Thursday, March 27, 2014

Upcoming Voice of Oceanside

KOCT has been very busy with the production of four Voice of Oceanside programs. Watch for these programs in the coming months on KOCT:


Matthew Tucker, Executive Director
North County Transit District and Host John Bonosoro


Daryl Hebert, Fire Chief
City of Oceanside and Host John Bonosoro


Rosemarie Chora, Water Utility Division Manager,
City of Oceanside and Host John Bonosoro


Frank McCoy, Police Chief,

City of Oceanside

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Sophie Crain Receives A Welcome Addition

Sophie Crain, KOCT’s former Administrative Assistant, is the delightful young lady with the French accent who has greeted callers and visitors to KOCT for the past two years (in addition to being our accountant, business administrator, personnel expert as well as performing a thousand other roles and responsibilities!).


She and her husband Joseph, (who just retired from a long and illustrious career in the navy), were delighted when Sophie became pregnant with their first child. The baby Nathanael, was born premature earlier this year and has been under the care and oversight of the Naval Medical Center San Diego. Sophie has lived at the hospital since February to take care of the little one while Joseph has often commuted from the hospital to his new job with North County Health Services whenever he could.



We are so pleased that she will get to bring home little Nathanael this weekend for the very first time. We will miss Sophie but are so pleased that they have a new one in their home and wish them the best in their new lives.  The KOCT Board of Directors can’t wait to meet the little one and congratulate Sophie at an upcoming potluck and welcome home party. 


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Today's News

KOCT‘s Carmel Bowers, Volunteer Make-up Artist, passes away…

For the past eight plus years guests and hosts on the Oceanside Spectrum and Journalist Roundtable were prepared for their television appearance by professional make-up artist Carmel Bowers.  Last week we lost this valuable volunteer as did many other non-profits with whom she has shared her time and talent. KOCT’s Promise Yee first met Carmel at a Tri-City Medical Center television production where Carmel was a ‘pink lady’ (a volunteer helping patients). It was not too long later that Carmel offered her incredible make-up skill to KOCT guests and hosts. Recently Carmel confronted a life-threatening medical diagnosis and just last week she reflected on her life with KOCT Board of Director Michelle Bray-Davis who writes:

We had a wonderful, heart-to-heart-chat that afternoon, ride-ranging regarding end of life thoughts, mistakes we had both made along the way, etc.,  but planned for her to be at the Oceanside Public Library Tea in May, among other things she wanted to do.

Over the many years, in the make-up chair at KOCT, and at other social things too, I would like to think that Carmel and I came to be friends.

She was an unusual Lady, with great stories to share, some very sad, some hilarious!

MOST IMPORTANTLY, Carmel was a radiantly, gracious woman who encouraged me to be more than I thought I could be! “I will always be grateful for her confidence in me!”

KOCT is going to produce a brief photo montage of Carmel that will air at the conclusion of Oceanside Spectrum and Journalist Roundtable to remember her valuable contributions to KOCT.


Carmel Bowers 


The Adobes and Ranchos of North County

KOCT’s field camera crew, led by Station Manager Jake Rush, visited one of the oldest Ranchos in all of North County for an interview with Shelley Caron at the historic Marron Adobe. KOCT’s production team of Angela Wong and Addison Wolf were joined by scriptwriter for the series, Lola Sherman. Shelley’s family history is fascinating because it is so intertwined with the history of California.  Her ancestors were instrumental in the creation of Oceanside and her story includes Spanish roots, Mexican land grants and hardy pioneers making a living off the land.  Thanks to the Parker Foundation for funding that has allowed KOCT to produce this series of historical documentaries.


Shelley Caron with Lola Sherman Scriptwriter, Station Manager Jake Rush
and KOCT’s production team of Angela Wong and Addison Wolf

Shelley Caron with Lola Sherman Scriptwriter

The historic Marron Adobe

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Adobes & Ranchos of North County

KOCT has begun field shooting of our new 6 segment series on the Adobes & Ranchos of North County. The production of these 30-minute programs was made possible by a generous grant from the Parker Foundation. Our first shoot a few weeks ago was for an interview with the Captain of the San Luis Rey Band of Luiseno Indians, Mel Vernon at the historic El Salto falls in Oceanside. His segment was for the mini-documentary about the nearby Marron Adobe. This is the only Mexican land-grant in California that is still occupied by one of the direct descendants.



Our most recent shoot was at the Marron Adobe where we filmed one of the many school tours that Shelley (Hayes) Caron conducts as her contribution to California history and for our community.



We look forward to our interview with Shelley and to learn more about her family and their journey to the tranquil Buena Creek valley adobe.

Other programs in this series will include the Los Flores Adobe on Camp Pendleton, the Rancho Buena Vista Adobe in Vista and the Rancho Guajome on the border of Oceanside and Vista.  Our script writer, Lola Sherman is well known in North County and will also help KOCT to tell the story of the Kelly Family in nearby Carlsbad as well as the Leo Carrillo rancho which was once part of the Kelly Rancho.

We love this partnership with the Parker Foundation because their grant for this project is in harmony with the KOCT Mission to produce programming for, by and about our North County Community and to preserve the past for future generations.  We hope to begin airing this new series in the late spring. You won’t want to miss it.