It didn’t take long for Radio-One’s lawyers to put an end to the “Boom” moniker on HHawaii Media’s 97.1 K246BR Honolulu/101.1 KORL-HD4 Waianae.
The station’s website is gone and the Facebook page has removed any reference to the now former moniker. Identifying on-air as just “97 dot 1“, the station can be heard online here.
Original Report 7/2: Classic Hip-Hop has landed in Hawaii as H. Hawaii Media launches “Boom 97.1” on 97.1 K246BR Honolulu/101.1 KORL-HD4 Waianae.
The new format replaces K246BR’s previous Japanese “J-Pop 97.1” format. How long until Radio-One has something to say about their trademarked “Boom” name as they have already gone after other stations using similar branding?
Destructor 
Nathan Obral 
only1moore 
It’s just a four letter name. Radio One should relax. LOL
Rather, a four letter generic word being used as a name.
This site needs the ability to edit comments, plz?
Radio One was one the losing side of a trademarked name dispute back in 1999, when they flipped WENZ/107.9 Cleveland to mainstream urban as “Kiss 107.9,” patterned directly after WKYS in Washington, D.C. Within a week, CC flipped a suburban FM in Lorain, Ohio from CCM to CHR as “Kiss 104.9…” and promptly issued a C&D at Radio One, citing exclusive rights to the “Kiss FM” name throughout Ohio (invoking a trademark for KIIS-FM issued to that stations’ then-owner Gannett in the mid-80s).
Radio One acquiesced to CC not long after that, quietly renaming WENZ as “Z107-9.”
So yeah… “Boom” is just a word. But they built a brand around that word and trademarked it. Not unlike when MetroMedia trademarked “The Wave” when they offered the NAC/SJ format from KTWV nationwide… Rubber City Radio Group’s WNWV/107.3 Elyria still uses the “Wave” name via a licensing agreement with CBS Radio, owners of KTWV.
They’re going to have a tough time taking on KHJZ and KUMU.