KOCT Christmas Past

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

1992 Voice of Oceanside Mayor Bagley Host Tim Aldrich and crew

KOCT began in the early 1980’s and many students, volunteers and employees have contributed to our community television station and programs over those many years .  We have also  celebrated many Christmas’s at KOCT with joyful potluck celebrations and ugly Christmas sweaters (you know who you are).

Ugly Sweater Contest

We hope you enjoy this nostalgic look back and we think you might also enjoy some of KOCT’s classic Christmas programs which we are playing on Channel 18 & 19 throughout the month of December. Just go to SCHEDULE at KOCT.ORG and have a Merry Christmas!

Cheers!

Chow Line

KOCT Gift Exchange

Look who got the chocolate.

The good stuff!

Tom with Santa and Elf

Merry Christmas!

North County Corridor

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

The KOCT News Brief crew traveled to Encinitas recently to document a major development in regional transportation that will have a positive affect on drivers, bicyclists, walkers and train passengers.  On Tuesday, November 29^th, local, state and federal officials met at San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center in Cardiff for a historic groundbreaking event. 

The $700 million dollar project will widen the I-5 bridge that crosses the lagoon and add double-tracking to the railroad bridges.  There will be 10 miles of new bike paths and pedestrian walkways and improvements to the lagoon.

You’ll definitely notice this massive project when you travel this corridor so find out what it’s all about in KOCT’s new News Brief.

Swearing In to be Live on KOCT

KOCT’s City Council Camera Crew will provide ‘live’ coverage of next week’s Swearing-In-Ceremony from the Oceanside City Council chambers. The event will be on Wednesday, December 14^th, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm on KOCT’s Channel 19, or watch via our streaming service on your smart phone, tablet or computer.

Random Pixels

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

·         Thank you to the many candidates who bravely submitted their names and gave of their time and resources to run for local office.  We appreciate their willingness to participate in KOCT’s many election programs and hope that win or lose, they will still participate and help to make our community a better place to live.  And Congratulations to the winners in this very unusual election year too!

·         KOCT held its annual Halloween pot-luck party and costume contest.  It was a great way to relax after two months of election production and a successful fundraiser.

·         If you haven’t seen the double overtime Football game featuring cross-town rivals El Camino Vs Oceanside High School you’ve missed a classic match.  KOCT will continue to air the program on KOCT channel 18 (Schedule) and play the program as VOD too.  Thanks to the many participants that made this game possible.  We’ll also be covering Oceanside Vs El Camino Boys and Girls basketball games in early 2017!! Here are some pictures from last Friday’s game taken by KOCT’s Beverly Woodworth (Wizard above)

Oceanside High School Football LIVE

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

Oceanside vs El Camino High School game to air ‘live’ on KOCT this Friday night at 7 pm!!

KOCT’s mobile studio and its talented crew will roll to El Camino High School on Friday to record the exciting cross-town rivalry game between Oceanside & El Camino High School. The game will air on KOCT, Channel 18 starting at 7 pm and will also be replayed on Saturday & Sunday at 8 pm (Channel 18).

It’s been seven years since KOCT has covered local high school sports and the plans are to cover a boys & girls basketball game in early 2017.  Our football Play by Play announcer Art Root has returned to call the action along with play by Color Commentary by co-host Joshua Galea’i.  KOCT is available county-wide on AT&T’s U-Verse (channel 99) or on Cox Cable in Oceanside.  The game will also be made available next week as Video On Demand via KOCT.ORG and replayed extensively on KOCT throughout the month of November.  

Be an educated voter and watch KOCT this weekend before casting your ballot!

KOCT has more than a dozen local election forums, talk shows and candidate statements about the Initiatives and Candidates you’ll see on your election 2016 ballot.  We make it easy to sit in front of your computer, smart phone, tablet or tv and watch programs featuring Oceanside City Council and Mayor candidates.  We also have many programs featuring the candidates for Tri-City Medical Center and Oceanside Unified School District.  There are three major initiatives on this years ballot:  Lilac Hills Initiative, Measure MM and Prop A and we have in-depth programs about each proposal for you to review.

Go to KOCT.ORG for our television program schedule or to Video On Demand for our many election programs.

Be an informed voter by watching KOCT-North County’s Channel! 

KOCT Fundraiser at Outback Steakhouse

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

Have a great lunch AND help KOCT-North County’s Channel on October 14^th

You’re not going to want to miss the 14^th Annual KOCT Outback Steakhouse Fundraiser on Friday, October 14^th.  It will be a great chance to help your community television station produce programs for, by and about our north county community.  Tickets are only $25 and you’ll have your choice of salmon, chicken, pork or steak AND every table will get a blooming onion! We’ll have raffles, silent auction and you’ll get a free KOCT gift.

Stop by the KOCT studios to buy your tickets or go online and use a credit card.

We have seatings at 11:30 am and 1 pm. Take your staff to lunch—the Outback Steakhouse is conveniently located near Highway 78 & I 5 at 2485 Vista Way in Oceanside, 92054—and your donation may be tax-deductible.

Too busy to attend but want to help?  Buy tickets and we’ll donate them to military families on Camp Pendleton—a win-win for everyone.

KOCT is the community channel because of your support—we could not produce our many Election 2016 programs, for example without the support of local business and community members.

One such supporter is the proprietor of the Outback Steakhouse, Janice Koehler, who, for over 14 years, has demonstrated her commitment to locally produced television by hosting our annual fundraiser. Thanks Janice!

Election Programming

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

It appears that this year’s voter will face a challenging number of complicated, wordy and important ballot measures.  Voters will need to review numerous pages with extensive detail about potential bonds, development initiatives and propositions.

KOCT has been producing a number of Election 2016 programs to help you become an informed voter about candidates and issues in our North County.  ALL of these programs will be replayed extensively in September & October on KOCT and right up to the November election. Additionally, all of these programs can be seen as Video On Demand via KOCT.ORG on your computer, smart phone or tablet.

So become an informed voter.  CLICK on our VOD Election 2016 list of programs and learn more about the candidates who seek office in north county and about the many bonds and initiatives facing the electorate in 2016. Here are the KOCT programs that will be available now and in October on KOCT-North County’s Channel:

Journalist Roundtable (recorded 9-1-16)

·        Proposition A (SANDAG Bond)

·        Lilac Hills Development Initiative

·        Measure MM- (MiraCosta College Bond)

Journalist Roundtable (will record on 10-6-16)

·        Oceanside City Council Candidates

·        Oceanside Mayoral Candidates

Voice of North County (will record on 10-4-16)

·        Tri-City Medical Center

·        Oceanside Unified School District

·        Oceanside Treasurer

Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Forums (Recorded at & by MiraCosta College on 9-22-16 & 9-27-16 and available on KOCT in October)

·        Oceanside Unified School District Board of Trustees

·        Tri-City Medical Center Board of Directors

·        Oceanside City Council Candidates

·        Oceanside Mayoral Candidates

KOCT’s Candidate Statements- All candidates were invited to submit, for no fee, 5 minute statements, or contract with KOCT to record their statements in the KOCT studio.

Candidates Statements was a free * election season  service until City of Oceanside funding to KOCT was cut and our contract obligation to produce ANY Election program was eliminated. KOCT continues, however, to produce election programs as part of our Mission to serve our Community.

KOCT Thanks Underwriter Federal Heath Signs for their generous support of KOCT’s Election 2016 programming. 

The San Luis Rey Rotary Club also made a donation to assist KOCT in producing these expensive Election programs.  Thank you SLR Rotary!

 * The $250 fee KOCT charges for Candidate Statements  pays for the staff, studio time, preparation , editing and replays required to produce these optional programs.  

Equipment Upgrade at City Hall

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

Big changes are coming to the Oceanside Council Chambers when the council returns from summer break for their August 10^th, 5 pm meeting. The City’s IT Department has added new equipment and technology.  Back in 1981, Oceanside was one of the first cities in San Diego County to videotape their meetings and in the beginning it was accomplished by volunteers and City Staff members working together in the old City Council chambers. 

Here’s a picture of how KOCT used to cover the meetings—three camera operators, a floor director in the Council Chambers and a Director and Audio member out in the City AV trailer—which was towed to and  parked outside the old City Council chambers  for each meeting.

All of the TV monitors were in black and white, and no matter how we tried the Hitachi camera pictures had a slight green tinge to them. In the early days the cable company would only give KOCT 2 hours of air time-- so the floor director’s job was to take notes so that the Editor could select the most popular or important agenda items and edit the 4 hour meeting down to two hours. We then had to drive the ¾” U-Matic tape to the cable company for airing!

In the late 80’s the cable company provided a channel for us to share with MiraCosta College and we were able to air the entire council meetings—first as tape delayed and later ‘live’ as the meetings happened.

In 1989 Bob Bowditch, the founder of KOCT, and Chief Engineer William ‘Mr. Bill’ Sinatra were excited about the new Civic Center being built with plans that included a new larger room for City Council meetings. However, they were aghast to discover that no plans had been included to upgrade, improve or change how the council meetings were to be videotaped. Anyone who knew Bob knows what happened next. Bob and Mr. Bill sat down over many hurried weeks and designed the basic AV system structure of robotic cameras, projector, audio and director’s console. Here is the last picture I have of Bob Bowditch and Mr. Bill working on Chamber drawings at Bob’s Fire Mt. home. Bob died from brain cancer before he was able to see his final work in the new civic center.

The cameras have been repaired and modified many times since then, but starting in August all of the Robotics, Cameras and Directing equipment will be replaced with new high-definition cameras and all digital equipment.

KOCT is working with the City’s outstanding IT department who oversaw and implemented this improvement to the City Council chambers. A big shout out of thanks to the City’s Information Technology Department Manager Yukari Brown and IT Specialist Dave Riha for their leadership on this project.  

A look at the new system                            KOCT crew on site for training session

Check out the new look by watching the next meeting ‘live’, via replay or on the City’s YouTube channel. Joint meetings of the Oceanside City Council, Community Development Commission (CDC), and Harbor Board of Directors are typically held on two Wednesdays of each month at 5:00 pm and are broadcast live at KOCT-North County’s Channel  19 through Cox Cable or on AT&T’’s U-Verse channel 99 channel. Replays can be viewed the following Thursday at 2:00 pm, Saturday at 11:00 am, and Sunday at 5:00 pm