READERS RESPOND

Why is Daily Pilot Publisher Tom Johnson advocating the elimination of KOCE/Orange County to favor KCET/ Hollywood (“Fair Game,” July 7)?

He cites “KCET, KVCR or even KPBS in San Diego, all Southern California public broadcasting systems with frequencies available,” as entities that could fill the Orange County programming void that will result from the Word of God Fellowship bid to take the PBS-KOCE license.

Of the three stations, Johnson really means only KCET/Hollywood. The other two stations are too distant to broadcast in Orange County.

Johnson proposes that KCET offers an “Orange County Channel” on the premium cable TV channels in Orange County, similar to its Palm Springs channel. (The KCET Desert Cities channel is not free over-the-air broadcast TV like KOCE, it is premium pay-cable.) Most people would not receive this channel.

Let’s look at the facts:

KCET/Hollywood is a fine PBS station, but does not serve the people of Orange County like KOCE does.

Over the decades, KCET has raised millions of dollars in Orange County, so why aren’t they already producing a daily Orange County news show like KOCE’s “Real Orange”?

There’s no evidence that KCET would ever fulfill Johnson’s promises.

“You like Real Orange, they’ll carry Real Orange,” he says. What if they don’t?

Some additional facts:

Tom Johnson’s newspaper is owned by the Los Angeles Times.

Its competitor, the Orange County Register, is in a news partnership with “Real Orange.”

KOCE is planning to relocate to the building occupied by the Register.

Johnson’s proposal thwarts the plans of both KOCE and the Register. Coincidence?

Johnson should recuse himself in this newspaper war between the Times and the Register.

SCOTT WESTERFIELD

Costa Mesa

Most people still believe that Orange County has two PBS Television Stations: KOCE and KCET. In actuality, only one, KOCE is truly Orange County’s own. If KOCE is lost, I cannot believe that the coverage that we have learned to expect for Orange County’s events and activities would continue by an outside station based in Los Angeles or San Diego.

In all the years that KCET has solicited funds from Orange County’s residents, they have not given back to the Orange County community the way they could or in the many ways that KOCE has always done.

For Tom Johnson to promote the elimination of the only local and true community public television station for one that has a record of take, take, take and no significant give-backs to the community it professes to cater to, seems unwise. KCET has had plenty of time to do this.

The Orange County community has more to lose in the long run with the sale of KOCE. Only time will tell who will be the true beneficiaries of this deal.

JOE HODULIK

Lake Forest