KOCT Grant Award

A weekly blog from Tom Reeser, KOCT’s Executive Director

KOCT would like to thank the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and 5^th District Supervisor Bill Horn for their support of our community television station.  The County’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Program provides grant funds to County departments, public agencies, and to non-profit community organizations (like KOCT!) for one-time community, social, environmental, educational, cultural or recreational needs.

County Board of Supervisors

KOCT submitted a successful grant application to replace our aging cablecast equipment.  KOCT ’Cablecast department has done a great job working with this obsolete system but it is beginning to fail. It is not unexpected since this equipment (& staff) operate two channels 24/7.  The current equipment has lived past its expected operating life and is obsolete—the manufacturer no longer repairs or supports the software and equipment and it cannot air hi-definition programming.

We received a generous grant of $60,000 which is about half the cost of the new equipment KOCT needs to operate our channel. The new equipment is more user friendly and is capable of the new television standard- Hi-Definition.

KOCT will need community support to help KOCT raise the additional funds and we hope you will attend our next Fundraiser and help us to modernize our cablecast equipment.

Thank You- San Diego County Board of Supervisors and county staff for your generous support of community television!

Here’s a glimpse at the Cablecast Team that work behind the scenes to provide our viewers with quality community television:

Phoenix Von Hendy, IT Specialist

Angela Miranda, KOCT Production Supervisor

Peter Bonscher produces the KOCT Program Schedule for both Channel 18 & 19

Aaron Capehart & Mizuho Yonemoto

KOCT wins Telly Award for documentary series!   KOCT-Your Community Channel recently won a Bronze, People’s Choice Award, for one of the programs in our 6-part series: The Adobes and Ranchos of North County.  “The Kelly Adobe” program was one of the first in-depth documentaries about this pioneer Kelly family that at one time owned a rancho larger than Carlsbad.  This program made possible by a generous grant from The Parker Foundation (Gerald and Inez Parker) Tom Reeser was the Executive Producer and Lola Sherman the Script Writer.  The Field Producer was Jake Rush and the Editor was Miguel Blanco. The Narrator was Harvey Kaufman. Congratulations to all who participated in this award-winning series!

(Left) Editor Miguel Blanco and Field Producer Jake Rush