More on KCET: Orange - and another call for a VETO of AB 523

I have already written until I am blue in the face about why the attempt of the KOCE Foundation in league with the Coast Community College District Board to create a new law, just for themselves, that would allow the District to sell their TV station, KOCE, to the KOCE Foundation for "below market price" (yes, under this bill, they could sell this valuable asset for one dollar) is a terrible idea.  It was put on the Governor's desk by the votes of liberal Democrats, many of them seeking only to stop a religious broadcaster from coming into town, and it is clearly deserving of a big Terminator VETO.

That said, I had the following media release sent to me that I thought was worth sharing.  Lurk already referenced an OCBJ article making mention of the fact that KCET Public Television in Los Angeles is opening an Orange County station, but here is even more detail.  By the way, I would also oppose the Coast College District selling their state to KCET at anything less than the fair market value.

The release:

KCET AND CAL STATE FULLERTON ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO CREATE 24/7 DIGITAL TELEVISION CHANNEL FOR ORANGE COUNTY

KCET, the West Coast flagship station of PBS, and California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), have entered into a partnership to create a 24/7 digital television channel for Orange County, which will be named KCET Orange. This new channel will expand the quality local programming KCET provides to its viewers in the region.  The announcement was made today by Al Jerome, KCET president and CEO.  The initiative builds on previous collaborative efforts between the two institutions.

KCET, which has served Orange County for over 40 years and has the largest PBS viewing audience in the county, and Cal State Fullerton, with nearly 50 years of service to the region and with the largest enrollment of all 23 California State University campuses, began the first phase of their partnership in January.  In conjunction with the opening of the university’s Performing Arts Center, KCET became the exclusive media sponsor of the venue’s inaugural 2006-2007 season. 

The expanded partnership between KCET and Cal State Fullerton will lead to a new digital television channel. Programming for KCET Orange, which is scheduled to begin airing fall 2007, is in development and will include local arts and cultural programs, educational programming, news and public affairs, as well as award-winning PBS programming.

“KCET Orange builds on our commitment to provide local audiences with programming that reflects their interests and needs,” says Jerome.  “The response to the launch of KCET Desert Cities in the Coachella Valley earlier this year has been tremendous, and we expect our Orange County viewers will be equally pleased.”

“Cal State Fullerton is pleased to enter a new phase of its partnership with KCET,” says Milton A. Gordon, university president. “KCET Orange is an opportunity to build on the strong relationships that KCET and Cal State Fullerton have in this dynamic region.  We look forward to many engaging and enlightening projects, including bringing guest lecturers and cultural events to the community, as well as developing new academic courses to benefit our students.”

KCET’s impact in Orange County spans more than 40 years. Keeping the region’s viewers in-the-know about their community and the world at large, KCET is the region’s leading public television station. More Orange County television viewers watch KCET -- PBS’ West Coast flagship station -- than KOCE, KLCS and KVCR combined.*  KCET continues to be the only station in the region to offer 100 percent of  PBS’ award-winning primetime line-up, including Frontline, Masterpiece Theatre, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, NOVA, Nature, American Experience, American Masters, Great Performances,
and Washington Week, as well as PBS’ outstanding quality children’s line-up. 

From speaker series to acclaimed arts programs and cultural activities, Cal State Fullerton is an integral part of the region’s diverse offerings, which will contribute greatly to the KCET Orange’s opportunities for producing a wide variety of quality, local programming.  The partnership also will include an educational component that incorporates internships and programs to prepare students for a future in public broadcasting.

Currently, Cal State Fullerton students regularly complete internships in numerous departments at KCET, including television production, marketing and communications.

KCET and Cal State Fullerton will recruit corporate and educational partners to expand and support the station’s service to its viewers.

About California State University, Fullerton Cal State Fullerton has the largest enrollment of all 23 California State University campuses, with more than 35,000 students including 3,000 at the CSUF Irvine Campus.  An increasingly diverse campus combining the best in research and teaching universities, Cal State Fullerton is No. 1 in California for awarding degrees to Hispanic students and No. 2 in the nation in awarding undergraduate business degrees to Asian-American students. Additional information about the university is available at www.fullerton.edu.

About KCET
KCET is public television for southern and central California and the West Coast flagship station of PBS. KCET is watched by four million viewers a week in 11 counties, the largest broadcast reach of any public television station in the United States.  The station also serves as a content provider for national and regional PBS member stations. 

Throughout its more than 40-year history, KCET has garnered hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children’s programs, and its outreach and community services.  Series produced from the station’s Hollywood studios include Life & Times, California Connected, Tavis Smiley and A Place of Our Own/Los Niños en Su Casa.

With extensive coverage of the region by Orange County-based reporter Roger Cooper on Life & Times, KCET’s signature news and public affairs series, and coverage of the area on the statewide series California Connected, KCET presents the importance and vitality of Orange County locally as well as throughout California.

KCET’s community outreach in the Orange County region includes a broad range of events and workshops.  KCET currently partners with the Children & Families Commission of Orange County to present seminars for caregivers of preschoolers as part of an extensive community outreach plan in
conjunction with the Peabody-Award winning series A Place of Our Own and Los Niños en Su Casa. Additional information on KCET can be found at www.kcet.org.

Comments

This new initiative by CSUF and KCET is all well and good. But it should not be mistaken for a network focused on or reflective of the OC. This partnership will always treat the OC as a step child. The leadership for KCET is and will remain in Los Angeles and CSUF is an institution with a statewide focus. Now, if they had partnered with Chapman University. . .