This week we recorded the premier show of a new North County Talks series.   The program titled Faith and the Common Good is hosted by the Rev. T. S. Harris.  

North Coast United Methodist Church in Oceanside is producing the new talk show series  that seeks to provide an opportunity for the faith community in our area to dialog with the larger community about issues and concerns that effect us all. Issues will be discussed from a faith perspective. Over the next twelve months the program will consider how the faith community makes a difference in improving the quality of life in Oceanside and surrounding communities.

Here are some pictures of yesterday's guests:

Our first guest Felix Berry, local Restaurant Owner (Felix's BBQ with Soul) and Our Host  Rev. T. S. Harris.  (right)

Rev T.S Harris(right) with Carolyn Theiss-Aird (2012-2013 Past Church Moderator Pilgrim United Church of Christ) and Rev Dr Jonathan Mitchell, Pastor of the SwedenBorgian Church of San Diego

And let's not forget some "behind the scenes" pictures:

Addison, former intern, now staff at KOCT is our floor director

Angela works in the control room to make sure everything is ready for the shoot

Jake, studio manager, directs this episode of North County Talks

Maya is our most recent Volunteer

The view from the Control room

The program will start airing on KOCT’s channel 18 on January 21st and each Tuesday at 7 pm. It will also be available each Saturday at 10 am and 10 pm and Sunday at 12 pm as well as VOD or Video on Demand on January 21st, 2014. 

KOCT is excited about this new partnership and programming and a new program will premiere each month.

Oceanside Talks/ North County Talks is an innovative community television series that allows local non-profits, individuals and other community members to produce their own talk show at an affordable price. (Businesses can also take advantage of this offer but the programs cannot be shown on KOCT because we are a non-commercial television station.) These programs will be shown on KOCT during weekends on the month following the production. Each program would also be available on demand via www.koct.org. 

Oceanside/North County Talks  was created to encourage community programming and will help KOCT to generate income to augment our part-time staffing and produce more grass-roots programming. Click here to find pricing and other information. 

As we start the Year 2014, we would like to share with you some blast from the past:

Congressman Ron Packard was our guest on the Voice of Oceanside. The Voice used to be a one-hour call-in  program (viewers had longer attention spans in those days).  Tim Aldrich was the co-founder and the host of the Voice of Oceanside and this was one of the early sets.  Please write to current Congressman Darrell  Issa and encourage him to appear on KOCT’s  Voice of Oceanside in 2014!

And here are two pictures of the old council chambers from about 1987. Mayor Bagley and Council members Ben Ramsey, Sam Williamson, Lucy Chavez, Melba Bishop and Walt Gilbert were Oceanside’s elected officials—oh and of course Barbara Regal Wayne as City Clerk.

KOCT's cameramen are here recording the installation of the tile around the foundation for the KOCT documentary on the building of the Civic Center (1989)

One of KOCT’s great traditions are the family-like pot lucks we have had over the years to celebrate birthdays and Christmas.  This year we had a great mix of Board members, volunteers and staff who attended and brought delicious food to share. There was also a spirited gift exchange with some strategic thefts of prized gifts.  KOCT has been blessed with dedicated board members and talented production personnel over our 30+ years of service to our community. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Board and Staff of KOCT!

KOCT’s camera crew was at this year's 26th Annual North County Philanthropy Council’s Volunteer Awards luncheon.

From left to right: Marjory Pierce, Callie Stewart, Camo Gleisberg, Mary Gleisberg, Michelle Davis, Cydnie Braden, Debbie Allen and Carol Mudget

We now have two programs about this event to share with you:

1. For those with short attention spans go the homepage of KOCT and click on the big video window for the Newsbrief version. 
2. If you want to see the entire program click here . Every major North County non-profit was at this event to honor the volunteers who give so much to so many.  Long time KOCT board member, Michele Bray-Davis was one of many volunteers to enjoy a lunch and receive a beautiful glass plaque. And  Colleen O’Hara, former Oceanside councilmember and one of the founders of the Women’s Resource Center, was given the Robert Krejci Standards of Excellence Award  for her many years of service to our community in so many volunteer capacities. If you see a friend in the video make sure you send them the KOCT link so they can see it too.

To find out more about the North County Philanthropy Council click here.

With so many digital distractions it’s not always easy to find KOCT amongst the channel clutter.  Cox Cable has hundreds of channels to wade through, but only two of those many channels are for, by and about our hometown of Oceanside.

One easy way to check out what KOCT is airing is to make KOCT your Power-On channel; that way as soon as you sit down to watch TV you can easily see what  valuable community-centric KOCT program is airing BEFORE you watch the national news offerings. And if you also make KOCT a Favorite channel you only have to push one button to watch KOCT and our city council replays, documentaries and North County talk shows.

Here’s how to do it:

• On your remote control, push ‘settings’ and then ‘A’ or more settings

• Next click ‘My Preferences’. There you will have a choice of selecting your Favorite Channels (18 & 19 of course) and your Power-On Channel: either 18-Your Community Channel or 19-Your Government Channel.  
  

• Then click ‘Exit’ to return to get out of the ‘settings mode’.

You’ll find it’s a lot easier to find KOCT amidst channel clutter by following these easy steps. And don’t forget you can go to the Cox Website for similar information.

On November 19^th the city dedicated a new pump station that takes groundwaters, purifies it and distributes it to Oceanside residents.  KOCT Board member Ira Landis is also a member of the water commission and is shown here, standing on the stand to the right, with elected and water officials.  This was a partnership between the City of Oceanside and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 

Oceanside City Mayor Jim Wood

Community is our middle name!

KOCT’s official name is Oceanside Community Television. Community is our middle name and the heart of what KOCT is all about. And no one has more exemplified this than KOCT Board Member Michelle Bray-Davis.  On November 14th, Michele was recognized for her many years of service to KOCT at the 2013 Volunteer Awards by the North County Philanthropy Council.

The event was held at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and 55 other non-profit volunteers were also recognized at this luncheon and KOCT sent a field camera crew so we could share this event with our viewers.  Michelle has served on KOCT’s board for the past six years and been the Chairman of our Fundraising Committee, a difficult job that she has handled with grace and style. Michelle will be missed by KOCT but not by the community. That’s because she serves on so many other non-profits, when you see her at their events make sure you thank her for her service to our community.

From left to right Marjory Pierce and Camo Gleisberg,  Callie Stewart, Cydnie Braden, Michelle Davis and Tom Reeser Debbie Allen and Carol Mudget

Dia De Los Muertos

Angela Wong covered the Dia De Los Muertos event at Rancho Guajoma and KOCT Editor Shawn Lennon edited this News brief about the colorful event.

Community Healthcare Matters

We had a full crew out for a long day of shooting Community Health Matters at Tri-City Medical Center. We filmed programs about Health Insurance and Robotic Assisted Surgery. It’s a delight to work with our talented host, Ricardo Berron.  Ricardo is the host of  Despierta on Univision, channel 17.  Our Community Health Matters series, (which will premier in February 2014) will be available in both Spanish and English, thanks to the expertise of Ricardo.

Ricardo Berron and Fransisco Valle

Production Crew Angela and Anette are working on scripts and note cards for the host

El Corazon Sports Complex Groundbreaking

Over 20 years ago I remember walking the arid landscape of El Corazon with cameraman Matt Beck to document this gift of land before it was even called ‘The Heart of the City’.  It was a great event this past  November 14th when we sent a KOCT crew to site of a former sand mine to document the Sports Complex Groundbreaking near the current El Corazon Senior Center. Look for this news brief and hear about the many citizens and city staff who worked so hard for so many years to turn their vision into reality. You’ll also hear about the investment by local soccer clubs and business investors that besides bring joy to young soccer players will  bring tax revenue to Oceanside. It’s a great story and we’ll send you a link after the edit. Stay Tuned!

Thank  you for your service

Finally I want to end today’s Community Connection Blog with a hearty Congratulations to our Administrative Assistant, (Sophie Crain’s) husband Joseph Crain (HMC) who is retiring from the Navy after than 20 years of service to our country.  If you’ve never been to a retirement ceremony on Camp Pendleton before you have missed something very special. It made  me proud to be an American when I heard about Joseph’s career and service to this country from his fellow naval officers. Joseph served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and has a couple of new adventures to look forward to in civilian life.  A new baby in the new year and an exciting  career with North County Health Services! Joseph, thank you for your service to our country. We wish you and Sophie the very best for this next stage in your lives!

We have another special Journalist Roundtable on Thursday night, November 7^th. The program airs ‘live’ on KOCT’s channel 18 from 6pm- 7pm.

To read more on this click on the following link: Journalist Roundtable.

KOCT offers several ways you can show your support for the Oceanside Community by joining KOCT and our efforts to continue to showcase our wonderfully diverse city! By becoming a Friend of KOCT and pledging either a monthly or annual donation, you help develop quality programming that engages Oceanside youth, local service organizations, and other non-profits.

We appreciate your continued support!
Call us at 760-722-4433 to see how you can help!

In 1984, with the encouragement and support of the City of Oceanside, a separate non-profit corporation, Oceanside Community Service Television Corporation (KOCT) was formed.

KOCT was made responsible for providing Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) access programming to the citizens of Oceanside.

We Are Your Channel

KOCT-The Oceanside Channel is celebrating over 20 years of community television service in the City of Oceanside. Oceanside Community Television (KOCT) is a non-profit Corporation that provides public, educational and government access programming and services on Cox Communications Channels 18 and 19, as well as on AT&T. KOCT also hosts a website, koct.org, on which both channels are available via “streaming” video as well as many programs that are available “on-demand”.

KOCT provides "live" coverage and replays of all City Council meetings, produces and airs documentaries, local sports, talk shows and innumerable other community programs. KOCT also provides Community Bulletin Boards so that government and local non-profit agencies can publicize their events.

KOCT is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors representing various segments of the community and operates with a 10-member full-time staff and the assistance of part-time students and volunteers.

A contract agreement with the City of Oceanside stipulates that KOCT is responsible for Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) access. KOCT's channel 19 is the Government Channel with City-related information and programming. The County Television Network (CTN) is also shown on channel 19.

Channel 18 -The Community Channel provides a range of programming including public and educational access, local origination and the California Channel. Both Channels 18 and 19 are in operation 24 hours a day.

KOCT supplies all of the technical assistance and equipment for the production of its programs. It augments its professional staff with part-time workers and student interns from local colleges. The station provides invaluable experience for individuals interested in telecommunications careers. Student interns and interested volunteers can obtain valuable on-the-job experience.

KOCT's continued success and growth will ensure that the people of Oceanside retain a mass media platform well into the 21st century. KOCT's award-winning programs and services have brought national recognition and acclaim to The Oceanside Channel. In 2008, KOCT received the Alliance for Community Media Award for Overall Excellence in the Hometown Video Awards competition and KOCT’s Russell Ferguson won an Emmy Award for Climate TV in the category of Children’s Programming.

KOCT prides itself on its responsiveness to community desires, needs and suggestions and welcomes your comments.

The annual Western Access Video Excellence awards (WAVE) showcase the best work of community television producers from the western states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico. It’s very competitive and this year there were over 350 entries!

 KOCT is pleased that three out of our six Finalists won a WAVE in their category.

Discover Downtown 2

Congratulations to Producer Janene Shepherd and the KOCT team that produces the Discover Downtown series for winning a WAVE in the Lifestyle-Informational category. Janene won for Discover Downtown 2  which is underwritten by Main Street Oceanside. Janene explores all of the new businesses, restaurants and museums in our downtown area. She just completed Discover Downtown 3 which is currently airing on KOCT. Check it out!

Janene at LL Reptile

San Luis Bike Rey Trail

Another WAVE winner was our KOCT’s Cablecast Team Leader , Angela Miranda for her PSA – the San Luis Rey Bike Trail. This PSA also airs on a special video monitor that KOCT installed in the California Welcome Center as a result of grant from San Diego County to encourage tourism. Angela is a true renaissance woman. She makes sure our two channels run 24/7, edits, directs and does so much more for KOCT. Congrats Angela!

Journalist Roundtable

The State of the Media in North County

KOCT’s Journalist Roundtable  won in the “LIVE” category and I share the  Producer award with the winning crew, hosts and journalists that make this monthly program possible: The JRT team consists of Director Jake Rush, Assistant Director Angela Miranda, Audio Director Peter Bonscher, and camera operators Garvin Ha, Addison Wolf, Anette Lund, Tamara Ilich and Katie Lynn. Our make-up is by our favorite volunteer, Carmel Bowers and the show is defined by our Host Kent Davy and respected journalists Alison St. John and Logan Jenkins. This award was for a special program called “The State of the Media in North County” featuring Dean Nelson, Professor of Journalism at Point Loma University. I did a lot of research for this show and was aided by our Cal State San Marcos Journalism Intern, Jessica Gambrel.

Journalist Roundtable July 11, 2013 from KOCT on Vimeo.

The WAVE awards event was held at the Alliance for Community Media Regional Conference which was held in San Jose on October25th.  KOCT’s Garvin Ha had two of his PSA entries make the Finalist category and should also be congratulated for the quality of his work—and his buoyant personality!

Garvin Ha