, has always been how island music actually gets made in Hawaii. HI92 built its entire on-air identity around bottling that feeling and broadcasting it across Maui. As program director and morning host KawikaVeeka put it when the station rebranded, "The HI92 experience embraces all that is good, positive and admirable," a modern version of that same backyard tradition turned into what he calls a new island pop movement (Maui Now).
From Alternative Rock to Today's Island Hits
The station's frequency has worn several names since it first signed on as KORL-FM in September 2006. It became KLHI-FM in mid-2007, and its format shifted again in April 2009, dropping alternative rock in favor of island and reggae music built around native Hawaiian artists (Wikipedia). The station didn't take its current name until April 2018, when owner Pacific Media Group, under president and CEO Chuck Bergson, relaunched it as HI92, "Today's Island Hits." Bergson framed the change simply: "We believe that it is important to keep our radio stations fresh and exciting" (Maui Now).
A Playlist Built From Both Coasts of the Pacific
HI92 layers established island staples with reggae imported from as far as New Zealand, plus room for artists just breaking through locally.
- Contemporary island pop, anchored by names like Anuhea, Maoli, and Common Kings, the genre's current commercial backbone.
- Reggae, both homegrown and international, including the HI Noon Reggae Block, a dedicated midday segment.
- All-time island favorites, longtime staples like Ekolu and Fiji that longtime Maui listeners grew up on.
- Emerging local talent, giving newer island and reggae artists airtime alongside the genre's established names.
Two Signals Covering the Whole Island
HI92 broadcasts on 92.5 FM out of Kahului and simulcasts on a 101.7 FM translator covering West Maui, meaning the station reaches both sides of the island rather than favoring one coastline over the other (Wikipedia). The on-air lineup that launched the rebrand paired KawikaVeeka's mornings with Chisa at midday, Dane Patao Jr. in the afternoons, and Damien Awai on weekends, a full daily rotation built specifically around the new island pop direction (Maui Now).
Why It's Worth a Spot in Your Rotation
HI92 isn't chasing the mainland's version of tropical music, it's playing what Maui itself actually listens to, from reggae blocks to the island pop acts filling local stages right now. If you want island radio that sounds like it's coming from an actual backyard gathering rather than a generic beach playlist, this is the station built for exactly that mood.
Stream HI92 Free on Radio Shuffle
Tune in to HI92 on Radio Shuffle, no account, no app, no fee. Press play and let Maui's own island pop movement take over.