This website is an online archive of Radio Free Hawaii's Top 36 Charts. Radio Free Hawaii broadcasted from Jun. 1, 1991 to Mar. 7, 1997.

Radio Free Hawaii's claim to fame was that its programming was determined by weekly votes submitted to the station by listeners from all over the state using a ballot system. The voted songs and artists were tabulated each week and a weekly survey of the Top 36 Hits based on those votes were counted down with Sheriff Norm Winter every Saturday morning at 10:AM. The songs featured on that week's survey went into high music rotation at the station while other voted for songs were featured on a somewhat lesser rotation. The music represented by listener votes spanned all genres... rap, pop, rock, alternative, country, Hawaiian, jazz, classical, ska and more...

Before the internet became popular, a group of us onliners congregated at a computer bulletin board called Technotronic where we collaborated our votes, discussed the radio station and music in general. The weekly Top 36 chart was posted there. Technotronic was operated by Jerry DeGuzman who provided the first electronic online ballot which allowed users to vote for songs by computer.

After awhile users moved on from Technotronic to other BBS's and the internet.

In Nov. of 1994 the station went off the air as another format was tried, and subsequently failed. On April 1st, 1995 Radio Free Hawaii returned to the airwaves and weekly votes were once again taken through the usual outlets as well as the Radio Free Hawaii website.

The charts listed on this site are either reproductions from the actual printed surveys or the text versions of charts that were posted to the Technotronic and other BBSs and later to usenet.

Sadly Radio Free Hawaii was bought out by a corporate entity on Mar. 7, 1997 and the format ended. The spirit of the station lives on and remembered at several other websites.

Photo above: Cover of the first Hawaiian Island Music Report released on Jun. 1, 1991. Tom the Sentinel was the morning guy for a short period of time at RFH. To the right was "Sheriff" Norm Winter with his infamous sledgehammer.

RADIO FREE HAWAII REWIND - LISTEN NOW!

The player now consists of video content hosted from YouTube.com.

SELECTED EXTERNAL LINKS

Radio Free Hawaii Facebook Page
Sharing the memories and the music (Facebook membership required)

Radio Free Hawaii Discussion Topic
Join HawaiiThreads.com and let's discuss Radio Free Hawaii!

Read Shawn "Speedy" Lopes article on
Radio Free Hawaii
Jun. 3, 2001 | Honolulu Star Bulletin.com

Listener Supported Radio Moving Online
By Burt Lum, Honolulu Advertiser, Nov. 4, 2003
Makes mention of Radio Free Hawaii and links to this site.

BBS Postings from 1991 to 1995
A text page of old postings to Technotronic BBS and others.