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. 

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!!

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

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

Thanks to a generous grant from Tri-City Medical Center KOCT was able to roll its high-definition Mobile Studio to cover an important North County event. KOCT provided four camera coverage of the 3^rd annual North County Economic Summit held on March 2^nd at the La Costa Resort.

Mark Vitner, the Wells Fargo Managing Director and Senior Economist presented a forecast on national, state and regional data and trends. BW Research President Josh Williams presented a North County Perspective.

There was also an informative panel on Work, Housing and Transportation. This quality of life panel was hosted by KOGO radio’s George Chamberlin.  Alison St John, KPBS’s North County Bureau Chief was in attendance and reported that Carl Morgan, chief professional officer of the North County Economic Development Corp., said one reason for the difficulty in attracting middle-class jobs is lack of affordable housing.  She noted that “The BW Research Report showed more than a third of North County residents commute more than half an hour to work. Fewer than two percent use public transit, while 87 percent drive alone.“

KOCT will air this program throughout the month of March and April on both KOCT Channels 18 & 19. We have also posted the program as Video on Demand.

Event Photos provided courtesy of David Sumaya with dmzvisual

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

Check out the wealth of new programs coming to KOCT beginning March 7^th!

Peter Bonscher with WAVE Awards

KOCT’s Peter Bonscher is a multi-talented KOCT staff member who Produces, Edits and records Voice-Over narration. In his ‘spare’ time he produces the monthly KOCT program schedule—filling two television channels with a variety of programs—24/7!  And he has a lot of interesting programs on the schedule this spring:

HOST_ELAINE SWANN_CANDID

SET_FORMAL_CARMEN NAVA, MONICA CHAPA-DOMERCQ, ELAINE SWANN

BEHIND SCENE_TELEPROMPTER, FD, AND LIVE SET d captionOne of your favorite programs Oceanside Spectrum (with vivacious host Elaine Swann) has been added to the daily afternoon schedule at 3pm, Monday through Friday on Channel 18.

Also on channel 18, on Tuesday and Thursday, Your Sanctuary: Waterways (Monterey Bay Aquarium programs) plays at 2:30 pm, and Curiosity Quest (kid-focused Eco program at 3:30pm. Curiosity Quests has programs on water reclamation, trash free challenge and organic farming to name a few examples.

On Sunday mornings Peter has put together a lineup of issue oriented programs on KOCT- channel 18: 

7:00 am – Journalist Roundtable

8:00 am – This is America and the World (US ambassadors positioned around the world talk about their jobs and America’s role in the world)

8:30 am – Global Connections TV with Bill Miller -- GCTV explores and covers diverse world issues such as hunger, poverty, security, economic development, energy, world health, migration, war, human rights, tolerance and international trade.  Oceanside has three active Rotary Clubs as does Carlsbad and Vista—Rotarians might find it of interest that host Mr. Miller helped develop international education programs at the local level and the “Rotary Day at the United Nations Program.” He was President of the Frankfort Rotary Club (2000-01) and was the Rotary District 6710 Governor (2003-2004

9:00 am – Conflict Zone—This new program focuses on the planet’s zones of conflict

9:30 am – Quadriga -- International journalists, commentators, discuss one of the week's major talking points. The panel of foreign correspondents and German journalists clash on key political, business and cultural topics in the Quadriga studio in Berlin. Sparks are sure to fly as they debate the controversial issues dominating the global news agenda.

KOCT is proud to air this unique line-up of programs. These shows cannot be found anywhere else on your dial—just like the many local programs that KOCT produces for, by and about our unique North County Community.  

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

BOBBIE DEPORTER, STEDMAN GRAHAM, AND ANGELA MIRANDA

DR. DUANE COLEMAN

MICHEYL STEINWAY RECORDS THE AUDIENCE AT THE YSW CLOSE

KOCT was a joyous participant in Oceanside’s recent Youth Success Week.  We invited the Superintendent of Oceanside Unified School District Duane Coleman to the KOCT studios to record daily messages that were then   played in the classrooms each morning.  Each day Mr. Coleman highlighted one of the eight keys of excellence.  These character building mantras were developed by Quantum Learning Network and its President Bobbie DePorter. The videos were edited by KOCT’s Micheyl Steinway.

SHELBIE HAHN, JON BELTZ, AND GINA VIOLENT AT YSW OPENING

KOCT’s efforts did not stop there. KOCT’s Production Supervisor, Angela Miranda led the KOCT production staff to capture both the opening ceremony held at the Quantum Learning Network AND the closing ceremony which was held at the Junior Seau Beach Amphitheater.  The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote a good article about this innovative week of youth empowerment. 

STEDMAN GRAHAM AT YSW CLOSING

PERFORMERS AT YSW CLOSE

YOUTHS WATCH THE YSW CLOSING EVENT

These two News briefs programs were edited by Toby Maysey and will be played throughout the KOCT programming day. They are also posted as Video On Demand on KOCT.ORG.   The Community Alliance for Youth Success, or CAYS, has been working for three years to help Oceanside students become successful in their lives and it all culminated into this week long event.  Thanks to Angela, Micheyl, Toby and the entire KOCT production crew for their efforts to help our youth succeed!

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

On February 4^th the President of Cal State University San Marcos, Karen Haynes, gave her annual Report to the Community entitled: Impacting Tomorrow…Together.  KOCT will air this informative talk and, in the near future, additional programming from the campus as well.

President Karen Haynes spoke of the central role the campus plays in North San Diego County   as they endeavor to develop the workforce of tomorrow.  She discussed the insufficient state support proposed by our governor—funding for only 1% growth in enrollment for the entire CSU system! This would, she explained, provide funding for only 160 additional funded students—even though our local campus has grown by 24% over the past three years AND the fall 2015 enrollment was the largest ever at 14,000 students.

A good way to keep up with the activities at this vibrant campus is to check out President Haynes’ blog.  (Note: She is also a blogger for the Huffington Post!) In her talk she proudly announced that the U.S. Dept. of Education has awarded the campus a $2.6 million dollar grant to enhance efforts to increase retention and graduation rates among Latino students.

The CSUSM President’s Report to the Community has been added to this month’s schedule on the following days/times/channels:

Channel 19

Mon  2/15    7pm  

Wed  2/17    9pm

Fri      2/19    2pm 

Sat     2/20    8am 

Channel 18

Sun    2/21    1pm 

Tue    2/23    2pm  

Thu    2/25    7pm 

Sat      2/27    4pm   

Channel 19

Sun     2/28   7am  

Mon    2/29   3pm  

Wed    3/2   11pm 

Fri        3/4     7pm 

You can also watch President Haynes presentation as video on demand by clicking HERE.

It can be challenging to be informed about our north county community. We DO have many informative ‘newspaper’ resources (though many are on-line instead of actual news-print) Editor Steve Marcotte covers Oceanside with the OsideNews for example. North County receives good coverage (with an Encinitas focus) via Editor Tony Cagala and The Coast News. And Maggie Avants, the Managing Editor for the Seaside Courier covers our coastal cities and has some talented and informed columnists like Thomas K. Arnold who used to opine for the North County Times. The San Diego Union-Tribune covers North County with knowledgeable reporters like Edward Sifuentes , Phil Diehl and columnists like Logan Jenkins. 

KPBS’s Alison St. John covers north county, and her informative stories run on both the KPBS radio & television channels. Our commercial TV channels provide some coverage of north county, but how in-depth can you get in 30-90 second packages?

PREP_KENT DAVY AND FD KELLIE DANTZLER

PHIL DIEHL

SET_JOURNALISTS

It’s hard to beat KOCT’s Journalist Roundtable for in-depth coverage of north county issues. First of all, we have a talented group of journalist starting with Host Ken Davy, the former Editor for the North County Times. He is joined by Alison St. John and Logan Jenkins, (although Logan was absent in Feb and our thanks to Phil Diehl, another veteran North County resident and reporter, for filling in.)

GREENROOM_ROCKY CHAVEZ, JOSE APONTE, TOM REESER

SET_FORMAL_ROCKY CHAVEZ

SET_FORMAL_CARL DEMAIO

MONITOR_JOSE APONTE AND JOURNALISTS

SET_CANDID_ESTHER SANCHE

Our February 4^th Journalist Roundtable is a good example of north county focused programming:

·         Assemblyman Rocky Chavez talked about California politics and his run for a US Senate seat. (Note: only 4 days later he announced on KOGO Radio (hosted by Carl DeMaio) of his decision to step out of the US Senate race and run to retain his Assembly seat! KOCT will have a Special JRT in April with ALL the candidates for this office—stay tuned!)

·         Former San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio explained why he will wait till 2017 or later to pursue a Pension Reform initiative.

·         Jose Aponte, the Library Director for San Diego County, was asked why the Regional Task Force on the Homeless asked the county libraries to join their organization.

·         Councilmember Ester Sanchez (Oceanside) discussed the major changes to South Coast Highway that will occur by March of this year.  She believes the changes will make the road safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

SET_CONVERSATION_ESTHER SANCHEZ AND JOURNALISTS

SET_CONVERSATION_JOSE APONTE AND JOURNALISTS

SET_ROUNDTABLE_CARL DEMAIO AND JOURNALISTS

Each of these interviews are over 10 minutes in length which allows follow-up questions from the journalists, but they also give the viewer time to learn about these important issues and topics. We air a new ‘live’ program on the first Thursday of every month at 6 pm.  Too busy to sit in front of your TV and watch these programs on KOCT’s Channel 18?  Then watch them while you wait at the DMV or auto repair shop on your Smart Phone or Tablet!

We are inundated with news and information about the world and national politics by cable news and political websites, but it’s your local politicians and agencies that have the biggest impact on your lives. So it’s important to stay informed about North County issues by reading our local newspaper, listening to public radio and watching KOCT.

Remember: Tune into your community by watching KOCT-Your Community Channel. 

·         

KOCT, Your Community Channel, was acknowledged by the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Oceanside for our community service and our 29 years as an organizational chamber member. It was a nice change of pace to be in front of the cameras instead of behind them!  KOCT is proud of our long relationship with a progressive Oceanside Chamber of Commerce and we appreciate the recognition. 

Shown here Left to Right are KOCT’s Station Manager Jake Rush, KOCT Board members Debbie Allen, Liz Rhea, Margret Merlock, KOCT Executive Director Tom Reeser, Chamber CEO David Nydegger and KOCT Board member and OUSD Trustee Robert “Camo” Gleisberg.

Elaine Swann  is not only the host of the popular KOCT program Oceanside Spectrum but an author, etiquette expert, motivational speaker, spokesperson and a teacher.  Last week she led a Business Etiquette class for KOCT employees that was instructional and well received.  Elaine has recently appeared on the Today Show and has an amazing life story to share. Check out her comprehensive website and her fun book “ Let Crazy Be Crazy” . 

SET_FORMAL_ABBY & SHANE NAKAMURA, ELAINE SWANN

Elaine Swann 1-22-16

Community Health Matters—The KOCT production team (and our two community health clinics!) have been very busy producing a new season of Community Health Matters.  Experts from Vista Community Clinic and North County Health Services have been recording a host of new programs about topics such as pediatrics, dental health during pregnancy, youth development, health education and mental health services.  North County is blessed to have these progressive, modern facilities and professionals available to provide affordable health services for our growing communities. 

GREENROOM_SALVADOR ROMAN, MICHELLE MONROE, KESHA SPOOR, HERMINIA LEDESMA

SET_FORMAL_FERNANADO SANUDO, RAYE CLENDENING

STUDIO_WIDE_CREW, SET, GUESTS

TELEPROMTER_HOST RAYE CLENDENING

STUDIO_BREAK_SET, CREW, AND GUESTS

KOCT MOBILE STUDIO

KOCT CREW_TELEPROMTER ADJUSTMENT

SET_FORMAL_MATT HALL, DE'ANN WEIMER, KENT DAVY, ALISON ST.JOHN

Don’t miss next weeks JOURNALIST ROUNDTABLE program!  We have a great list of topics and guests:

California State Assemblyman Rock Chavez (District 76)

We’ll ask Rocky about this year’s budget, the state of California politics, and about his run for a U.S. Senate seat.

Our second guest will be former San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio—he and former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed are proposing a Pension Reform Initiative for the November 2016 ballot. His goal is to give voters the final say on compensation and pension benefits for state and local government employees

Our third guest is Jose Aponte—the Library Director for San Diego County.  We’ll ask Jose about the new partnership that the County Library is entering into with the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. We’ll ask Jose why our libraries have a unique perspective on the homeless and about some of the valuable service they often provide that can help the homeless to find jobs and housing.

Our final guest will be Oceanside Councilmember Ester Sanchez. She will discuss the tragic death of a young bicyclist on South Coast Highway in October 2015 and the  changes that are coming to Coast Highway in an effort to make the street safer for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists.

The show airs ‘live’ on KOCT’s Community Channel 18 at 6 pm on Cox Cable and AT&T’s U-Verse OR you can watch the program ‘Stream’ via koct.org on your smart phone, tablet or computer!

KOCT has blasted into the new year with an aggressive production schedule. This week we recorded a number of programs with Vista Community Clinic for our new season of Community Health Matters. This series was funded by a grant from Tri-City Medical Center Community Healthcare Alliance Committee and their Board of Directors. The series also features in-depth programs by Tri-City Medical Center and North County Health Services.

BEHIND SCENE SET RICH, BECK & CREW

CONVERSATION CAROLINA RAMIREZ, DEBORAH STEINBERG, VICKI BECK

As you’ll see, the Clinic focused on a wide variety of health concerns and topics. The host for this series was Vicki Hoffman Beck and her first interviewees were Dr. Donna Mills & Deborah Steinberg and they discussed Behavioral Health.  Dr. Jaime Cortez spoke on Chiropractic services and Dr. Ryan Rich discussed Optometry.

BEHIND SCENE MONITOR RYAN RICH & VICKI BECK

KOCT CREW - SHELBIE ON HOST CAM

The second program featured Dr. Loretta Stenzel and they discussed Hepatitis C & HIV care.  Then Dr. Steven Ochi & Victoria Harris were interviewed about Diabetes and hypertension management. The final two guest were Dr. Cheryl Thompson and Natasha Riley who discussed Cancer screening & prevention.

NATASHA RILEY, CHERYL THOMPSON, VICKI BECK

 These programs are now being edited to add ‘B’ roll and graphics and will be posted on our Video On Demand in the coming weeks as well as shown on KOCT’s channel 18 - so Stay Tuned!

BEHIND SCENE - JIM WOOD, KENT DAVY, ALISON ST.JOHN

We also launched a new season of Journalist Roundtable –now in hi-definition! Our first show featured the Mayor of Oceanside Jim Wood who announced he will be running for re-election in November.  President Karen Haynes brought viewers up to speed on the rapid growth of Cal State San Marcos. Our final guest was Mark Kalpakgian, President of the San Diego North Economic Development Council.

KAREN HAYES AND MAYOR JIM WOOD

JIM WOOD, KENT DAVY, ALISON ST.JOHN

CONVERSATION - KAREN HAYNES, KENT DAVY AND ALISON ST.JOHN

SET FUN - MARK KALPAKGIAN, KENT DAVY, ALISON ST.JOHN

Our first show to launch the 2016 Election Season was about the controversial Measure A initiative that Carlsbad voters will vote on in February.  We had a candid, professional debate on this proposed shopping center and open space issue.  Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall spoke in favor of the Caruso development and De’Ann Weimer, the President of Citizens for North County, spoke against the project.  This program is posted as VOD on KOCT.ORG and will also be replayed extensively on KOCT’s channel 18 community channel.

DE'ANN WEIMER & MATT HALL

CONVERSATION - MATT HALL, DE'ANN WEIMER, KENT DAVY, ALISON ST.JOHN

MONITORS - MATT HALL & DE'ANN WEIMER

BEHIND SCENE - HALL, WEIMER, DAVY, ST.JOHN

Thanks to KOCT’s hard working production crew for their hard work in producing these many shows—led by our Production Supervisor, Angela Miranda.

KOCT CONTROL ROOM CREW

KOCT CREW - FD,TELEPROMTER, CAMERA

KOCT CREW - JIM ON CAMERA 1

2015 was a fantastic year for KOCT!  We converted our television station to  All Hi-Definition, won a Hometown Media Award for the “ 18^th Annual Powwow”, an produced a new promotional video for Oceanside and North County. There is so much more to be proud of—in fact just surviving as a local media resource is cause for celebration!

But KOCT cannot take all the credit for our success and that’s why we need to acknowledge the many business, people and volunteers that believe in the value of an independent local television station.

Thanks to our Corporate Sponsor, Patrick Dockry and his progressive company Enjoy Haircare Products (and for his great TV program too:  Health Beauty Life)

Thanks to our Underwriters that help make our community programming possible:  Waste Management of North County, Scripps Health and Hatter-Williams & Purdy Insurance.

Thanks to and Announcing our latest Underwriter: Federal Heath Signs who has agreed to be our Election 2016 Sponsor!

Thanks to the work, effort and time put in by KOCT’s ALL VOLUNTEER Board of Directors: Chairman Lis Rhea, Vice-Chair Margret Merlock, Treasurer “Camo” Gleisberg, Secretary Kierstin Hill, Immediate Past-Chair Debbie Allen,  Fundraising Chair Michelle Bray-Davis and Gwen Price, Dr. Dick Robertson, Gerald Hampton, Bill Ims, Frank Gould and Kent Davy.

KOCT’s ‘face’ is that of our many Television Hosts & Journalists. Many of these talented hosts and journalists have been volunteer talent for over 15 years!  Thanks to John Bonosoro, Kent Davy, Elaine Swann, Alison St. John, Logan Jenkins, Brian Graham and Tom Morrow.

KOCT was able to produce many more programs because of the Grants we have received from local foundations, commissions and alliances: Thanks to the County of San Diego, City of Oceanside Arts Commission and Tri-City Medical Center & the Community Healthcare Alliance Committee. We are particularly excited about a new series of Community Health Matters that Tri-City Hospital is funding—these programs provide crucial information about local healthcare institutions like Vista Community Clinic, North County Health Services and, of course our local hospital-Tri-City Medical Center. And a special thanks to KOCT’s talented Grant Writer: Carol Mudgett!!

Cox Communication has recently changed their television program delivery to ‘a purely digital signal’. According to Cox ‘this upgrade to All digital will impact any televisions that currently receive an analog-only signal’. I found the process to obtain a free mini box (free for one-year) for one of my older televisions to be really easy and Cox was very responsive. I called their phone number, 858-836-7983, pushed a few buttons and received the box in the mail the next day! (You can also go to their website for help) It took me less then 10-minutes to hook the box up and I’m now able to watch KOCT in my home office. (I’ve got to get my LIVE council fix!) Please let KOCT know if YOU have any problems receiving KOCT’s Channel 18 or Channel 19 during this digital transition. E-mail us at KOCT@KOCT.org or call the station at 760-722-4433 during normal business hours.

Measure A ALERT: Tell your Carlsbad friends they are going to want to watch KOCT on January 7^th, Community Channel 18 at 7 pm. KOCT will be having a Special Election 2016 Journalist Roundtable on Measure A —the strawberry fields project initiative. We’ll have a Proponent of the Caruso shopping mall, Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall and we’ll have an Opponent: Cori Schumacher with Citizens for North County. 

It’s easy for them to watch this high-definition program by going to KOCT.ORG and then clicking on the Streaming 18 button, or they can watch as Video On Demand throughout the month of January and right up to the February 23^rd special election.

Buy a Banner Ad on KOCT.ORG-A simple way to help KOCT and promote your organization at the same time is to buy a Banner Ad on KOCT.ORG   These small banners adorn the KOCT home page, VOD and News pages on the lower left side of each page. Prices range from $150 for 3 months to $300 for a full year.  Buy a Banner Page and you let our community know that you support independent, local media while also promoting your business or service club.

IF you had told me when I started at KOCT that one day our highest quality hi-definition television signal would not be what we air via cable but instead distributed via our internet signal I’d have asked if you were dizzy and needed to sit down.  But thanks to the effort of a lot of people, that is the KOCT reality. It started with a grant from the County of San Diego to upgrade our Mobile Studio to Hi-Definition. Thanks to Supervisor Bill Horn and all of the Supervisors for their support of community television.  (And thanks to KOCT Grant Writers Carol Mudgett and KOCT Station Manager Jake Rush for a successful application!)

The equipment would still be in boxes if it wasn’t for our amazing Chief Engineer Bill Peters and the hundreds of hours he has invested to install, test and troubleshoot this new technology. KOCT’s IT Specialist Phoenix Von Hendy has also been busy converting all of our Editing Suites to Hi-Def.  And then I have to acknowledge &  thank my two key staff members; Production Supervisor Angela Miranda and Station Manager Jake Rush who have had to learn how to use the new sophisticated Switcher, cameras and how to process the subsequent giant files of information.  They are talented and tenacious in grappling with this huge learning curve.   So when we go into 2016, ALL of KOCT’s programs will be produced, recorded and edited in Hi-Def. Whoa now I’m starting to feel a little Dizzy!

KOCT is pleased to present two special airings of a new film by a local filmmaker. Lincoln’s Greatest Speech is the brainchild of Emmy Award-winning producer-director Kenneth Kebow. Hosted by Academy Award-winning actor and avowed U.S. historian Richard Dreyfuss, it features Dreyfuss’ reading of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural, followed by a discussion with Ronald C. White, bestselling author of Lincoln’s Greatest Speech and A. Lincoln.

Here is a brief teaser of Lincoln’s Greatest Speech. The complete program will air on KOCT’s Community Channel 18 on December 21st at 3 pm and on December 26th at 9 pm.

KOCT will have new public access procedures beginning in 2016. KOCT airs public access programs, submitted by local residents and members of the faith community, every Saturday and Sunday on KOCT’s Community Channel 18. Now, instead of public access producers submitting their programs on videotapes or DVDs, they must provide Digital Files via Drop Send (or similar services) or on a flash drive. This will save KOCT staff many hours of transfer time which means they can devote more time to producing community programs. More details can be found here & downloading our Public Access Guidelines.

Check out this new public service announcement (PSA) http://koct.org/video/category/koct_promos/detail/nctd_google_maps_2015 produced by one of our talented KOCT Editors, Toby Maysey.

This spot highlights the cool new North County Transit District/Google Trip Planner that helps you to schedule rides on the Breeze bus line and/or Sprinter train line. We’ll be playing this spot in between programs, as ‘commercial’ breaks in our regular shows like Journalist Roundtable and as Video On Demand via KOCT.ORG.

Thanks to our volunteer KOCT Board of Directors KOCT now has a new Mission Statement:

“KOCT, North San Diego County’s Community PEG* 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.”

*Public, Education & Government Access Media

Oceanside Spectrum is KOCT’s community television show with a guest list as diverse as our north county community. The program is hosted by Elaine Swann— “the Etiquette Lady”.  Our community (& KOCT) is lucky to have this professional host interview our local community activists, leaders and non-profits. Ms. Swann has shared her etiquette advice on various radio programs, as well as on the TODAY SHOW, ABC, NBC, CBS, The CW, FOX News, The STYLE Network, and CNN Headline News. A recent New York Times article touted her as one of the "Emily Posts of the Digital Age". As the go-to leader in everything etiquette her advice has appeared in publications such as the Modern Bride Magazine, Kiplinger's Magazine, and several newspapers across the US.

Our December Oceanside Spectrum has a great line-up of guests and organizations and things to do, including art in our community and in our schools and support for Camp Pendleton families. Also in this edition is information about a 2016 Youth Success Week and an organization that is providing shelter and services for our veterans.

Our first guests discussed Artbeat’s ‘Crazy Christmas Sweater’ party and exhibit.  Elaine then interviewed Cathy Nykiel, the Sunset Market Manager, who talked about the First Friday Art Walk and the weekly Sunset Market.

One of the most active and much needed YMCA’s in north county is the Armed Services YMCA that serves our military families on Camp Pendleton.  The new Executive Director, Chris Keane, made his first appearance on the program to share information about Santa’s Workshop and their Secret Santa program.

Our next guests came on to talk about Youth Success Week (January 10^th through17^th, 2016). This week is being organized by the Community Alliance for Youth Success. You can learn more by watching KOCT’s Spectrum and going to these web sites: www.8Keys.org or visit www.youthsuccessweekoceanside.org

Our last guest was Greg Anglea, the Executive Director for Interfaith Community Services and his topic was their Veterans Assistance of San Diego. Find out more by going to www.interfaithservices.org.

So why not consider helping YOUR favorite charity, non-profit and service organization in 2016 by booking an appearance on KOCT’s Oceanside Spectrum?  It’s a popular show so try to make your appointment at least 90 days in advance of your event.  To reserve a spot contact KOCT’s Production Supervisor, Angela Miranda by calling 760-722-4433.

Good Holiday News!  KOCT has figured out how to save you enough time to learn to surf and enjoy a recent musical event in downtown Oceanside.  We have a new program called Oceanside City Council Highlights—Reporter Promise Yee, who covers the City Council meetings for The Coast News, provides a brief synopsis of the most important agenda items for those who don’t want to watch an entire council meeting!  (The link takes you to our VOD page—just scroll down and click the City Council Highlight for the most recent council summation.)

With the extra time we just saved you why not Learn to Surf? KOCT has a new series called Learnin’ to Surf which will begin airing on Saturday December 5^th at 8 am on KOCT’s Channel 19.  For the premier of this new series we’ll play three episodes back-to-back and you’ll get 3 hours of surf lessons for free! We’ll also play the entire series on the following Sunday at 9 am but on Channel 18.  We’ll play 1 episode throughout December—every weekend too. KOCT would like to thank artist and producer Norlynne Coar for allowing us to air this creative series—to find out to order a copy contact her at N.CoarArt@gmail.com

Finally you are going to enjoy a new Newsbrief: Oceanside Music Festival. This was the 14^th Annual Music Festival and KOCT was informed about this  unique event by the key organizer, Robert Parker, Executive Board Member of Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF).  Our program was produced by Kellie Davis and edited by Toby Maysey. Congratulations to the Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation for putting on another fabulous performing arts event!