Posted on: Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Local TV goes 24/7 with OC-16

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

For years, decades even, locally produced television programs were precious and few.

When Andy Bumatai's "All in the 'Ohana" and Rap Replinger's "Rap's Hawai'i" were on KGMB in the early 1980s, families all across the islands canceled softball games, cooked dinner early and pulled out the phone so they could sit and watch the shows in total, rapt devotion.

In our wildest dreams, we could not imagine having a whole cable channel set aside for 24-hour-a-day local programming.

In our wildest dreams, we could not imagine something so intensely local being served up by a huge Mainland conglomerate like Time Warner.

But as Costco sells kal bi, Wal-Mart stocks Samoan canned wahoo and Macy's has nice lauhala bags, Oceanic Time Warner brings us OC-16, home of the television programming so home-grown and authentic, it makes Checkers and Pogo seem high-end and slick.

OC-16 shows us the Hawai'i we actually live in, a place where women wear gold bracelets and black pearls with shorts; where people keep shoyu packets in the fridge; where elegant home decor includes an ipu lamp and dried maile lei. It is the antithesis of every overproduced, under-researched, they-just-don't-get-it Hollywood show about Hawai'i that has ever been made or is currently in production.

Not that it's all pretty. Just pretty real.

There's "The Joy of Crafting," where you can learn to make eyelash ribbon leis or fimo clay flower hair picks from people who actually wear eyelash ribbon leis and fimo flower hair picks.

"Dis-N-Dat" is a magazine-style show hosted by DJ Kutmaster Spaz, who is often upstaged in guest appearances by his elementary-school aged daughter.

"Da Braddahs & Friends" is the show every fan of Booga Booga has dreamed about doing. James Roche and Tony Silva are the only ones in 25 years to have actually made it happen.

And, the anchor tenant of the 24-hour channel, "Local Kine Grinds," is a restaurant review show where no plate lunch is ever found unsatisfactory. It's all good.

All told, there are more than 30 shows circulating through OC-16. The producers get the air time for free, but have to sell their own ads, which explains why some shows have the same three commercials that run over and over.

Sure, most of the offerings come under the heading "work in progress." There's muddy audio, back-focused video and often the desperate need of a plot or some sort of forward-moving action.

But it's a solid step in the right direction, toward that wild dream of Rap- and Andy-quality local shows all day, every day. And, as is the case in all things related to the entertainment business, everyone has an IDEA for a show. Few have the gumption to get that show on the air.

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