DENVER -- The Boss Canceled For DNC: Aug. 28

Sorry, Springsteen fans, the Boss' performance has been canceled. At least, that's what we're hearing. Stay tuned.

Aloha from Denver. Shawn Ching.

Hawaii Delegation Position At Invesco Field: Aug. 28

The floor location for the Hawaii delegation is about as far away, and at as bad an angle for viewing the candidate as one can get. It's in the far right, back corner.

I asked hawaii Democratic Party chair, Brian Schatz about this. He said the seating is assigned by the Obama for America campaign. More to come.

Shawn Ching
in Denver at the DNC

DNC Sound Check Invesco Field: Aug. 28

Sounds check continues here at Invesco Field.

A who's who of entertainment here today.... Will I. Am of the Black Eyed Peas, Cheryl Crow is on stage now. Stevie Wonder was on stage earlier.

The headliner tonight - aside from Hawaii's Barack Obama -- the Boss, Bruce Springsteen.

KITV cameraman, Dan Churma, and I are thinking he has to play "Born in the USA" tonight. We'll see. More to come shortly

Shawn Ching
in Denver at the DNC

Arriving At Invesco Field Aug. 28
The move has been made. And it really wasn't that bad.

We are now at Invesco Field, about a mile or two away from the Pepsi Center.

I'm listening to Stevie Wonder rehearse at the moment. More to come shortly.

Shawn Ching
in Denver at the DNC

The Big Move Aug. 27

No, not talking about Clinton supporters switching to the Obama camp after last night's rousing Hillary Clinton speech.

I'm talking about moving, what is essentially an entire media city, several miles away to Invesco Field, the site of Senator Barack Obama's Democratic nomination acceptance speech.

First thing today wasn't gathering and writing stories, but packing gear strewn throughout our media trailer. It looked like my room at home when I was 16-years old. And there are 65-plus trailers like ours, No doubt, in the same shape as our digs. And each major network has its own compound. Try moving that ... in the middle of the night! It's going to take a Herculean effort, but when they story warrants it, it's just something that has to be done.

Some 14,000 media credentials were issued for this convention. Add in hundreds of engineers, miles of cable, cameras, equipment, monitors, desks and chairs, portable lavatories, its all got to go by tomorrow. I honestly don't know how it's going to be done, especially when you add in the Secret Service.

To find out if the big move went well -- well, you'll have to tune in for that, tomorrow. Aloha.

Shawn Ching
in Denver at the DNC

Facing Tough Security At DNC - Aug. 24
With one more day to go before the big convention gets under way. Security is tighter than ever here. It took me and cameraman Dan Churma nearly two hours to be cleared by the U.S. Secret Service just to enter the grounds of the Pepsi Center.

We were sniffed by dogs, wanded by agents, and put through metal detectors. It's all part of the deal of covering such an event.

And they're not all in dark suits. Most are in casual dress -- but they all have a Secret Service pin somewhere on them.

We rented a car, but that won't matter come Monday. At 12:01 Monday morning. All roads into and around the center will be closed down to traffic. We're hoping our hotel shuttle can get us to within a half-mile_of the Pepsi so we can walk in.

Did I mention it's in the 90's here. "Oh, but it's 'dry heat,' they tell us. Still, this a blast to cover. Luckily, most of the media compounds, trailers and tents are air conditioned.

Some are speculating that there are thousand of media_members here. I don't doubt it. Tonight on KITV-4 Island Television News at 5, we'll show you what_we're talking about in terms of media and security.

ABC News correspondent, John Berman, gives us a tip on how to deal with the extra security in place. It's not a laughing matter, but we both_get a chuckle out of it.

Shawn Ching
In Denver

DNC Means Big Money For Denver - Aug. 23

Aloha From Denver,

One Denver resident told us, "this convention - its not about Democrats or Republicans, but about capitalism." A look around and you can almost see the dollar signs in the eyes of vendors and business owners.

And that's good for this city. Getting a hotel room in downtown Denver is now as hard to get as a "one on one" with the presumptive Democratic nominee. Well, maybe not that hard.

Restaurants are booked, thousands have flocked here, and the convention hasn't even started yet.

We had dinner near the convention site last night, a great Brazilian place, and they easily had three seatings. The owner said business is brisk, thanks to the DNC.

City officials tell us some $160 million will be pumped into the local economy with an estimated 50,000 people a day venturing into downtown Denver. Another benefit of having this event here: projects are fast-tracked. Buildings near the Pepsi Center have been quickly finished and beautiful, new landscaping has been put in place.

Apparently, it's not just about blue or red, but for Denverites, it's also about the green.

The Democratic National Convention starts Monday.

Shawn Ching, in Denver.

KITV Crew Arrives In Denver - Aug. 22

Aloha from Denver,
The buzz surrounding the Democratic National Convention hits you as soon as you land at Denver International. We arrived this morning after taking a red eye through Salt Lake City, Utah. Once on the ground in the Mile High City, you can tell something's up. "Obama 08" signs pop up like confetti. They're everywhere.

Outside the Pepsi Center, the site of the convention - except for the final day, Thursday, where it will move to Invesco Field - a small TV city has put down roots. Yes, parking is a huge problem. We've been told that the Secret Service began cracking down and that's what's causing the traffic gridlock. More than 50 TV trailers are in place representing media outlets from around the world, including NHK of Japan and the BBC, to name a few.

Well, the parking lot is three blocks away, and we're stuck in traffic at the moment. Once parked, it's off to get our media passes. It's going to be a long day, but the excitement continues to build, and that's what keeps you going.

The convention starts Monday.

Aloha,
Shawn Ching