Earlier this year the City Council approved the awarding of art project funds to KOCT and five (5) other non-profit organizations. The Oceanside Arts Commission, consisting of 11 volunteers, had reviewed many grant applications before passing on their recommendations to the Council.

The mission of the Arts Commission is to foster the development of the performing, visual and cultural arts. The goal of KOCT’s successful grant application was to produce three programs about other successful grantees and share with our north county community our rich art culture and heritage. KOCT is thankful for the support of the Arts Commission and the City Council. KOCT will provide matching funds for this project to our City Council.

In the coming months you’ll see the KOCT camera crew at the following events:

·         The Boys & Girls Club of Oceanside’s Art of the Masters program

·         The First Friday Art Walk (May 1^st)

·         Oceanside Theatre Company’s Radio Program Series

KOCT’s objective is to share with a greater audience these short television and web programs that capture the creativity, excitement and content of our vibrant Oceanside arts community. We live in a busy, fast-paced environment and not everyone can get away from family, business and other obligations to participate and enjoy the arts. KOCT hopes to share and preserve these ‘art moments’ with a larger community and for a period of time longer than the event itself!  Donald Stump with North County Lifeline wrote in a supportive letter on behalf of KOCT: “…these programs highlight the many positive projects that take place in Oceanside and KOCT’s coverage helps to insure a larger audience for our non-profits, artists and musicians.”



KOCT camera crew at North County Lifeline mural creation for a previous "Arts & Culture" production.

Jennifer Lacy, the Board Chair of the Oceanside Charitable Foundation wrote: "We are fortunate to have such a responsive television station in Oceanside....their commitment to promoting Arts and Culture has been evident by their innovation and willingness to work with the community".

KOCT has covered the Arts in Oceanside since its inception. Here the late poet, writer and ‘artist’ Robert Nanninga & KOCT Executive Director Tom Reeser create a promo for a KOCT program about the very first ‘Days of Art’ in the late 1980’s.



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

Wow, I just reviewed the first program in the new KOCT series, Arts and Culture and I’m so impressed. Not with just the production (more on that later!) but with the many non-profits and caring professionals who contributed to this first Arts and Culture project.

The first subject in this four-part series is about a unique collaboration between the Museum of Making Music and the Women’s Resource Center. “Hear Me & Heal Me” is introduced by Danielle Deery, with the Oceanside Museum of Art. This first program highlights a 12 week interactive, therapeutic music program for the residents of the WRC’s transitional housing. Rather than describe this wonderful 10-minute mini-documentary why not watch it by clicking here?

The Producer-Editor-Writer for this program was KOCT’s Peter Bonscher, a talented professional who continues to amaze me with his many skills. Peter is KOCT’s Program Scheduler/Senior Production Technician but he does much more than that. He’s a producer, editor, writer who comes to KOCT by way of the music world.  A life-long musician and composer, Peter is an award winning producer who brings a wealth of experience in management, finance and real estate, and is currently pursuing a degree in Communication.  Peter was the producer of KOCT’s news magazine program, Inside Oceanside. Peter has produced many documentaries including programs on the Oceanside Museum of Art and the Annual Candlelight walk by North County Amnesty International.  You’ll hear Peter’s voice on many KOCT programs and he was the perfect choice to launch this new series.

Art’s and Culture was funded by the Oceanside Charitable Foundation in 2013 and KOCT has matched their $6500 grant in order to produce the four programs in this series. KOCT will document all of the Arts and Culture programs that the OCF funded in their arts and culture 2013 focus upcoming programs will include Healing Through the Arts by North County Lifeline, Oceanside: A Celebration of our Rich Cultural Heritage by the Kid’s College and the 17^th Annual San Luis Rey Inter-Tribal Pow Wow by the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians Foundation.

We are pleased to be working with the Oceanside Museum of Art and KOCT continues to seek additional funding to continue this new series. If your business, corporation or foundation would like to help please contact me at KOCT for more information.