Salem Communications says Honolulu city government executive Jeff J. Coelho is returning to the radio industry as general manager of Salem’s Hawaii stations.
Beginning next week, Coelho will manage seven stations: KAIM(FM), KGMZ(FM), KGU(AM), KHCM(AM), KHCM(FM), KHNR(AM) and KHUI(FM).
After some 40 years in broadcasting, Coelho joined Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann’s cabinet in 2005, initially as managing director. Coelho was general manager of KOFY Radio and general sales manager of KOFY(TV) in San Francisco from 1986–1987, and in 1987, he returned to Honolulu and was manager and owner operator of KUMU and KAHA radio (later, Visionary Communications, which grew to include KQMQ, KPOI and The Bomb) from 1988 to 2004.
He has served two terms on the Hawaii Convention Center Authority and as the mayor’s executive advisor and director of the customer services department. In his tenure with the city, Salem said, Coelho is credited with “restoring aloha” to city services, modernizing and streamlining driver licensing and renewal and improving the service at satellite City Halls.
