NEWS
By Lauren Williams, lauren.williams@latimes.com | July 7, 2011
COSTA MESA — Signs that the new PBS SoCal building was still under construction were evident at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the public TV station's new headquarters. Ceiling tiles between lights were missing, and the building's inner pipes and beams were exposed. There were bright yellow hard hats on tables. Orange, magenta and purple balloons were strewn about the station's sparse 2,100-square foot studio space. Some 200 community and nonprofit leaders and donors — including members of Costa Mesa's City Council, "Real Orange" host Ed Arnold, and Jo Ellen Chatham, president of PBS SoCal's board of directors — showed up at the building at 3080 Bristol St., less than a mile from South Coast Plaza.
NEWS
By B.W. Cook | November 10, 2010
Once again Christmas came early this year as the super dedicated and giving folks who support the Pacific Chorale gathered for an early fall dinner at Big Canyon Country Club, Newport Beach, to raise funds needed to produce their annual holiday gala, "A Dickens Feast. " To set the stage for the fundraiser, Newport's dynamic Jan Landstrom was on the phone to Roger's Gardens in mid-September, requesting a fully-lighted and decorated holiday tree for the country club's dining room.
NEWS
From Latimes.com | October 1, 2010
Amid ongoing speculation that KCET may break away from PBS, representatives from the four Los Angeles-area PBS affiliates met Wednesday to discuss a restructuring plan that would prevent the nation's second-largest media market from losing its flagship public television station. The plan explored calls for the KCET to form a consortium with Orange County's KOCE, the Inland Empire's KVCR and the Los Angeles school district's KLCS. The stations then would save money by reducing programming overlap, cross promoting, and better coordinating fundraisers.
NEWS
By Tom Ragan, tom.ragan@latimes.com | July 6, 2010
"Discover Orange County" has become quite popular for its detailed take on the region, whether it's the old cottages at Crystal Cove State Park, tracking where your trash goes from the garbage can to the dump, or checking out Old Town Orange. Now comes another program. Only this time it's going to give viewers a sneak peek into the Upper Newport Bay and introduce them to all sorts of wildlife that live there — from the flora and fauna to migratory birds. Called "Upper Newport Bay," the segment will premiere at noon Sunday and again at 9 a.m. Tuesday on KOCE-TV, the PBS station that airs from Ventura to San Clemente to Palm Springs.
NEWS
By B.W. Cook | June 25, 2010
An extravagant evening in Newport Beach unfolded last Saturday at The Island Hotel on behalf of KOCE-TV Public Television. The grand gala, co-chaired by Peggy Goldwater Clay and Ardelle St. George , was themed "That's Entertainment." The party certainly lived up to its title. Super-generous underwriter John Tu , chairman of Kingston Technology Corp., and his 28 - member band, known as "California Dreamin'" (with Tu on the drums ), absolutely blew away the 250 black tie-clad guests who had gathered to support KOCE-TV.
NEWS
By Brianna Bailey | April 7, 2010
Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor and Councilwoman Katrina Foley exchanged barbs at Tuesday’s City Council meeting about her speaking to the media about city negotiations for the purchase of the Orange County Fairgrounds. Mansoor admonished Foley from the council dais Tuesday, after she gave a TV interview to KOCE discussing the city’s negotiations with the state. Mansoor, who appeared to be reading from a prepared statement, accused Foley of releasing sensitive information from a closed-session City Council meeting to the media.
FEATURES
By B.W. Cook | June 24, 2009
The invitation read, “Life Is A Journey … The Learning Never Ends.” KOCE-TV, the shining star of Orange County public television held its 2009 dinner fundraiser at the Island Hotel, Newport Beach. The party was sophisticated and upbeat, honoring the remarkable career of California State Sen. Marian Bergeson Sen. Marian Bergeson and the contribution and partnership of the respected Discovery Science Center represented by Joe Adams . The gala evening was co-chaired by the elegant tall blond Orange County attorney Ardelle St. George and her fiery redheaded associate and local social mover and shaker Peggy Goldwater-Clay . This event, like many other serious-minded fundraisers for good causes, followed the traditional format of cocktails, dinner and auction.
NEWS
By Alan Blank | September 22, 2008
Local PBS station KOCE started filming a short documentary news segment Monday on the controversy surrounding Banning Ranch. Activists from the Save the Banning Ranch Task Force met to do interviews with the 400-acre parcel of undeveloped coastal land as the backdrop. The segment will likely air Friday evening as part of the Real Orange show at 6:30 p.m. On Thursday, reporter David Nazar hopes to get the other side of the conflict when he interviews Mike Mohler, who represents the company that wants to develop the land into about 1,300 homes, a hotel and retail shops.
FEATURES
By Michael Miller | June 30, 2008
NEWPORT BEACH — Mel Rogers sometimes thinks of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” when he looks back on the history of KOCE-TV. Not because the Frank Capra classic is a regular feature on KOCE, but because the film’s story — about a man who gets a glimpse of what his community would be like if he never existed — reminds Rogers of the impact KOCE has had on Orange County. Sometimes, he told the crowd Saturday at the PBS station’s 35th anniversary gala, he tries to imagine what the county would be like without its public television station, and he can never quite picture it. “It’s a tough thing to explain,” said Rogers, the president and chief executive of KOCE since 1997.