
Rick Hamada
Aloha, it's a pleasure to meet you.
I'm Rick Hamada.
I was born in Chicago, Ill, raised in NW Indiana, lived and worked in California, traveled the world as entertainment cruise line staff which is what brought me to Hawai‘i over 35 years ago.
I am blessed to be associated with my first love dating back to childhood.
Radio and writing.
As a child growing up I found it remarkable that mom was in the newspaper business as section editor and a morning drive personality at our small town radio station. I was never at a loss for inspiration and I attribute so very much to my mom.
Fast forward.
Hawai‘i has blessed me to create a career and, most importantly, a family.
I recently celebrated 31 years at iHeart Radio Honolulu as a talk show host and serving as VP, Community Relations.
I was a MidWeek columnist for over 15 years, and I am so thankful to now share weekly thoughts with you at Aloha State Daily. As a a columnist for ASD, the views expressed are my own.
All pales in comparison with my two wonderfully adult children, Zachary and Zoe.
The ultimate entry on my life's resume is unequivocally being a dad. Thank you, Lord.
Oh, and I love golf, a good ribeye, a quaffable Cabernet and Lou Rawls (he could sing a phone book and sound great. And for those of you of a certain age, google "phone book" and you'll see what I mean).
I'm looking forward to spending some time together.
Mahalo and aloha.
Latest from Rick Hamada

Hamada: Hawai‘i needs to get serious about stopping sex-trafficking
The crime should be considered a capital offense, but Hawai‘i doesn't go that for in dealing with even the most heinous crimes, writes ASD columnist Rick Hamada.
Rick HamadaMarch 04, 2026

Hamada: State of the Union — fractured
We're looking at a Congress in which one party would rather sit on its hands than stand or applaud the most basic decencies or functions of government.
Rick HamadaFebruary 26, 2026

Hamada: Hawai‘i's classrooms should be politically neutral
A quality public education used to include a solid grounding in civics — a neutral understanding of how the government works and how to participate in the democratic process. Now it includes activist teachers using the classroom as a pulpit for their personal politics.
Rick HamadaFebruary 18, 2026

Hamada: Super Bowl shenanigans
The selection of Bad Bunny seemed calculated to provoke more than entertain. Why can't entertainment just be ... entertaining?
Rick HamadaFebruary 11, 2026

Hamada: Look after your heart for American Heart Month
Three guests on my show recently shared personal and professional stories of how heart disease impacts all of our lives in Hawai‘i.
Rick HamadaFebruary 04, 2026

Hamada: Something important happened at Honolulu's anti-ICE protest
No violence at all. What we see happening on the Mainland isn't the way things need to be.
Rick HamadaJanuary 28, 2026










