Turn on, Tune in, Don't Drop out
Written by Eli Matola
What makes University of Hawaii at Hilo Radio, KUHH 101.1 FM, truly special? The station’s motto reads “where our voice is your voice.” To learn more about KUHH, the Office of Applied Learning Experiences (ALEX) sat down and turned on the mics with the new station director and disc jockey (DJ), Jake Davenport, also known as Jake Da Snake, for more info.
KUHH aspires to broadcast musical, educational, cultural, and informational programs by transmitting student members’ voices. Its motto reads, “Where our voice is your voice.” Davenport mentions, less elegantly, that “University Radio is here to connect students. Whether that be sports, music, events, programs, whatever.”
This is Davenport's second year with KUHH. Students might know him from his weekly broadcasts as Jake Da Snake at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, during which he talks about University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo) athletics. This is, however, his first year as Director at the station. According to Davenport, as Director, he provides and gathers news regarding school events and services. The majority of this work entails emailing, scheduling appointments, composing commercials, and communicating with local businesses.
KUHH 101.1 FM director and disc jockey DJ, Jake Davenport. Photo courtesy of Jake Davenport.
Davenport asserts he acquired his new position due to his interest in sports broadcasting and the skills he earned from UH Hilo. He states that the university system has “helped [him] to balance [his] mind body and soul to achieve [his] goals” before admitting school has been a transformative experience.
Davenport feels the best part of his positions is the amount of people he meets. He notes that he feels like he knows half the university. His jobs are very communication-oriented. The DJ and director must meet with students, business owners, faculty, and others. Indeed, “a lot goes into making the news.”
In addition to social stimuli, his positions at the station also give him a sense of satisfaction by being aspects of the UH Hilo community. Since at working at the KUHH, he believes he has positively affected this population. For example, he created a weekly radio show that exclusively covers UH Hilo athletics, the only one on the station. Davenport says his favorite part about it all is that he gets to talk sports about the teams he loves.
Being in these jobs has allowed the DJ and director to learn what leadership and teamwork take. A lot goes into the ins and outs of a radio station, he affirms. Davenport further claims that speaking on air every week has not hurt his public speaking skills, in effect, it has done the very opposite.
Like most universities in the United States, UH Hilo has a radio station. What makes KUHH 101.1 truly special, however? The people who work there, like Davenport, who strives everyday to keep the UH Hilo community in touch and informed—people who do it not so much for the money, but for the community.
Davenports states that anyone interested in volunteering as a DJ may walk up to the table whenever the station is tabling on campus, adding that this is how he joined. Interested individuals may also email him at JD34@hawaii.edu
Davenport plans to graduate a Kinesiology major and hopefully, one day be a coach or sports caster for some type of team. He concludes, confessing the university has accorded him skills applicable to and familiarized him with his intended career fields.
