I've spent 27 years in radio broadcasting, including 23 years based in American Samoa. I started as a college intern in Cleveland, Mississippi in 1999 while attending Delta State University where I first learned the true value of waking up very early. I graduated summa cum laude in 2001, and moved to Pago Pago in 2003. Currently, I serve as Vice President and General Manager of South Seas Broadcasting, working in partnership with a veteran team to operate stations including 93KHJ and V103 in American Samoa, Hawaiʻi, and Mississippi.
Broadcasting in the Pacific isn't like broadcasting anywhere else. Distance magnifies every challenge. Almost everything costs more. (Fresh milk is expensive. Bananas are cheap.) Help is farther away. And when emergencies happen, you're often the only voice people can count on.
On September 29, 2009, I was on-air at 93KHJ when 8.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the region. I activated Emergency Alert System warnings, then hung on for dear life when a tsunami reached Pago Harbor minutes later. One hundred ninety-two people died that day across the region, including 34 in American Samoa. I learned what it means when emergency broadcasting isn't theoretical.
Today, I serve as Chairman of the American Samoa Emergency Alert System Committee, coordinating life-safety broadcasting infrastructure across the territory. It's a role designated by the FCC that involves working with the National Weather Service, territorial government, and federal agencies to ensure our communities get critical information when they need it most.
I'm Secretary of the Rotary Club of Pago Pago and Vice President of the Lions Club of Pago Pago. I also serve as Vice-President of the Board of Directors for Pala Lagoon Swimming Center, American Samoa's only public pool, where we're working to grow the facility and expand water safety programs for the community.
When I'm not working in radio or serving on boards, I play harmonica and guitar with Size Two Blues Band and create visual art. My wife Faafua operates Vila's Snack Bar, and we're raising our family here on Tutuila.
The path to where I am today wasn't planned. In Samoan culture, we say "O le ala i le pule o le tautua" - the path to leadership is through service. I didn't set out to collect titles or positions. I just kept showing up, kept serving, and kept trying to be useful to my community. Twenty-three years in American Samoa - somehow that led here.
If you need to reach me, I'm at joey@joeycummings.com.
Tofa soifua ma ia manuia.