Every time it rains hard or there's a wind advisory or the lights go out, Ron Wiley is there with the answer to the question on every Kaua'i child's mind:

"Get school?"

For 20 years, Wiley has answered that question and thousands of other community need-to-know issues. He never gets tired of it. "I have gone through at least four district superintendents of school who know they better get on the air with me if there is a school issue," he said.

April 1 marked Wiley's anniversary at Kaua'i's KQNG radio — known as KONG 93.5FM. Of course, it wasn't enough to celebrate 20 years — he had to know how many hours, minutes and seconds he'd been on Kaua'i's airwaves. That's a Ron Wiley trademark. He has many trademarks. (I worked as the news reader on his show for several years in the early 1990s. Some of his phrases are still stuck in my head.)

In the beginning, he was a Honolulu hotshot known from his days at KKUA and KIKI and stunts like doing his show from a hang glider or from up on a crane. He rode his shiny motorcycle through Lihu'e, his Barry Gibb hair barely ruffled in the breeze.

But Kaua'i is the kind of place where you don't need stunts to keep a radio show interesting. Real life is dramatic enough. Wiley has seen the island through all of the challenges and tragedies of the past two decades — hurricane and floods and weeks of storms — and he's done it in real time, minute by minute, talking people through.

"In those times Kaua'i folks time and time again proved how much they genuinely cared for one another," he said.

Through all of the big events, and the smaller moments in daily Kaua'i life, the city slicker became the voice of the people. That's hard to do on Kaua'i, where it takes proof of devotion to become a trusted leader.

Of course, many mornings on Wiley's show are just goofy fun. Every Labor Day he calls the hospital to see if anybody is in labor. Every St. Patrick's Day Kauai Bakery delivers green malassadas. If there's a joke, the whole island is in on it. Though many of his trademarks remain, Wiley says he has changed dramatically in 20 years. For one, he bought a car.

"I am now a family man. I married the love of my life, Laura. I know that sounds corny but it's true," he said.

This August, Wiley will mark 42 years in radio. Tune in to his show and he'll let you know how many hours, minutes and seconds ... and if "get school."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.