KOCT Open House

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

What a delight to welcome so many residents to KOCT’s annual Open House on Tuesday, June 28^th!

KOCT Open House visitors

Visitors had an opportunity to be Directors, Camera Operators and even Candidates for public office (& read TelePrompTer lines from San Diego news anchor, Ron Burgundy.)

Eileen Turks new job

& now she's running for office!

Visitors sampled delicious desserts courtesy of Petite Madeline (thanks Christine!), root beer from the new brewing company, Midnight Jack and nutrition bars from KOCT’s neighbor Nii bars.

New Brewery!

MiraCosta College’s Jazz Quartet performed in the KOCT studio and visitors were encouraged to operate and record the concert on professional studio cameras. 

jazz band 

MCC Jazz Quartet

KOCT’s Board of Directors were on hand to answer questions and lead guests on tours of the station.  KOCT’s Station Manager Jacob Rush did a great job leading KOCT’s production team, interns and volunteers on the elaborate set-up of the studio, mobile studio and edit bays.   Mark your calendar for this annual event next April and thanks to everyone who attended. 

Gwen, Liz & Kellie

Ward O Doherty (L) and KOCT Executive Director

Bill, Kellie, Jon & Jake

KOCT IT Specialist Phoenix Von Hendy (L) & visitors

Bill Peters Engineer Lab

More photos to follow but thanks to Eileen Turk, Division Manager/Parks & Rec at City of Oceanside for taking & sharing these ‘first look’ photos.

Random Pixels

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

KOCT has a wealth of programs to keep you informed about civic issues. We provide ‘live’ coverage of every Oceanside City Council meetings and numerous replays. We replay every Tri-City Medical Center Board meeting and air the California Channel and San Diego’s County News Center (CNCTV) on a daily basis.

But we also have a lot of new programs that are very brief and informative too—Click on the links below for a sample of recent community events: 

Cal State San Marcos University Lacrosse- This new Newsbrief features an overview of our local university’s women’s Lacrosse team.  There is so much happening at Cal State University San Marcos academically and in their growing sports programs - check it out.

The new El Corazon Trail is another milestone in the development of our ‘great park’.  The volunteers and city staff who made this possible have given a great gift to those who love exercise, the wilderness and to our high school athletes. If you would like to volunteer or contribute to this non-profit, go to their El Corazon website.

Neighborhoods: Manufactured Homes   KOCT once produced a series called ‘The Neighborhoods of Oceanside’ and we are glad to finally add a new segment about ManufacturedHomes.  In this program we not only look at some of Oceanside’s unique neighborhoods but at Carlsbad’s manufactured neighborhoods too. 

Datron provides support for KOCT. This brief program thanks Vista’s Datron Corporation for their recent donation provided to help preserve KOCT vast videotape archive. You’ll learn about the dilemma KOCT faces with aging tape stock and the need to preserve ‘the life and times’ record of North County for future generations.  

Volunteer for Oceanside boards & commissions  Would you like to help our City by volunteering on a board or commission? You’ll meet interesting community volunteers, help city staff with important projects and make a difference in your community.

Community Media has been under assault by a perfect storm of economic, social media and media law changes. Our nation continues to lose newspapers and newspaper jobs on a daily basis. Consumers have more media choices than at any time in history but less about our hometown than 10 years ago. Cable networks do not provide the same level of functionality, service or support for PEG community channels like KOCT as they do for commercial channels. Yet KOCT continues to seek grants, production work and community support so that we can meet our Mission: “KOCT, North San Diego County’s Community Public, Education & Government Channel, is an exclusive, independent, non-profit, educational media conduit.  KOCT’s focus is on the topics and issues of importance to the people of North San Diego County.”

You can help KOCT and our Mission:  Become a Friend & support quality community television. 

Random Pixels

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

On June 1^st the City Clerk’s office and KOCT premiered a new spot at the Oceanside City Council meeting.

Oceanside’s City Clerk, Zack Beck explained that his office wanted to encourage citizens to volunteer for city commissions and boards.

Oceanside City Clerk, Zack Beck

Retired Assistant City Clerk Holly Trobaugh wrote a script that was brought to life by KOCT’s Production Supervisor Angela Miranda.

KOCT Production Supervisor Angela Miranda

Fellow KOCT employee, Kellie Davis, helped Angela recruit volunteers, KOCT employees and the Oceanside Police & Fire to come to the KOCT studio on Industry Street to shoot the new promo.  (She also made sure to include her very cute niece too [twice]!)

In addition to producing the spot, Angela edited it as well. Thanks to our City Clerk, Zack Beck for acknowledging Angela’s artistic endeavor. You can make the spot even more successful by becoming a City of Oceanside volunteer!  Click here to find out how and to watch this collaborative production. 

·               Hey recent graduates from Oceanside High School:  Congratulations!  If you’d like to relive your graduation, share the moment with distant relatives or analyze your hat throwing skills, Click here. KOCT rolled its Mobile Studio to the Junior Seau Beach Amphitheater to capture the pomp and circumstances. The graduation will replay on KOCT’s channel 19 all month. You can also access this program under KOCT Specials on Video on Demand.

·           We have a lot of new Newsbriefs you’ll want to check out too—because a great way to stay connected with your community is to stay tuned to KOCT.

Random Pixels

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

·         KOCT has rebranded our Voice of Oceanside programs to reflect our increased focus on ‘all topics North County’. Our new series, North County Voice will start airing in June and features in-depth interviews with the Oceanside City Councilmembers, the Mayor and City Clerk.  We have a 30-minute program with the Executive Director of SANDAG, Gary Gallegos and a program about the Decommissioning of the San Onofre Power plant. We also interviewed Colleen Foster, a Senior Management Analyst for Oceanside. She leads the city’s successful Green Oceanside and Zero Waste programs. 

At press time the air dates for these programs had not been scheduled but beginning in June you can watch these new North County Voice programs by going to KOCT.ORG and then clicking on Video on Demand and then scroll down to the Voice section. You can watch them on your Smart Phone, Tablet or Computer. Stay informed about your community by staying Tuned to KOCT-Your Community Channel.

Every year KOCT works with the talented video students at Oceanside High School and El Camino High school to produce two special Oceanside Spectrum programs we call High School Spectrum. Go to KOCT’s Video On Demand page and find out what’s going on at our two local high schools! 

Thanks to Sharon Strong, a talented teacher at El Camino High School and to Frank Zimmerman, the instructor at Oceanside High School for working with KOCT and for the great job they do educating these energetic young people!

Congratulations to the KOCT Creative Team for winning a Telly Award!  Shown Here on Left is Editor Miguel Blanco and on the right is Producer/Station Manager Jacob Rush.  KOCT won the Bronze “Peoples Choice Telly” for the feature: “A Really Big Rancho - The Story of the Kelly Family”. This story is one of six segments found in the Adobes and Ranchos of North County collection and brings viewers into the Adobe where Marvin Sipple, Susan Kelly, Pat Kelly, and Karen Kelly tell the historic story of the Kelly Family. The series was written by U-T North County columnist Lola Sherman, produced by Lola Sherman, KOCT’s Executive Director Tom Reeser, and KOCT’s Station Manager Jacob Rush, narrated by Harvey Kaufman, and edited by Miguel Blanco.

·         Thanks to Main Street Oceanside KOCT will again cover this year July 2nd Parade “Live” from our Civic Center location.  You can watch our numerous Video On Demand replays on KOCT.ORG or watch our streaming coverage ‘LIVE’ on KOCT’s Channel 19.

·         Thanks to Frank Zimmerman, Oceanside High School and OUSD KOCT will send our high-definition Mobile Studio to cover this year Oceanside High School Graduation from the Junior Seau Beach Amphitheater.  KOCT’s Engineering staff (Thanks Bill Peters & Phoenix Von Hendy) is working with the City of Oceanside’s amazing IT department to provide ‘live’ coverage of this year’s graduation ceremony. We will also EXTENSIVELY replay this joyous event and make it available as Video On Demand too.

Stay in Tune with your Community by staying tuned to KOCT-Your Community Channel. 

Oceanside Spectrum High School Edition

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

Oceanside Spectrum is one of the only programs on television that allows local non-profits the opportunity to publicize their needs, promote their fundraising events and inform the public about the good work they do in the community.

Local media is often overshadowed by the thousands of media choices now available to viewers – hundreds of TV channels and thousands of internet distractions compete for limited attention spans. But the good work that KOCT performs is not just in its local focused programs but also in the unique services it provides.

For example, each year for the past decade, KOCT has been producing two special High School Edition Oceanside Spectrums with video students from El Camino and Oceanside High School.  These special programs allow local students to take a crash course in camera operation, floor directing, hosting and directing – taught by KOCT’s professional staff.  And the public benefits by watching programs for, by and about our local high schools and their teachers and events. 

Sharon Strong teaches video production at El Camino High School and Frank Zimmerman for Oceanside High School.  Many of their students return after graduating to work at KOCT and gain real world experience in the competitive field of communications.

These shows are now being edited by the students and will air on KOCT beginning in May. These programs will also be available for viewing on your iPad, smart phone or computer as Video On Demand!

So stay tuned!!

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