Earlier this week, Aloha State Daily columnist Sterling Higa opined about The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees’ interest in buying "certain assets and real property controlled by a production and/or broadcast company serving the Hawaiʻi market" — widely understood to involve the Allen Media Group-owned stations KITV and KIKU, valued at $30 million in the 2020 deal.
The interest, however, was short lived when on Thursday, May 28, the OHA board voted 4–5 during an executive session to reject the proposal, which would have authorized up to $172,500 to conduct confidential due diligence to acquire the local news stations. The item was waived from Budget and Finance Committee to the full board for deliberation, per a recording of the meeting.
Higa notes a similar pattern in behavior; in 2006, OHA trustees rejected a proposal to buy KGMB.
But this time around, there was purpose in discussions “about the future of Native Hawaiian ownership, influence, and participation within major economic and communications sectors,” OHA wrote in a Friday statement.
“This was never just about a television station. It was about whether Native Hawaiians are willing to lead boldly in the spaces that shape public understanding and public conversation,” OHA Board of Trustee Chairperson Kaialiʻi Kahele said in a statement. “Greater investment in multimedia storytelling has the power to transform how the world sees us, and just as importantly, how we see ourselves and our future.”
So, why would a state agency look to control private media? “Because of its potential to create multiple, mutually reinforcing benefits for the Native Hawaiian community,” OHA said, adding such reasons as diversifying revenue streams, sharing Native Hawaiian stories and values, creating jobs and improving “fairness, accuracy and dignity in the representation of Native Hawaiians across media platforms.”
Part of what made the board pause about this proposal was the infrastructure of operating at this scale and complexity, and alignment with OHA’s fiduciary obligations and institutional priorities like the Kakaʻako-Makai and Iwilei development projects.
On Thursday, public testifier "Pikachu" of ʻOhana Unity Party, though in support of the proposed acquisition, raised concerns about production staffing, the Federal Communications Commission licensing, and even potential difficulty implementing ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi subtitle capabilities. OHA Trustee Keli'i Akina showed concern about fiduciary due diligence and public transparency for beneficiaries. Aloha State Daily reached out to Akina for comment.
“This conversation will continue,” Kahele stated. “The future of our lāhui requires institutions willing to think beyond maintaining the status quo and toward building enduring pathways for Native Hawaiian success and self-determination.”
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
