Media Coverage of Political Campaigns (POP '94)
Price of Paradise · Hawaii Public Radio · aired 1994-06-05
Guests: Anne Harpham (Managing Editor, The Honolulu Advertiser); Kent Baker (News Director, KHON Channel 2); Chuck Freedman (Vice President of Corporate Relations, Hawaiian Electric Company)
Duration: 1:09:02

[00:00:05] Randall Roth: Good morning. I'm Randy Roth, host of the Price of Paradise Radio show. My guests this week are Kent Baker, news director at KHON Channel 2, Ann Harpham, managing editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, and Chuck Friedman, currently a vice president at Hawaiian Electric and formerly communications director for Governor Waihee. Today's topic is the media's role in political campaigns, and this is our first live Sunday morning edition. We're going to find out who the morning people are and the rest of us. The plan is to engage in conversation for about 10 or 15 minutes and then start taking your calls.
[00:00:40] Randall Roth: People of every political persuasion are increasingly dissatisfied with the way political campaigns are being conducted and reported. Politics as usual is a phrase almost guaranteed to generate smirks and frowns. Chuck, I know you're very much aware of this phenomenon and have given it a lot of thought. Tell us, what went wrong?
[00:01:00] Chuck Freedman: Well, I think lots of lots of little things, but overall, what we've got is a situation where the public at large thinks we've kind of lost control of our future and and our own political agenda. And I think if you look at the players, real quickly here and think in terms of what what they're up to and what they're doing, it'll help you understand what the problem is. There there is first the the news media and and very simply, the public has to recognize that that it's a business and uh that the both television or radio or television radio and the newspapers are are interested in things like market share and how much audience they're getting and what their circulation is and they've got responsibilities there. And they are bottom line responsibilities. They um, they also have to adjust their material for the changing needs and tastes of the public. Uh Ann Harpham could tell you, I'm sure at length how people between 18 and 30 years old don't read the newspapers anymore and look only for certain sections of the newspapers and how papers have to adjust for that.
[00:01:58] Chuck Freedman: And I think with the again, with the the news media, there's also the the question of changing journalistic standards. With the politician and and their use of media, uh, they've learned to manipulate it. They've they've learned what the tools are and how to play with them. Books have been written, campaigns have been won and lost based on an on an individual's ability, or campaign organization's ability to manipulate both paid and and unpaid media. And finally, there's on the sideline you and me, the general public, saying what is there that we can do about this? It all seems to be out of our control. I think that's a myth. I think it's in our control, uh, but unless we understand what the problem is, we're not going to be able to do anything about it.
[00:02:36] Randall Roth: What do you think about that, Kent?
[00:02:38] Kent Baker: I think that's, um, that's an interesting point. But I'm not sure that political campaigns haven't always been messy, dirty affairs. That's the that's the way politics, um, uh, grew up in this country. It's it's, uh, uh, I'm not really sure that we're any worse off today than we've ever been. I think the media today does a better job, more complete job of covering politics, of covering the, uh, the role of government and of covering government itself than it ever has.
[00:03:07] Kent Baker: Um, I I think that there have been some real serious concerns raised about our political election process. And I think what we're trying to do this year and as we strive to do every year is provide the most balanced coverage, the most complete coverage that we can. Um, but I really am not sure that there's anything wrong with the system. I think that what we want to do is just simply improve on it. Politics has always been like this. Politics is politics and, um, [unintelligible — audio glitch] so we want to work with, um, with the people to to try to improve our coverage of it and improve their understanding of it.
[00:03:44] Randall Roth: And you agree that politics as usual is not too different from a long time ago?
[00:03:49] Anne Harpham: I would agree with that to some extent. I think it's true though that the media has tended to be too insider-ish in its coverage of politics, too driven by what politicians say and has not listened enough to what the readers want. And I think today the readers are challenging us more to to listen to them, to respond to their needs and to say to the politicians, what about it?
[00:04:12] Randall Roth: Kent, you know, as as an insider, or someone who's been involved with the political campaigns, I guess Chuck Friedman is somebody who knows about these things. I would I would say that [unintelligible — audio glitch] look back just nationally, um, there has been changes. And the statistics, uh, I think give us kind of the story. In 1968, when the Nixon-Humphrey presidential campaign, the the average, uh, six o'clock news presidential sound bite was in the neighbor of 49, neighborhood of 49 seconds. Uh, in 1988, uh, 20 years later, that was Dukakis-Bush, the average six o'clock sound bite was around 9 seconds. There has been, there's more you said there was more in terms of coverage. There's more and there's less.
[00:05:04] Randall Roth: And I don't necessarily blame the news media because I think it also has to do with their customer and people's changing tastes. But things have changed and I think that the perception is and and whether it's the candidate or the news media that's generating the perception is that it's gotten worse. Kent, what do you think?
[00:05:23] Kent Baker: Well, you know, I'm I'm not really willing to concede that. You're you're you're taking such an isolated, um, issue what you're taking is national newscasts between 1968, you're comparing national newscasts between 1968 and 1994. Um, the simply the development of the media is going to mean in 1968 they couldn't cover, they couldn't begin to do the coverage that we now do. They didn't have the facilities or the the technical abilities to get to all the places the candidates were and so forth. I don't really think that [unintelligible — audio glitch] comparison is valid because those the candidates now appear in a wide variety of venues.
[00:06:01] Kent Baker: They they appear on the talk shows, they appear on the [unintelligible — audio glitch] there's nothing the matter with that. That's all part of the coverage. They appear on talk shows, they appear on entertainment shows, [unintelligible — audio glitch] through all those different things, I don't buy the fact that six minutes or six second sound bites, they have chances to give long, long, um, have long conversations with the American peop with the American people through through the media.
[00:06:24] Randall Roth: And what do you think the public thinks of the media? The press in particular, you're managing editor of the advertiser. Do you think the the public is is happy with the press, unhappy with the press? What do you think?
[00:06:35] Anne Harpham: I think they tend to be unhappy with us. Um, I think sometimes it's a matter of perception rather than reality. Um, I think they don't think we ask the tough questions, we don't get after the candidates enough. And to some extent that is true. I also think that the issues are more complex now, more complicated. It's tougher sometimes to boil down the questions and the answers in those complex questions.
[00:07:01] Randall Roth: In case you joined us late, you're listening to the Price of Paradise Radio show. I'm Randy Roth and the topic is the media's role in political political campaigns. My guests are Kent Baker from Channel 2 News, Ann Harpham from the Advertiser, and Chuck Friedman, a fellow who has guided a number of political campaigns including those of Governor Waihee and who has been critical of the media's role in those campaigns. Well, what's Channel 2 planning to do this year, Kent? Anything out of the ordinary?
[00:07:29] Kent Baker: As I said, we were we our our hope this year is to expand on the on the coverage that we have given in years past. We're not going to stop giving the same sorts of coverage we've given in years past. We'll cover the press conferences, we'll cover [unintelligible — audio glitch] daily in and out issues as as they as they occur. Um, but we're hoping this year to be able to present longer than the six-second sound bites, which again, I don't agree with because we don't have those on Channel 2. We only we we have a lot longer sound bites than that.
[00:07:58] Randall Roth: I said with nine seconds. Well, maybe nine, I don't know who's counting, but that was in 1988, maybe it maybe it's six now. Go ahead, Kent.
[00:08:05] Kent Baker: But, um, uh, our our the fact is this year we're hoping to, um, try some new, um, some new techniques of coverage. We're we're we're seeking to cooperate with the candidates and providing some real in-depth interviews and, um, and present those interviews in as complete a version as we possibly can on on our six and 10:00 newscasts. Um, our between the, uh, our our three newscasts every day our, um, uh morning news and our 6:00 p.m. news and our 10:00 p.m. news, we reach half the state every day. It's the largest, um, more people in Hawaii get their news from Channel 2 than than any other place.
[00:08:46] Randall Roth: Is this a commercial? Do I have to charge you for this? Well, we're going to continue to give them. Um, the the but the fact is is we're going to offer the candidates that forum uh, for for extensive interviews, for extended interviews. If they want to answer two or three minutes, they can answer two or three minutes. Uh, and and but we're going to need their cooperation in that and we're working on that now. Okay. Uh, your calls are welcome and the phone the phone lines are open. The number to call is 955-8821. Neighbor Islanders are invited to call collect. And what do you think about that?
[00:09:21] Anne Harpham: About what Channel 2 is doing, or about what the media in general is doing or what the advertiser is doing?
[00:09:25] Randall Roth: We'll let you talk about the advertiser. Any plans this year out of the ordinary?
[00:09:33] Anne Harpham: Well, I think you can see in the advertiser that we've started already this year, um, with our Island Voices, uh, voters agenda package that we started in April.
[00:09:43] Anne Harpham: Where we took some of the key issues that our readers have identified for us, like schools and what's happening to the families, cost of living, housing, education. And we tried to crystallize the issues, look at the problems, look at what some of the solutions might be, try to ask some of the tough questions that we would expect candidates to answer this year, and then to look at how these problems affect real people in our community. How they are coping or not coping, how they are adjusting, what it means to their lives. And I think that's ultimately what voters want candidates to address. How is this going to affect my life?
[00:10:20] Chuck Freedman: Well, I'd like to just go from being the media critic to to the the media cheerleader here. I think there have, uh, been some some negative problems including the fact that the 6 o'clock news has sort of become a conveyor belt for for sound bites from politicians during the season.
[00:10:39] Chuck Freedman: But I also believe that in part because of the 1992 election in which nationally we saw a whole bunch of things open up and there was more opportunity for candidates, and the local feeling that that we too had to kind of break out of the box, that what Channel 2 and the advertiser are are starting to do now for this political season demonstrates that change starts from within, and we can do something about it.
[00:11:02] Chuck Freedman: So I think we're on the right road here. I think, um, that if the public responds positively, if the popular public does some regulating of the news media, applauds the stuff that's good, and there's more and more opportunity to do that nowadays because [unintelligible — audio glitch] media encourages it through the various, uh, systems they have for for feedback. That, uh, this could really be a year not only in which politics changes, and which it certainly will, but in the in which the way we cover it changes. And and that could be a double plus for everybody.
[00:11:34] Randall Roth: You're listening to the Price of Paradise Radio show. I'm Randy Roth, and I'm here with Kent Baker from KHON Channel 2 News, Ann Harpham from the Advertiser, and Chuck Friedman, who's currently a vice president at Hawaiian Electric and has been communications director for Governor Waihee. What about the, uh, the citizen's role in this whole thing? Um, Chuck, you're involved in this Pop 94 group that, uh, that I'm a part of. We've got a lot of people involved in it. What's going on with it?
[00:12:16] Chuck Freedman: Well, it's commercial time for Pop 94 since Kent already threw his in. I think that if folks look at today's advertiser in the focus section, they can get a real good sense of what's going on. Uh, several of the people who are involved with Pop 94 have in the focus section written written a piece which kind of describes the basis of our concern and the need for change to start with the citizen and that there's there are things that you can do if you're concerned that will make a difference, both in the way the the politicians handle the campaign and the way the in way in which the media covers it.
[00:13:02] Chuck Freedman: Politics as usual equals coverage as usual. So people have to push to make changes and in asking the hard questions of the candidates and insisting that the media not only ask the questions, but but ask the the tough follow-ups, as every reporter knows, it's the follow-up that gets the good the good, meaningful answer. And, um, and make 19 1994 kind of a watershed year to change the way, uh, politics are run and covered.
[00:13:17] Kent Baker: It's a it's a good year to to make those changes because I think it's an overused word, but I truly think this is almost a unique, um, year in Hawaii post, uh, post statehood, um, election history. We're looking at a governor that could very well take this state into the year 2000, uh, and and a governor that's going to have to meet all sorts of problems that are really new to this state. Um, and so I think it maybe those issues together along with the fact that some of the traditional political alliances in the state may have weakened some, may not have, we'll find out.
[00:13:56] Kent Baker: Uh, it makes it a very unusual year. It makes it a year there are three very well financed, well thought through, um, uh, parties that are that are going to offer candidates for governor. We're really going to have a wonderful choice in Hawaii. Um, and it's going to be such an important choice that I think people really, uh, need to need to have this sort of additional information that we can that we can we're hoping to give through the Pop 94 framework.
[00:14:22] Randall Roth: We have a caller, Shell from Moiliili. Shell, you're on the air.
[00:14:26] Speaker 5: Hi, how are y'all?
[00:14:27] Randall Roth: Good morning. Morning.
[00:14:29] Speaker 5: Um, I'm a Democrat and, uh, I've been working with the Democratic Party for the past 18 months on a really interesting, uh, evolution, and, uh, you've all missed the story. I've I've not read about it, I've not seen it on television. I'm not even going to tell you what it is. I but I'd be very curious if if you would discuss maybe the biggest story of the year about the Democratic Party that nobody's written about.
[00:14:59] Randall Roth: Changes within the party, Shell?
[00:15:01] Speaker 5: Yes. Nobody's written about it. And and it's amazing to me. Nobody's picked up on it.
[00:15:07] Randall Roth: Well, we we have crony emeritus Chuck Friedman with us who's been known to associate with Democrats. Friedman, what's going on?
[00:15:15] Chuck Freedman: Yeah, they they're uh, I I would say Shell's comments are true. Um, I was not at the Democratic convention but talked to a lot of folks who said that there really has been a major change in the delegates. I mean, it's sort of that evolutionary process that gets a jolt now and again. And at at this particular Democratic convention as near as I can pick up, um, both the issues, the the fact that initiative is is now a major element of the, uh, Democratic platform and resolution, that there was sort of the old guard giving way to to the new, uh, with Richard Port as as a I guess you could call Richard in this case, a transitional figure since he's been around a long time, but but a fellow who's wanted to to lead the party for a long time and finally now he's getting the chance. There has been a real shift in the base and an entry of a whole new demographics into the party and a pledge uh, from the party to go out and I believe it is double their enrollment. So the dynamics of politics is is alive and well from that standpoint. It'd be interesting to see how how it gets interpreted, uh, on the road, which I which we, which I mean to say, will will the new party and the new people in the party be able to to turn out the crowds and the sign wavers and the support and the financial, um, fundraising that's necessary to to make the old time elements of new time politics work.
[00:16:46] Randall Roth: Well, let me direct Shell's question to to Kent. Do you agree that that is a big story and do you agree that it it hasn't really been reported by the media?
[00:16:54] Kent Baker: I think that's probably a fair, um, a fair assessment although there indeed has been reporting on I know both Channel 4 and ourselves have done reporting on, um, on the changes in the party and on and but we haven't and we both have have touched on the changes that that meant, um, uh, to the some of the fundamental beliefs of the party, some of the long time held um, beliefs of the party.
[00:17:20] Kent Baker: But I do think very much that that it's something that needs to continue to be explored. Um, on the other hand, it's really more important what the candidates of the party think about all this and I don't know that they're in line with this at all. We haven't really heard that. And and and what the parties take lots of positions nationally and and on a state level and they mean very little. It has to translate to what the candidates truly believe and what they are going to do.
[00:17:46] Randall Roth: So even if the platform is written from the grass roots, doesn't mean anything. Doesn't mean anything. Shell?
[00:17:51] Speaker 5: Uh, I I just like to keep hearing more about it as we go along.
[00:17:56] Randall Roth: And do you have any thoughts on this before we let Shell?
[00:17:58] Anne Harpham: I think that we've scratched at the surface of the story only. Um, I agree with Kent and I think the key is is to be able to to get your hands around what it means to the voter, what it means long-term to the state. And until we do that, we're just reporting an insider story, which we are trying to avoid doing this year.
[00:18:20] Chuck Freedman: On the other hand, it can be a very important thing and I don't want to say that that it isn't because we the because, um, this in this is a new, um, this is a new wing of the party, it's not necessarily a new wing, but it's a new wing in control. And we saw the same thing happen to the Republican Party a few years ago in which a what had been a minority wing of the party ended up taking it over. And that's caused some real problems for the Republican Party and I think there are some people who think this change may cause problems similar to that for the Democrats.
[00:18:49] Chuck Freedman: Certainly is a part of what I was talking about when I said some of those old time alliances are are no longer as strong as they once were.
[00:18:56] Randall Roth: Chuck, just a real brief commercial, uh, uh one more. That's your second. That's right. The Green Party uh had its had its convention or its form of a convention. Uh it got substantial amount of coverage I thought in today's paper [unintelligible — audio glitch] yesterday's uh 6 o'clock news. So, I think Shell there there's that part of things too that there's an some other things emerging and they have gotten some coverage so uh let let's hope that continues.
[00:19:23] Anne Harpham: Thank you, Shell.
[00:19:24] Kent Baker: Thank you.
[00:19:25] Randall Roth: You're listening to the Price of Paradise Radio Show. I'm Randy Roth, and my guests are Kent Baker, news director at KHON Channel 2, Ann Harpham, managing editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, and Chuck Friedman, currently vice president at Hawaiian Electric and formerly communications director for Governor Wayhe. Your calls are welcome. The phone lines are open. The number 955-8821. The number again, 955-8821.
[00:19:51] Randall Roth: Let's go back to this pop 94 thing and again, if you haven't looked at your Sunday paper, take a look at the focus section. Uh personally, I I like page four the most. And I know you were down there till about midnight making sure that that was put together properly. Can you tell us a little bit about how the advertiser is going to be working with Pop 94?
[00:20:11] Anne Harpham: Well, we see ourselves as um being an integral part in this cooperation with Pop 94 and and with Channel 2 in allowing voters and our readers to to help to set the agenda, to let the Pop 94 people know what questions are important to them, what issues are important to them, to feel that they have a voice and a role in what is going on here. And we hope through our editorial columns to encourage people to take more responsibility than ever in making a difference in the selection here.
[00:20:44] Randall Roth: Kent, can you tell us a little bit more specifically what your plans are with respect to pop 94?
[00:20:50] Kent Baker: We have um, I think there are three things that we're looking at this uh this election season. It seems hard to think that we're already in that, [unintelligible — audio glitch] we certainly are. Um, we expect to give some very strong coverage to an event that you have planned for um later next month, um which is a community forum that brings together people of uh brings together everyone. Brings together people of all um ideologies and um [unintelligible — audio glitch] so forth, to sit down and discuss in a several day uh meeting, um that the several day long meeting, um the issues that need to be faced by the state uh or by the governor of this state in the next four years. Um and and from that, we hope to come out of it with an agenda, a list of things and we [unintelligible — audio glitch] as part of this, we will look at our own Hawaii poll that we have done with the advertiser to see what are the things that really concern people. What are the issues that are really important, fundamentally important to them? And then from the community forum, what are the questions that need to be answered about those issues? What are the specific issues that need to be addressed? From that, the second thing that we're hoping to do is sit down is it it is to sit down with each of the candidates individually with groups of people that have come out of that community forum uh that will ask in each one of these specific topics, um ask the candidate to sit down and talk to them and discuss with them these issues, answer the questions, the specific questions that have come out of the community forum. These will be people who uh these people in these panels will be people who have expertise in these areas, who have involvement in these areas. It's education. We want people that represent education. We want people that represent the students, we want people that represent the taxpayers, all the different groups that need to come together to define these issues and to define the questions. And we would hope to sit down with the candidates, conduct those interviews and then present as unedited versions as we possibly can on our 6 o'clock PM, 10 o'clock PM and 6 a.m. newscasts, which I might say no I won't.
[00:23:04] Randall Roth: How do you do that when you're in this era of the 9-second news bites?
[00:23:07] Kent Baker: Well, because we're not. I mean, because that's a fallacy. It's it's it's something politicians like to blame for their problems, but it's not really one of the problems because we have lots of um we have lots of opportunity to give more in-depth coverage to um to issues uh to all sorts of issues, not just political issues, but other issues that this community faces as well.
[00:23:26] Randall Roth: But how much time will they be on camera when uh you're showing these interviews on the evening news?
[00:23:30] Kent Baker: We're hoping on each one of these issues. and I think as we sit and look before this forum, we probably see 5 to 6 major issues that this is going to crystallize into. Everything from education to economy to crime and justice to race relations perhaps to the role of of government to uh uh ethics in government and so forth. I I'm not I don't know what they're going to be, but there's going to be a a series of 5 to 6 issues that are going to come out of there. We're hoping on each one of those issues to give the candidates 6 to 7 minutes to speak directly to those issues with as little reporter involvement as possible. Um the the involvement will be between the people asking the questions and the candidates answering the questions.
[00:24:17] Randall Roth: 6 to 7 minutes.
[00:24:18] Kent Baker: Minutes.
[00:24:19] Randall Roth: Mr. Friedman.
[00:24:20] Chuck Freedman: Yes, that's big time. It's a big time positive direction for for Channel 2 [unintelligible — audio glitch] I think and you know we could argue about whether there's a problem, whether there's a need for the change or what, I think it's a real positive step to be taken. I think and I think that though the consultants and the experts probably aren't recommending that the news media do stuff like this, I think it's a bold good thing to do and that people will respond to it, and I would encourage people who do think this is a step in the right direction to watch and to let Channel 2 know, you you have some regulatory power as an audience.
[00:24:33] Randall Roth: You're listening to the Price of Paradise Radio Show. I'm Randy Roth, and my guests this week are Kent Baker from KHON Channel 2 News, Ann Harpham from the Advertiser, and Chuck Friedman, a vice president at Hawaiian Electric. The phone lines are open. Your calls are encouraged. 955-8821. Neighbor Islanders are invited to call collect. Well, what do you think uh Kent, you've got a hand in the air. Do you need to go to the restroom or do you have a question? Yeah, exactly. I told you we need commercials here, and I'm waiting for them to come.
[00:25:27] Kent Baker: Um the one other thing I just wanted to mention real briefly that we're involved, that the Advertiser is involved in that all all of us at this table are going to be involved in, will be an important, very important issue. We've already asked the candidates to set aside a day so an evening several weeks before the election, before the general election. So, we're talking here uh some months away, but we've already asked them to set aside an evening to come together at a candidate forum at which the candidates representing um [unintelligible — audio glitch] political parties will come together and will um and will answer questions from a wide variety of people. We're going to invite people from the community to ask questions, we will have some reporters asking questions, we'll probably maybe have a segment where the candidates can ask each other questions. Um but these but but we're we we we think that that's going and that will be aired live in in prime time, uh and and we think that that will be um a kind of a fitting end to this coverage that will allow them all to come together to address these issues again, and um to um raise new issues if they want.
[00:26:32] Randall Roth: And I know Jerry Kire from the Advertiser has talked about a growing sense of powerlessness in the community. Um, what are your thoughts on that and how does that relate to your coverage of the campaign?
[00:26:43] Anne Harpham: Well, I think it's very true that there's a sense of powerlessness, a sense of frustration, a sense of loss of control in the community. I think what's exciting about what's happening here with Pop 94 and with what Channel 2 and the Advertiser are doing is that we've talked for maybe the last four years about letting the electrics electorate set the agenda. And for the first time this year in Hawaii, we have an organized broad based effort that comes from all walks of the community to let people set the agenda, ask the questions, and then you have what is really a very strong commitment from the media to put this out in front of people. I think it's unprecedented what Channel 2 is doing. We're making a big commitment in terms of space as we did this morning and will for the rest of the election season to put this in front of the voters, give them the opportunity to digest it and maybe to to get beyond the 9-second sound bites that Chuck likes to talk about and give people more meat.
[00:27:46] Randall Roth: You know, Chuck, it does sound like the media is making a tremendous commitment on this thing. What do you think the politicians are going to or how are they going to react to all of this? Will they embrace it or resist it or what do you think?
[00:27:58] Chuck Freedman: Well, I think the politicians uh don't like change either. Uh they've all learned to play the game by the rules that have been developed both by themselves and by the news media. Now that the rules are changing, they're going to have to drop back a couple of yards and take a look at it. But I think they're going to recognize that it's time to do the right thing, and and I think that believe it or not, I think most people run for office really are doing it for that reason. And and I'm very hopeful. The other thing uh just to add to it is is that if folks do look at their at the focus section, the advertiser today, the whole thing but that page four that you were mentioning, which is kind of a little advertisement for Pop 94, they'll see a collection of names on there of every every kind of person you you've ever known in Hawaii and and uh none of them I I I think would agree on much. Particularly the husbands and wives who've both signed, uh but but one thing they all agree on is [unintelligible — audio glitch] it is time for a change in the way we approach political campaigns, regardless of what your political choices are. And I think that there's a movement here, and it's a movement using the institutions of people and media to impact the the institution of government and politicians, and I think there'll be a response, and I think that the politicians who don't respond may find themselves missing the boat. Every year we say the issues [unintelligible — audio glitch] important, and every year it it seems like that doesn't turn out to be true. Imagine if it were, I think this is the year.
[00:34:35] Randall Roth: to join us. Chuck from Hawaii Kai, you're on the air.
[00:34:38] Chuck Freedman: Oh, thank you. Good morning.
[00:34:40] Randall Roth: Good morning.
[00:34:41] Chuck Freedman: Uh I have a basically a question response to Kent's uh comment about the party convention and about the platform. Uh most of us who worked within the party uh to develop a platform did so from a grassroots level. That's because we believe the party was the major avenue through which we could uh as ordinary citizens could have some kind of control over our elected officials. Uh if you devalue the party and the and the platform, you kind of devalue us all of us. So my question is without a strong inclusive grassroots party that in which the people helped make the platform, how can we have any control over elected officials?
[00:35:16] Randall Roth: Kent, what do you think?
[00:35:18] Kent Baker: Well, I I don't I didn't ever mean to devalue uh the work that went into that. Um uh having watched um um the political process in the state for a number of years and and uh in other states, uh I know how much work goes in uh into into [unintelligible — audio glitch] political process on the on the grassroots level. That's always been the case with the uh parties here as well, particularly the Democratic Party which has existed on that grassroots level and the and its workers have come from that grassroot level. Um so nobody's going to put it down, but on the other hand it has to translate to the candidates. If it doesn't, it has of no meaning whatsoever. And we know I mean [unintelligible — audio glitch] national the the national um political um um uh parties have often not represented their uh the the candidates that ended up representing the party. Uh the platforms of those parties have sometimes just simply been left at the conventions. There's been nothing else done with them. If this translates to the candidates a real fundamental change for the Democratic Party here, in one I think everybody can be the the people who are involved in it can be very proud of. I certainly didn't want to put it down.
[00:36:23] Randall Roth: Chuck, what do you think? Chuck in Hawaii Kai, what do you think?
[00:36:28] Chuck Freedman: Oh, I'm just saying I was I was fascinated with the answer. Uh my feeling again is still that that uh the candidates uh do not offer us a viable opportunity for control and power as ordinary citizens. Uh you have to you have to go in and support a candidate means you have to give up your basically your autonomy and your sovereignty as a person who can work through an elected body in which you can have real power. Uh-huh. And uh I'm saying with what the what I see Richard Port wanting to do is you know in doubling the membership is bring more and more people into the party. So it's an effective means to control the candidates, not to let the candidates control us.
[00:37:08] Randall Roth: Absolutely. Chuck number one here in the studio is waving at me wildly. I think he has something to say.
[00:37:13] Chuck Freedman: Just just Chuck to Chuck. I think overall the ground Chuck, I guess. Overall, uh, you know, the resolutions and the platform of a party don't translate on any kind of daily basis to to what happens in a campaign. But certain elements of it does impact overall certain elements do over impact overall what happens and I think in particular the initiative issue, which is something that the Democratic party has has not embraced, they they have not been pro-initiative, although there are strong elements within the party that have been as I understand what took place at the convention was a a very strong movement toward initiative and that we may see that become if not a campaign issue because now it seems like most of the candidates, if not all the candidates will be embracing it.
[00:38:00] Chuck Freedman: that it will be an an issue big time once again at the next session of the state legislature because they are the ones that that have to change change our laws in order to to permit to to initiative at a greater level. So it could have a big impact, Chuck.
[00:38:16] Kent Baker: Okay. Thank you.
[00:38:17] Chuck Freedman: Thank you, Chuck.
[00:38:17] Kent Baker: Thank you. This is The Price of Paradise Radio Show. We're live and our phone lines are open. Our job is to sit here and say some interesting things, and your job is to reach for the phone and give us a call. It's 955-8821. Well Anne, I have read, and my friend Mr. Friedman here has told me on several occasions that young people in our community don't read the newspapers nearly as much as the older folks in the community, like like Chuck and me. Um, is that true and and what are the folks at the newspaper doing about it?
[00:38:49] Anne Harpham: Yes, unfortunately, it's true. Um, younger readers are not turning to us and what the newspapers across the country are trying to do is to appeal more and write more about what is affecting the younger generation. Um, I don't think it's necessarily because the younger generation is not interested, it's just that they've not found much of interest within us and a lot of blame for that lies with the media. We need to address their lives, which are much different than the older generation and the baby boomers generation.
[00:39:25] Kent Baker: Are the folks who aren't reading the newspaper watching Channel 2 News?
[00:39:29] Chuck Freedman: Not necessarily. I think uh um attracting young people to the um be to want to be concerned about the issues and to want to listen to newscasts is something that we all deal with. Um, on the other hand, that too hasn't ever changed. That that's not not really any different. I mean, we're more aware of it now because we do better polling, we do better uh we you do better research at the newspapers, we do better research in television to find out who our audiences really are. We didn't even do that 15 to 20 years ago or it was pretty darn rare. Now it's very important. We know we want to know who our viewers are and who we need to track. Television certainly has a better has had a better track record in attracting younger audiences, but it is key for us because they're they're important. They're they're going to be there for a long, long time. On the other hand, so are all the all the viewers, and so are all your readers. You don't want to alienate other readers at the expense of or try to attract some readers at the expense of alienating others.
[00:40:22] Kent Baker: You mean there's no formula for keeping them all happy?
[00:40:24] Chuck Freedman: There is no formula.
[00:40:26] Kent Baker: We have a caller Maria from Molokai. You're on the air.
[00:40:29] Speaker 4: Good morning, thank you for your splendid coverage. Two comments. This is Sunday, so I think you're probably missing a lot of uh people who are in church or on their way to church or on their way to go fishing or something like that. I would like a comment uh and maybe you of the media can help to do something about rectifying the fact that Hawaii has the second to the last primary in the nation and it always aids the incumbent and this isn't something that will be changed in in a minute but maybe a little bit more um coverage or comments or questions. Also why should the primary be on a Saturday when everybody goes fishing and everything else. Perhaps if the if the media could put out information and questions as to what the public would think of having an earlier primary and then through the legislative process we might be able to do something like that. Uh other states are [unintelligible — audio glitch] finished by the time we have our primary. And thank you for the good work that you're doing. Bye.
[00:41:32] Kent Baker: Thank you Maria. Maria stay on the line if if you will. And do you have any thoughts about uh the media's responsibility to try to affect things like a a late primary which uh according to Maria uh favors the incumbent?
[00:41:45] Anne Harpham: Well, certainly if if the voters feel that there is a time for a change, um, I guess I feel that the media should be a vehicle through which that can be communicated to the powers that be. Um, I guess I would defer to Chuck on this one. Uh, he's the campaign expert. I personally would tend to agree that I think the primary is is is late.
[00:42:09] Kent Baker: Well, let's ask our political guru, Chuck Friedman.
[00:42:11] Chuck Freedman: Well, two things. I think you can make a lot of process changes to improve things. Uh, but I don't think the process changes overall are really going to make the difference. What's going to make the difference is is people taking responsibility, the way it's happening now. Maria, I on the question of Saturday not being a good day for an election, uh I would argue that that it probably is as good as is as good as any day and on the plus side, the state has in recent years really liberalized its absentee voting laws, so basically you can for any reason at all you can vote absentee and it's a real it's a real simple thing to do nowadays and in fact the the numbers of people voting absentee um have increased. Whether moving [unintelligible — audio glitch] primary back or not would increase participation, it would not favor incumbents. I guess I'm not sure I I quite get the logic on that. You can declare uh that you're going to run for office and the filing deadline is mid-July. That it gives you pretty good amount of time to campaign. If you stretch it out over a longer period of time, wouldn't it take more money to be able to sustain a campaign and wouldn't that favor the incumbent as opposed to the as opposed to the newcomer. I'm not sure I get the logic as to why changing it would benefit the necessarily benefit the incumbent or or or yeah, benefit changing it would benefit a non-incumbent. I think I think it kind of cuts two ways.
[00:43:31] Anne Harpham: Well, I'm just I was looking at the nearest closest state across the water, California, and they have theirs in June. And uh it see and I've looked at other states and it seems to me that the playing field is a little more level if the primary is a little earlier. I think you get more voter involvement too because we know, you know, voting isn't the most important thing on most people's minds, especially with the low voter turnout we have in Hawaii. Coming back to the Saturday uh uh a date for voting, I think if people people when they know they're going to get two hours off from their job, you know, might uh that might be an incentive. I don't I don't know, but it seems to me Saturday is is a day and I know what you're saying about absentee voting, but those would be people who are very very cognizant of of what's going on and perhaps some of the other voters wouldn't uh wouldn't That's just some thoughts I have on that subject.
[00:44:30] Chuck Freedman: Okay, let me throw in a real world real world experience when Waihey was running in in 86 and was the underdog in two campaigns primary and general, we were real glad that there wasn't a longer campaign period because it would have been so tough for him because he didn't have the money. Chuck, tell me that story you've only mentioned 10 or 12 times to me about how he was behind by 36 points. He was behind but I mean people today look at the at the governors, you know, the guy on top and he is. But 8 years ago with 6 weeks to go the advertiser printed a poll and it was accurate as far as I know that said that the that the then Lieutenant Governor was behind with 6 weeks to go behind by 36 points and he won. And uh and and you know, who says it couldn't happen again for for whomever in whatever election. Maria, thanks a lot for your call.
[00:45:15] Speaker 4: Okay, well, thank you very much for your comments and for your good work. Thank you.
[00:45:18] Kent Baker: And uh Kent mentioned polling earlier that we know about some things now that we didn't used to know about because of polling. And uh Chuck just said something about polling and I know the advertiser is very active when it comes to polling. Uh how much reliance do you put upon that?
[00:45:34] Anne Harpham: Well, we view polls as exactly what they are, which is a snapshot in time. Um, if a poll is done well and accurately and scientifically, it gives you a good idea of what the voters are thinking, the way they're feeling at that moment in time. I think the problem is is that too many people don't fail to recognize that all it is is a snapshot. It's nothing more, nothing less and I think the key is is not to not to misuse the numbers you get out of the poll.
[00:46:10] Kent Baker: Today's topic is the media's role in political campaigns. With me in the studio are Kent Baker of Channel 2 News and Harpem of the advertiser and Chuck Friedman, former political insider, or as he likes to put it, crony emeritus. Phone lines are open. The number is 955-8821. We really do want your calls. This is our first Sunday morning live session. Please help us out. Call in your questions, the hard ones as well as the easy ones. 955-8821 and neighbor Islanders are invited to call collect.
[00:46:42] Chuck Freedman: If you don't call, we're going to begin singing the Hallelujah chorus.
[00:46:48] Kent Baker: Uh, Kent, you're a director of uh Channel 2 News and uh after Channel 2 News there's a show called Inside Edition if I think I've got the name right. Is that a show that you think is um a new show and and is that a good reflection on the industry? Obviously it's not something that you personally have anything to do with. Uh what are your thoughts on that and obviously it's been in the news a bit just because of its tie in with Tanya Harding and and some other things.
[00:47:14] Kent Baker: Well, you know, um these sorts of uh programs and there are many of them, you know there's a lot of different ways people get information. There's a lot and we offer them a lot of different um a lot of different um uh uh types of programs. You know, the newspaper offers not only its serious discussions on page one and on the editorial page, it offers the comics, it offers horoscopes, it offers recipes. For what we offer them a lot of different ways of of getting information. They can get it from a serious program like the today show or Channel 2 morning news for three hours in the morning. We give them serious information. Um, we they can get it through um they can get it through entertainment shows by the issues that are dealt with around entertainment shows. They can get them on some of these newer um uh news programs like um uh Date Line and Now and 2020 and Prime Time, uh which um uh are are a different way of of of giving information of getting and giving information. And you can look at the at the other um uh programs. You know, if they if they are reporting accurately, yes, they're news. That doesn't that's all it is is I mean, news is only asked items of interest to people. If they're doing accurate reporting, I don't have any problem with it. There are some of the shows that don't. People are supposed to be smart enough to figure it out, I guess.
[00:48:33] Kent Baker: Yeah, I had a grandmother who used to say variety is the spice of life.
[00:48:36] Chuck Freedman: That's right, you know.
[00:48:37] Kent Baker: We have a couple callers on the line. First, Andy from Aleiva Heights. Andy, you're on the air.
[00:48:42] Speaker 5: Hi, Andy, how you doing? Oh, hi, Andy.
[00:48:43] Kent Baker: Wonderful show. Thank you.
[00:48:46] Speaker 5: I wanted to ask um, you were mentioning before that uh Pop 94 was giving the candidates a chance to state their positions in your coverage that KHON and the advertiser is doing. I'm kind of curious, I want to ask the panel. I've stopped into the headquarters a lot of candidates and most of them had no position papers or just a couple, Pat Saiki had a couple on one at education, another on restoring public trust. I think that what Pop 94 might do is to prompt candidates to think through and write down their positions about the wide range of issues because you know, Pop 94 people are going to be asking those kind of questions. I want to ask the panel is my observation correct that most candidates actually don't have well thought out positions in the beginning of their campaigns. They just sort of say, let's run and then sort of develop position papers as they go along?
[00:49:34] Kent Baker: Good question. Uh Anne, without reference to any particular candidate, uh candidates in general, is that the case?
[00:49:42] Anne Harpham: Well, I think that the candidates, most candidates, um, most bright candidates do have positions on the key issues. I think what happens in campaigns is that the candidates try to gauge the public mood and try to react um and frame their campaigns around what they think people are saying. I think the key here is that there's a responsibility on the part of the public to force the the positions. It goes beyond the media. Um I think today there are so many wide choices. We've seen it in past elections where people turn into Larry King or to other shows to hear from the candidates. It's not just the traditional media today. And so it becomes even more important for the voters to force candidates to say, yes, this is what I think.
[00:51:21] Chuck Freedman: Chuck, Andy, the answer to your question is that you're right. I think most most candidates don't start their campaigns with a clear fix on where they are on the issues, and that's one of the things that we have to try to fix. They start with a a broad campaign plan and how they're going to execute it and part of that plan is how they're going to develop position papers on the issues. That should be at the beginning of the process not not somewhere in the middle or toward the end. And that's I, you know, it's going to be people like you and people like us that say no, no, this year that's got to change and and I think if we push hard enough, it will.
[00:51:44] Kent Baker: Great. Andy, I would suggest that as many listeners as possible do exactly what you've done. Go to the various candidate campaign headquarters and ask for their position papers. It might get a little embarrassing if they have to say, we don't have any of the 2,000 time.
[00:52:14] Chuck Freedman: I think he was joking. Thanks a lot, Andy.
[00:52:44] Kent Baker: We have a couple more people on the line. George from Manoa, you're on the air.
[00:52:48] Speaker 6: Thanks. I haven't heard the whole of your program, but uh there's one dread word you have not mentioned and it's uh certainly pertinent to both the uh TV and newspaper media and that is money. Uh do you realize how much it costs to run? And in fact one of your men, your your insider there, said the uh, well we have three well-financed uh candidates this time for governor, as if that were a big virtue. Uh why is uh being well-financed such a big virtue. We have no controls over spending, really. Uh the uh there are millions of dollars spent and uh those candidates that don't spend a whole lot of money, don't get any praise from you guys, don't even get any notice from you guys. Of course, you're neutral. So uh I think uh your panel of uh money machine people there ought to ought to talk about money.
[00:53:44] Kent Baker: Those sound like fighting words, Kent Baker. What do you think of George's comments?
[00:53:48] Chuck Freedman: Well, I don't think they're fighting words because I think everybody knows or I I I I I think all of us appreciate the fact that there are some real serious problems with financing um um uh candidates campaigns. And the money issue is only um um perhaps a symptom of some of the other things that have gone astray in in the whole political process. On the other hand, realistically, people who are going to seek um a major public office are going to have to be well-financed. There isn't any uh there isn't any other way around it. Now we're offering some, we're not going to charge anybody for these interviews. We're not going to charge for the 6 to 7 minutes of airtime that they're going to get with these interviews. I mean we could get thousands of get tens of thousands of dollars for that time, but we're not going to. And that's 6 or 7 minutes per candidate, per week, per period of time. That's right. And so, I mean I I think that we're trying to neutralize the field somewhat by doing those various things, doing candidate forums. But again the candidates are going to have to be the ones to agree to do this. They're going to have to be the ones uh to say yes to these proposals. So, I think people um, you know, if they want to see a change in in in politics as usual, if they want to see uh some new um types of of political coverage come along that don't cost the candidate anything, they should they should call the candidates and ask them to uh to be supportive of this effort.
[00:55:22] Kent Baker: Andy, do you have any thoughts about George's comments?
[00:55:25] Anne Harpham: Well, I think it I I like to play off of something Kent said. I think it it definitely comes down to the voters standing up and saying we don't want the slick campaigns, we don't want the the high cost slick media efforts that are not much in substance but a lot of glitz. And candidates have to understand and it's going to take more than just the media. They have to understand that it's the tough questions that people want answered and it's at things like the Pop 94 forum and seeing uh town meetings that that people are going to make their decisions on.
[00:56:07] Kent Baker: George, um, I asked Chuck Friedman to give me a a question that I could ask if uh things got slow and I needed a good question. I said something that's going to say make me sound real intelligent. And he gave me this one. Isn't a campaign just polling, pressing the right emotional buttons, and raising the most money? So, evidently, he thought that your comment was one that we needed to discuss. Let's get get his thoughts.
[00:56:32] Chuck Freedman: Well, campaign financing reform is a big deal, a big issue [unintelligible — audio glitch] needs to be looked at. But George, let me tell you, as I'm sitting here, that uh for some reason, I was rummaging through my drawer this morning to put on a a t-shirt to wear down here to this little old studio, and I found at the bottom, uh my Jean King for Lieutenant Governor t-shirt which I'm wearing. And Jean is an example of somebody when she ran for Lieutenant Governor was given very little of a chance, had no big money or big power interests behind her, ran and won. And I would think that uh no, that may be the exception, not the rule, that what you what folks like you ought to be doing is finding those candidates, maybe they're not running for governor right now, but in House and Senate races, and getting behind them both with a few bucks but more importantly with with your um with your contribution of time and and your contacts, you'd be surprised uh what you can do.
[00:57:00] Speaker 1: For the entertainment. It makes you feel good to think that you can go out and buy something like that. And so I I I see it as as media that are profiting enormously. Every two years, the price of of a of a column inch goes up for advertising. Every every two years, the the price of of the of 30 seconds goes up in the TV.
[00:57:23] Speaker 1: Um and now people spend thousands and thousands of dollars on both uh tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars on both in order to get elected, and I don't think that it'll happen until uh uh people are convinced that uh entertainment of the sort you usually offer uh is not the proper medium for the serious business of electing people.
[00:57:47] Speaker 2: Well, what is? What what what is the proper medium?
[00:57:50] Speaker 1: Uh one sheet of paper, uh maybe maybe two sheets of paper, single spaced, uh saying where you stand on the issues.
[00:57:56] Speaker 2: Well, and that gets to what our last caller was talking about, I think. Exactly. George, I really appreciate your thoughts. We got a couple people on the line, so we're going to move on, but thanks a lot.
[00:58:06] Speaker 3: Uh, our next caller, we have Steve from Makiki. Steve, you're on the air.
[00:58:10] Speaker 4: Hi Randy. Thanks for taking my call. Um, I I hope you won't mind if I jump on one of my hobby horses for a moment. My feeling about government and the rule of media, uh, is, and and actually the political process is much like yours that we need to have more of a participate participatory uh government, but really when you look at the way our government is set up right now, it's dysfunctional.
[00:58:41] Speaker 4: Uh, let me give you an illustration. There were some 4,000 bills that went through our state government uh recently in the in 60 days. And uh really we only had a chance to look at a few of those. And on many of them were uh put up as almost smoke screens, you know. For instance, the gun thing, the gay rights thing. Those were featured pretty prominently in the media, but neither the media nor the government are able to keep up now with the the amount of information that's fed through them. So, I'm saying they're dysfunctional. And the government and the media itself are kind of a ruse.
[00:59:29] Speaker 4: Um, so I'm asking for changes. So uh let's see there
[00:59:33] Speaker 2: Steve, let me let me just take something of of what you said, and I want to come back to you in just a minute. But as I listen to you, I'm feeling a sense of of disenfranchisement. Um, a growing cynicism.
[00:59:47] Speaker 4: No, I'm I'm determined to break through this thing. It's not going to stay this way anymore. I'm not going to just stay behind whining and calling on phones like this. I'm calling for change. It's going to change. For instance, GTE is going to be in the cable business. How does that affect things? Why do we get our Sunday paper as a lump of paper? That's totally ridiculous. We should be getting it electronically. Understand what I mean electronic democracy. We're doing it right now. Here on the phone I'm on the radio. But this is so much information. We can't get our representative government to truly represent us.
[01:00:30] Speaker 2: Okay. Steve, thank you very much for your your call. Uh we've got a couple people on the line. I'm going to move on. I'll be talking to you, Steve.
[01:00:39] Speaker 4: All right, thank you. Yeah.
[01:00:41] Speaker 3: Uh we have Pat from Makole. Pat you're on the air.
[01:00:43] Speaker 5: Yes, good morning. Uh this is kind of almost following up on what Steve was asking but in a in a state where diversity is key. Uh diversity in the sense of ethnicity, race, um and just such a diverse amount of cultures including the gay community as well. I'm I'm fearing that a lot of the uh fundamentalist right-wing agenda is starting to filter through some of the candidates' agendas here as well. And in particular I'm kind of aiming at uh Mayor Fassy and his wife, and particularly his stand on the gay community in the 700 Club, his wife's endorsement of a right-wing fundamentalist group here in Hawaii.
[01:01:32] Speaker 5: Is this something we're going to have to be is this going to become an issue now that we have to that church and state is no longer going to be separate. That church is the state. That that that is now going to become an issue in people who are um uh have their own values wrapped up in that are going to vote for the for the uh candidates who are more on their religious values versus what are what is ethically right and what you know is isn't infringing on people's civil rights.
[01:02:04] Speaker 2: You know, Pat and and I'm going to toss that one to uh our guest in in just a moment, but you'll be particularly interested in next week's show. We've got a couple lawyers who are going to be talking about uh the first amendment and whether certain songs can be sung at graduations and T-shirt sales in Waikiki and all sorts of things that go directly to uh what you've just raised. Um we're running low on time, we've got a couple of other callers, but we'll see if um Chuck Friedman has any comments to make about your comment.
[01:02:34] Speaker 1: I think I think [unintelligible — audio glitch] quick answer without getting into the issue of fundamentalist positions versus the the more liberal positions is that as as we open up the marketplace for ideas and we encourage people to get more involved and we and we're asking politicians the hard questions, there's going to be more of that kind of question and more of those kind of differences accentuated, not not fewer. That's what's in front of us. All the easy choices have been made, there're just hard choices left.
[01:03:00] Speaker 1: Um and and I think that's that's a reality of things uh for the future and for us. Uh on on the plus side, I can say that if the commitment is is to at least recognize what's out there to find the problem um and and I've often said about Hawaii that uh you know, we we we're probably as prejudiced as any place out as as as anyone else, uh but we have over the years been more tolerant as a people and I think that's a value that that's going to get tested.
[01:03:28] Speaker 5: I certainly hope so because I know uh I've seen the um uh the preliminary agenda for the uh pop um forum on July the 6th, and one of the issues that are being covered is is ethnicity and race but it it it doesn't all it doesn't cover um also same-sex marriage or but I think it should be more in in the realm of diversity versus just being ethnicity or race.
[01:03:56] Speaker 2: Right. Well, that that agenda is going to be set by the people who attended, Pat, so I really encourage you to um, I really encourage you to come.
[01:04:02] Speaker 5: I will be. Thank you for your interest. Thank you.
[01:04:05] Speaker 2: Um, Kent, uh anything that hasn't been said about uh television coverage of the campaign that should be said?
[01:04:12] Speaker 1: One of the things that I think is important for people to know is that there's a lot of partners involved in this in this uh in this uh plan. You'll read the names of um it looks to me like an great many hundred or maybe thousand people on the back of of the of the editorial section of the Advertiser today, who are all involved, who all entered their support.
[01:04:32] Speaker 1: We also wanted to mention that um KIKU TV is one of the partners in this um uh in this project, and we'll be taking the interviews that we do with the candidates and the candidate forums and um translating them into several um foreign languages uh that um uh will uh assist the uh people in the community who are not comfortable with English, and I just wanted to be sure to mention that fact.
[01:04:59] Speaker 2: And any parting thoughts in the last few seconds?
[01:05:02] Speaker 5: Uh, I'd just like to say that I think as never before there are more choices than ever for voters today, and the playing field is very much changed and I just think it's it's very exciting. People have more places to turn to get um ideas and issues and questions answered and no voter should be uninformed this year.
[01:05:26] Speaker 2: And variety is the spice of life. All right. My guests this week were Kent Baker, news director at KHON Channel 2, and Harpum, managing editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, and Chuck Friedman, currently a vice president at Hawaiian Electric and formerly communications director for Governor Waihe'e. This week's show was produced by Susie and Cassie Roth with technico assistance from Jeff Alardi. I hope you'll join us next week when my guests will be constitutional law experts John Van Dyke and Dan Foley. They'll challenge one another's position on issues ranging from T-shirt sales on the sidewalks of Waikiki to songs that can't be sung at graduation.
[01:06:04] Speaker 2: Two weeks from today, I'll be joined by Governor Waihe'e. All our shows will be live and your participation is welcome. Also, we appreciate your suggestions for future topics and future guests. Just mail them to me care of Hawaii Public Radio. You've been listening to the Price of Paradise Radio Show. I'm Randy Roth. Aloha.
[01:05:44] Randall Roth: Show is produced by Susie and Cassie Roth with technical assistance from Jeff Filardi.
[01:05:49] Randall Roth: I hope you'll join us next week when my guests will be constitutional law experts John Van Dyke and Dan Foley.
[01:05:55] Randall Roth: They'll challenge one another's position on issues ranging from t-shirt sales on the sidewalks of Waikiki to songs that can't be sung at graduation.
[01:06:04] Randall Roth: Two weeks from today, I'll be joined by Governor Wahi.
[01:06:07] Randall Roth: All our shows will be live, and your participation is welcome.
[01:06:11] Randall Roth: Also, we appreciate your suggestions for future topics and future guests. Just mail them to me care of Hawaii Public Radio.
[01:06:19] Randall Roth: You've been listening to the Price of Paradise Radio Show. I'm Randy Roth. Aloha.