To strengthen our island voices and advance community engagement through innovative media.
‘Ōlelo Community Media is honored to serve O‘ahu’s diverse people, groups and communities—who may not have a voice in commercial media—and to provide them with an added source of information and opinion, a forum to discuss issues, and a means of providing first-hand stories about O`ahu's rich community life.
We do this by providing access to video production training and equipment, studio space, edit facilities and air time for persons interested in delivering non-commercial messages to their community utilizing the powerful medium of cable television in order to have a positive impact on the community.
Public, Education and Governmental (PEG) access is the result of a national citizens’ movement in the 1970s. It was created to provide communities with airtime on their local cable systems. Since 1989, ‘Ōlelo Community Media has provided PEG access services on O‘ahu. We currently cablecast via the Oceanic Time Warner Cable system. Over the years, the hard work of community members, government and education partners, and volunteers has helped PEG access on O‘ahu evolve into a dynamic and important tool that promotes civic dialogue, education, open government, and cultural preservation.
At ‘Ōlelo, we believe that the free exchange of ideas, reflected in the basic tenets of free speech and exercised using PEG access, can and does contribute to stronger, healthier, more engaged communities. Diverse ideas can be shared and non-commercial community voices can utilize the powerful medium of cable television—without the constraints and cost of commercial television.
We strive to ensure a diversity of voices and programming on our channels, to contribute to an informed and engaged community and viewers, to promote lifelong learning, and to build community. Additionally, we continue to develop and support initiatives aimed at increasing civic participation in the democratic process.
The efforts, initiatives, and stories on our website are examples of collaborative ventures. At ‘Ōlelo, we involve our community on many levels. We are the communication platform that allows members of the community, non-profit organizations, and our government and educational partners to provide the diversity of information and opinion that benefits all. At the same time, we continue to explore alternatives to provide more efficient service, and we take the time to listen to the communities we serve.
To increase outreach, ‘Ōlelo continues to develop and expand its community media centers. In 2009, we opened another Community Media Center at Leilehua High School in Wahiawa. All of our centers provide cable viewers with an increasingly diverse mix of information and stories about our communities -- from our communities.
Listen and learn; teach and tell. You benefit from PEG Access in many ways. Enrich yourself by watching. Learn about local environmental, economic or social issues you might not otherwise be aware of. Create your own messages and teach others about issues that are important to you. The right to express our thoughts and communicate freely with others helps to build our communities. Freedom of expression deserves society’s greatest protection, and our community’s strongest support.
Thank you for your interest in ‘Ōlelo. We hope that the information on our website will increase your understanding and deepen your appreciation of PEG access.
When our voice thrives, so does our community.
Keali‘i S. López
President and CEO