With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
KOCE to take over as main LA-area PBS station New Year’s Day
KOCE's new PBS SoCal logo.
(
Courtesy of KOCE/PBS SoCal
)
Listen
0:56
KOCE to take over as main LA-area PBS station New Year’s Day
KOCE to take over as main LA-area PBS station New Year’s Day
KOCE-Channel 50 in Orange County takes over Saturday as the main Public Broadcasting System affiliate in the Los Angeles area. The transition takes place after KCET-Channel 28 in Los Angeles opted to break ties with PBS and become an independent station.
KOCE is changing its name to PBS SoCal as it begins to carry the most PBS programming in Southern California.
It will run public TV mainstays including "Frontline" and "American Experience," and personalities Huell Howser and Tavis Smiley.
KOCE’s chief executive Mel Rogers says his station didn’t expect to take over that role from KCET.
Sponsored message
"I think the general mood can best be described as bewilderment," Rogers says. "I think none of us expected it to come to this. I think all of us assumed that there’d be, at the end of the day, something worked out. But the fact is there wasn’t and that was KCET’s decision."
KOCE is in the process of moving from studios on the campus of Golden West College in Huntington Beach to new digs in Costa Mesa.
Rogers says his station had planned to do that before they learned in October that KCET would cut its ties with PBS.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
