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RADIO DAZE AND THE GHOST OF MARK TWAIN By Richard Miner
10am and then surfing and working out for triathlons for the rest of each day was starting to take its toll.
On a warm Saturday afternoon on Kauai, Hawaii in 1968, 25-yearold McAvoy Layne was washing his car at the Kapa’a Sands Hotel and listening to radio station KTOH broadcast a football game between two local high-school powerhouses. Mac found himself increasingly annoyed by the sloppy play-by-play commentary of the sportscaster who—to add insult to injury—constantly mispronounced the local Hawaiian players’ names.
Mac’s brother was living at Lake Tahoe, and in 1975 when the opportunity arose, Mac joined KOWL in South Lake Tahoe. Following the money, he jumped back to KMVI in Maui, then to KESY in Monterey, CA, WOCB in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and back again to KOWL at Tahoe before returning to old standby KNUI in Maui in 1980. By this time, Mac’s father—a wellestablished Orinda, California optometrist—had given up that Fed up, Layne stalked into his office—he was managing the hotel— his number one son would ever outgrow his wanderlust and do and called the radio station demanding to speak to the person in something of value that would utilize his God-given talents. Even charge. He was soon talking to the station manager who asked Mac was starting to wonder. Mac if he thought he could do a better job, to which ex-marine Layne replied, “Damn straight, I could!” The manager suggested he In the winter of 1983 McAvoy decided to cure a case of islandcome to his office on Monday for a chat. By Monday afternoon fever by joining his girlfriend at Lake Tahoe for some downhill Mac was the newest employee of radio station KTOH, hired to skiing, which had been his second love—after swimming—since broadcast all the station’s sporting events beginning the following high school. Susan was a TWA stewardess who suggested they weekend. spend a ski week at her cabin in Tahoma on the West Shore. Mac packed his bags and arrived to learn that she had just been given McAvoy first laid eyes on the Island of Kauai in the summer of 1962. As a freshman on the University of Oregon’s swim team, he became a featured member of the team’s traveling “Water Circus.” The team was invited to Kauai on a publicity tour. Layne’s most amazing circus trick was performing a dead-man’s drop from the 10 meter board with a lit cigarette in his mouth, and emerging from the water with the cigarette still burning between his lips. Layne never forgot the beauty of Kauai and vowed to live there one day, and now he did. It wasn’t long before McAvoy had become one of the most popular radio personalities on Kauai. He was multitalented—had a voice like butter—and became equally adept at calling play-by-play sporting events or hosting entertaining and informative morning shows. He was a skilled interviewer and created clever, off-beat contests that engaged listeners and sold advertising. By 1970 his phone was ringing with job offers, and he bid farewell to Kauai for the bright lights of Honolulu. His career path took him to KIKI, KORL, and KHAI on Oahu, then to KHLO in Hilo on the Big Island, then to KNUI and KMVI, both on Maui. By 1975 he realized being a well-know radio personality didn’t necessarily translate into being well-paid. And working a morning show till LIVE.WORK.PLAY.
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SPRING 2023