Pacific Radio Group to Change Name in 2013

By Maui Now Staff

Chuck Bergson, CEO of the newly named Pacific Media Group as of Jan 1. 2013 (formerly Pacific Radio Group). PMG photo.

Effective tomorrow, Jan. 1, Pacific Radio Group, Maui’s largest media company, will change its company name to reflect the changing media landscape.

The company will shed the word “Radio” and replace it with “Media” — branding the company as Pacific Media Group (PMG).

PMG has around 100 full-time, part-time, and long-term contract employees on Maui and the Big Island.

While radio has been a major component of the company since its initial existence as Lahaina Broadcasting Company in 1984, the expansion to other multimedia venues has provided PMG more opportunities to create and deliver content to its listeners, viewers, and clients.

“The media world is changing,” says co-owner and CEO Chuck Bergson. “We realize that we too must change. In doing so, we recognize the opportunities that the internet has created and have seized the opportunity by becoming a multimedia company.”

“Radio remains the foundation of our business,” Bergson adds. “But, there is so much more we can do by leveraging the power of our radio assets to promote and create our own new media brands.”

In August of 2010, PMG launched Hawaii Guide Me, a mobile application that gives vacationers a guide to the state’s best restaurants, shops, and sights. The app is available for iPhone and Android smart phones. Two months later, Pacific Media Group expanded its portfolio to online news, launching MauiNow.com. The purely Maui-focused news website covers local news, analysis, business, sports, entertainment, and issues with commentary and video. In February 2012, the concept was launched for the Big Island with BigIslandNow.com.

The new Pacific Media Group logo is a slight variation on the old logo, to reflect the multi-layered media approach in which the company now operates.

Other digital properties run by Pacific Media Group include the Maui Dining App, Maui Now Real Estate Guide, and Maui General Store.

Bergson is excited about the growing possibilities that come from PMG’s digital properties. “We have made remarkable progress. This, in part, is what is so exciting about the world we live in today. Not to compare Pacific Media Group to Google or Facebook, but, look at what they have been able to create and do in a few short years. We live and work in very, very exciting times filled with opportunity.”

Pacific Media Group is the home to 14 radio stations that cover Maui, the Big Island, and the world via its online streaming feeds. On Maui, PMG operates KPOA FM (93.5 East Maui, 92.9 West Maui), Da Jam 98.3 (KJMD 98.3 East Maui, 107.3 West Maui), 99.9 Kiss FM (KJKS 99.9 East Maui, 99.3 West Maui), Native 92.5 (KLHI FM), ESPN 550 (KMVI AM), and AM 900 KNUI.

PMG’s four Big Island radio stations include KAPA Hawaiian FM (100.3 KAPA FM Hilo, 99.1 KAGB FM Kona), KBIG (97.9 KKBG FM Hilo, 106.1 KLEO FM Kona), Native FM (95.9 KPVA FM Hilo, 93.9 KLUA FM Kona), and ESPN Radio (850 KHLO AM Hilo, 790 KKON AM Kona).

The Maui headquarters are located at 311 Ano Street, Kahului (phone 877-5566), while the Big Island offices are located at 913 Kanoelehua Ave. Hilo, and 75-5852 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona, (808) 961-0651 Fax (808) 934-8088. The new website is www.pmghawaii.com.