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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, August 30, 2005

KITV airing special on team

 •  Welcome home, champs

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

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KITV-4 will produce a half-hour TV special titled "Pride: Hawai'i's World Champions" that will track the amazing journey of the West O'ahu team that won the Little League World Series Championship Sunday in South Williamsport, Pa.

The documentary will air at 8 p.m. Friday on the ABC affiliate.

That special also will be shown at Monday's special Sunset on the Beach at Queen's Surf Beach, along with ABC Sports excerpts from the championship game. Details are still being worked out.

"We've been deluged with requests for a rebroadcast of the game," said Mike Rosenberg, general manager of the ABC affiliate. "We're asking if that's possible."

It's not likely on ABC, Rosenberg said, but the game might be retelevised as an ESPN "Instant Classic," which repeats a popular game for digital cable subscribers. In the meantime, the half-hour TV special, produced by KITV, will focus on the pride generated in the community by the team of players from 'Ewa Beach and Waipahu.

KITV also wants to make a keepsake DVD of the final game, but needs copyright clearance from ABC Sports, Disney and ESPN for release. "If we can pull it together, we'd like profits to go to the Little League," Rosenberg said.

While no ratings were commissioned for the championship telecast, Rosenberg said based on reaction and e-mails and the prevailing buzz in the community, viewership was phenomenal. "It would be in the Super Bowl league," he said.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.