THIS WEEKS COMMUNITY CONNECTION NEWS

The Bob Bowditch Scholarship fund was established by Ida Bowditch upon the passing of KOCT’s founder, Bob Bowditch in 1989. Every year annually KOCT awards a small scholarship to Oceanside or El Camino High School graduates whose intent is to have a college major in communications or media studies. Our 2014 Scholarship Recipient is Joshua Montiel from El Camino High School. In his application he wrote “A good film takes you into the story and lets you become a character; you begin to feel the emotions as if you are part of the film itself. It distracts you from everyday stress and worries. For the length of the film nothing else exists but the story you are taking part in”. Watch for Joshua’s appearance on a future Oceanside Spectrum when he will be interviewed by Spectrum Host: Elaine Swann!

Congratulations Joshua!

KOCT’s founder, Bob Bowditch

Speaking of Elaine Swann her latest book “LET CRAZY BE CRAZY” (you can order her book on her website) has just been published and it contains practical examples, tips and advice on the perils of what she calls “Crazy Folk.” Whether in our professional environments or family and personal relationships, they exist. Swann gives sensible guidance on:

How to identify Crazy Folk, How to get rid of toxic Crazy Folk and How to deal with the Crazy Folk in situations where we have no choice, such as work, in volunteer organizations and with family members. Elaine is currently on a coast to coast tour including appearances on television stations all across the county. As you can tell we are Crazy about Elaine who, by the way, will be our host at our June 12^th Open House and Forum.

Host, Elaine Swann

•  Next week, Tuesday June 3rd is Primary Election Day. What will the results mean? Will incumbents lose and be forced to fight for their office in the November election or did they slide to victory over their aspiring challengers? For insightful analysis you’ll want to tune to next Thursday Nights (June 5^th- 6 pm / Channel 18) Journalist Roundtable where our first two guests will help in our Election Dissection. Our first guest will be Francine Busby-the Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party and our second guest will be  the Treasurer of The Republican Party of San Diego County. Both will discuss the outcome of the June primary at both the local and regional level.

Our other two guests will discuss two important subjects in the news: Health Care and the decommissioning of San Onofre Power Plant.

Chris Van Gorder is the President & CEO of Scripps Health—his path to CEO is an unusual journey and Scripps has many health facilities in North County. He’ll discuss changes in health care since the passage of the Affordable Care Act and Scripps plans for health care in North County.

Our last guest will be Councilmember Jerry Kern who is a member of the newly formed Community Engagement Panel which is looking into issues related to the decommissioning of the San Onofre Power Plant.

Our Journalist for next week JRT will be Host Kent Davy, KPBS’s Alison St. John and the Managing Editor for The Coast News, Tony Cagala. Don’t miss JRT- “It’s Good TV”!

• Finally don’t forget to mark your calendar for Thursday, June 12^th from 4pm to 6:30 pm. KOCT is inviting everyone interested in touring your community channel to our annual Open House and Forum! (more in next week’s Community Connection)

          Save the Date-June 12^th Open House

JUNE PRIMARY PROGRAMS

Journalist Roundtable program featuring Bill Horn VS Jim Wood now available as VOD Plus more June Primary Programs

On Thursday night, May 1^st, the two experienced candidates for the San Diego County 5^th District Supervisor seat faced off in a tense and sometimes testy one-hour program.

Logan Jenkins wrote about the two diverse candidates in his column

As did Kent Davy

You can see for yourself what all the talk is about because the show has now been posted on KOCT.ORG as Video On Demand.  The two candidates appeared together in a forum put on by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee and hosted by MiraCosta College. That program has just been posted and you can watch it by clicking here. (Thank you to the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce and MiraCosta College for providing this program.)

All candidates have been invited to participate in all of KOCT’s election programs but not all have decided to participate.  As an example our District Attorney focused Journalist Roundtable program featured Bob Brewer and Terri Wyatt but, unfortunately, incumbent Bonnie Dumanis did not participate.

We have also added to our June Primary Video On Demand series our popular Candidates Statement program featuring Mayor Jim Wood and incumbent Supervisor Bill Horn for the 5^th District Supervisor race and candidate Bob Brewer for the District Attorney seat.

If you prefer to watch TV the old fashion way remember ALL of these June 3^rd primary election programs will be shown extensively on KOCT throughout the month of May.  Check out our Program Schedule it has a cool search function that makes it easy to type in the name of the program and it will provide you a custom listing of that shows airing dates and times.

Stay informed about the upcoming Election by staying tuned to KOCT-Your Community Channel.

Community Connection

One of the services KOCT has provided for Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista residents since 1997 is coverage of the Tri-City Medical Center’s Board of Directors meetings.  Tri-City is one of a handful of community hospitals in San Diego County and local homeowners fund and care about this important medical center.  In fact the reason we began covering these meetings is that in the mid-90’s there was talk about privatizing the hospital. Community members and the Board of Directors themselves felt the community needed to be informed if such a decision was going to be made and coverage of their meetings was the first step in keeping the public informed about the workings of their hospital.  

Pictured in today’s blog are some of the talented young people who provide this television service. KOCT rolls its sophisticated Mobile Studio to the hospital and set ups a four-camera shoot on the 4^th Thursday of every month and documents the meetings in a style we call ‘live on tape’.  It requires 7 crew members to cover these meetings and every meeting is shown 4 times on KOCT as well as shown on the government channels in the City of Vista and Carlsbad. KOCT also makes each meeting available as Video On Demand (VOD) too.

The Affordable Care Act has brought to the publics attention the cost and importance of health care and KOCT is proud that we’ve been bringing the public’s attention to our local health care facility for seventeen years.  A shout out and thanks to the KOCT talented crew who carry the tripods, cameras and cables down a flight of stairs once a month to keep our community informed! 

Voters and Viewers

You are going to want to tune into KOCT, Channel 18 next Thursday, May 1^st at 6 pm for a special LIVE Journalist Roundtable.  This will be the last program in our June Primary Series and we’ve saved the best for last.

                                                                               

Two experienced politicians running for the San Diego County Board of Supervisor, 5^th District seat, will discuss the issues, their points-of-view and answer questions from our three journalists.

Incumbent Supervisor Bill Horn and Mayor Jim Wood will be our guests for this one-hour program that is hosted by the former Editor of the North County Times, Kent Davy. He is joined by columnist for the San Diego U-T Logan Jenkins and Alison St. John of KPBS radio and television.

The two candidates previously squared off in a forum at MiraCosta College that was hosted by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce.  You will be able to watch that program throughout the month of May on KOCT’s community channel 18 AND on Video on Demand via KOCT.ORG.

All candidates for the June primary election are invited to our Journalist Roundtable  program unfortunately incumbent District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis did not participate in our April program however, candidates Bob Brewer and Terri Wyatt did.

In order to help you make an informed decision KOCT  will air all of these June Primary shows extensively on KOCT right up to the June 3^rd Election. If one of your friends express confusion on who to vote for why not help them out and send a Video On Demand LINK to them so they can watch on their iPad, smartphone or computer?? 

The 5^th Supervisor race is starting to heat up judging by some of the campaign material voters are receiving. Next weeks Journalist Roundtable programs will give each of these experienced politicians an opportunity to defend, refute and explain their positions with a little more detail than you can find on a glossy postcard.

Tune In—as our Host Kent Davy says ‘It’s good TV ‘.

ATTEND MINGAFEST

Life is funny the way it zigs and zags and circles around.

I came of age in the counter-culture outgrowth of the 70’s, a surfer who discovered Oceanside because of my search for waves.  It was my love of photography, film making and surfing that eventually found me working for KOCT starting in 1987.  I loved videography and editing but soon found myself, with the passing of KOCT’s founder Bob Bowditch, promoted to the Executive Director of KOCT with its related administration, paperwork and community involvement. 

It was while still having that counter-culture self perception that then City Clerk, Barbara Regal Wayne asked me to join the San Luis Rey Rotary, an offer I turned down as I could not see myself as a Rotarian. However a few years later, (after more community participation and involvement), retired County Supervisor John MacDonald came to my office and asked me to join the Oceanside Rotary. KOCT had a long history with John and his son (stories for another day) and my feeling was I could not turn him down and was honored to join the Oceanside Rotary. It was not long after, due to schedules and circumstances I had to stop attending the Oceanside Rotary but a few months later I was asked by Jodi Coe to join the Wednesday morning San Luis Rey Rotary Club, and who  was there to greet and harass me for not joining their club years earlier?  Yep, retired City Clerk Barbara Wayne.  We now enjoy a weekly good natured verbal sparring match that reminds me of the good friends and colleagues I’ve come to know since becoming a Rotarian.

One such Rotarian was Larry O’Harra—the President of the Oceanside Rotary Club in 2013 who passed away last month. Before Larry died he was instrumental, along with his Club and current President Mike Curtain, in bringing the first MINGAFEST to Oceanside—it will debut on Saturday May 3^rd from 1 pm to 4 pm at the Oceanside Museum of Art in cooperation with MainStreet Oceanside.

What I like about this upcoming event is that it is a fun way to get together with other non-profit organizations ‘for the benefit of all’. There will be food from local restaurants and craft beer too.  Every dollar raised goes directly to supporting organizations like KOCT, the Oceanside Rotary, the OMA and others. (When you sign up on-line there will be a pull-down menu where you can select your favorite charity and $10 of every ticket sale will go to the charity you choose, my hope is you will consider selecting KOCT!!!)

My wife and I are going so we can remember a great man, support Rotary and connect with this community that I have become a part of.  Yea, yea I have become part of the establishment and I am ok with that because tomorrow I am going surfing and the circle will continue…

Click here to order tickets for this unique event: 

http://www.oma-online.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=413:save-the-date-minga-fest-2014&catid=18:current-events&Itemid=180

LIVING LEGACIES

Next time you’re driving on Crouch Street or see the cute little church over by Heritage Park or wonder who Murray Bridge is named after I suggest you watch KOCT’s Living Legacies.   A good example is the Living Legacies featuring Edith Swaim, a local historian, who was once the Director for Heritage Park. In her interview with Host Tom Morrow she discussed an old black and white picture of three people in front of the first Oceanside Post Office and one of the citizens is the Mrs. Crouch from a family influential in the development of our town. Edith also recounts the English colony of settlers who first settled in the valley and who built that little church by Heritage Park, she mentions Reynolds Elementary School which is named after her mother and that her grandfather was the first person buried in the little cemetery at the church in 1896! Another of the Living Legacies you can watch via KOCT’s Video On Demand is with Major General Murray a man who fought in WWII, Korea and Vietnam and who is credited with halting the progress of the North Koreans at Chosin Reservoir.

Watching Living Legacies is more than being knowledgeable about bridges, local streets, and buildings. You can hear the story of local politicians like the late Treasurer of Oceanside Rosemary Jones, Supervisor John MacDonald or Congressman Lionel Van Deerlin. Famous musicians have also been featured on Tom’s show like the Trombonist for the Glen Miller Band, Paul Tanner as well as author Victor Villasenor and newscaster Jack White.

Because of lack of funding today the program is only produced when Host Tom Morrow is able to convince a local business or viewer to underwrite its production. (KOCT has also applied for numerous grants in order to produce the program.) This loss of Living Legacies productions means we are losing the voices and stories of many influential citizens who have contributed so much, whose story might be invaluable to future historians and no one to recount the past when future citizens wonder as they drive about our city Who? Why?  And When?

I’m grateful Host Tom Morrow has donated so many volunteer hours along with his former Producer Ted Smit; their contribution will also be long remembered. 

"Live" Journalist Roundtable

It is no April's Fool joke that this week begins KOCT’s 2014 Election Season.  For the June 3^rd primary there are two major county offices North County voters will be asked to cast their ballots for:  5^th District Board of Supervisor and the District Attorney seats.  Fortunately KOCT will have special Journalist Roundtable programs featuring candidates for these offices.

This Thursday, April 3^rd from 6pm-7 pm our ‘Live’ Journalist Roundtable will have two of the three candidates running for the District Attorney seat and they are Robert Brewer and Terri Wyatt. Incumbent Bonnie Dumanis was also invited but her campaign manager regretfully declined due to a schedule conflict.

Next month on Thursday, May 1^st our Journalist Roundtable program will feature Mayor Jim Wood and incumbent Bill Horn for a lively program on the race for the 5^th District County Board of Supervisor office.

KOCT will also be airing a forum hosted by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce & Mira Costa College featuring these two 5^th District Candidates.

KOCT has offered each candidate an opportunity to record a 5-minute Candidates Statement and these segments will also run on KOCT right up to the June 3^rd election. All of our 2014 election programs are available as VOD or Video On Demand via KOCT.ORG so you can review the candidates, their positions and answers prior to going to the polls or filling out your Absentee Ballot.

KOCT is proud of our long tradition of providing local election programming a service more valuable then ever with the loss of the North County Times and limited information about local issues, offices and candidates. We have been providing this service for 30 years and we can continue to do so with your help. Please consider becoming a Friend of KOCT by clicking here: Local Media Matters!