New station shows
Asian, Pacific fare

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By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

The new Hawaii Pacific Channel, scheduled to launch next month, will be the first Hawaii-based, family-oriented television channel showcasing the state and programs produced about and within the Asian/Pacific region.

HPC will not premiere in Hawaii, but China, the largest consumer market in the world with about 15 million potential viewers, said CEO Bryan Lukas. By early next year, HPC expects complete China distribution and a combined worldwide audience potential of 400 million viewers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and South and Central America, he said.

The channel will offer two hours of daily broadcasts to start. Lukas expects broadcasting to increase to four hours a day by the end of the year as sponsorship increases.

Since 2000, HPC has built a prime-time programming catalog that includes award-winning television series and films from the U.S., Asia and the Pacific. HPC programs in China will fall under eight categories: Hawaii, Travel, Food, Nature, Films, Drama, Extreme Sports, Sports, and The Silk Road. Additional categories like "Pacific V" are compilations of music videos featuring Hawaiian and Asian/Pacific song and dance.

According to Lukas, advertisers will get maximum exposure through two separate television-programming services and Internet components.

Broadcasts to China and Asia will distribute Hawaii, U.S. and Pacific programming, while Hawaii and Asian-Pacific programming will be broadcast to the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South and Central America.

Asian television networks are working with HPC to present their most interesting dramas, travelogues, documentaries and films, Lukas said.

Many Hawaii-based productions are included in the beginning platform of HPC's television programming, including "Wailana Yoga," a series produced in Hawaii airing internationally and on PBS.

KHNL News 8 and K-5 are in discussions with HPC to present University of Hawaii sports programming, "Sam Choy's Kitchen" and Hawaiian music presentations, said John Fink, KHNL general manager.

The Hawaii International Film Festival is also in discussions to present HIFF's best films as a series and a documentary about the festival, said Chuck Boller, HIFF executive director.

HPC plans to produce and distribute series including action dramas, documentaries, travelogues and made-for-TV movies shot in China, Hawaii and the Pacific, Lukas said.

A newly developed HPC series, "Treasures," will begin production this year in Hawaii and Hainan, China, Lukas said.

The first in the series is entitled "Treasures of Hawaii," a travelogue about the Hawaiian Islands. "Treasures of Hainan" will highlight the island known as the Hawaii of China, where 10 million Chinese vacationers travel each year. Both series will feature the narration of Hong Kong actress, pop singer and supermodel Anya.

For more information, call Natalie Lukashevsky at hpcinc@hawaii.rr.com or 732-3722.

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