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KOCE-TV
Huntington Beach, California
Branding	KOCE, Orange County Public Television
Slogan	Expand Your Mind
Channels	Analog: 50 (UHF) Digital: 48 (UHF)
Affiliations	PBS Daystar (DT3)
Owner	KOCE-TV Foundation
Founded	November 20, 1972
Call letters meaning	K Orange County Education
Transmitter Power	2354 kW (analog) 1000 kW (digital)
Height	949 m (both)
Facility ID	4328
Transmitter Coordinates	34°13′35.3″N, 118°4′0.9″W
Website	www.koce.org

KOCE-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service with programming focused on the communities of Orange County, California. It airs Orange County's only nightly newscast, Real Orange, with a concentration on human interest and public service stories. It also broadcasts several college courses (telecourses) by the Coast Community College District, which was its original owner. The station's studios were located at the District's Golden West College in Huntington Beach. KOCE has 2 digital subchannels.

KOCE began broadcasting on November 20, 1972 as the first television station located in Orange County, with 4 hours of airtime per day. It broadcast its first telecourse in 1973.^[1]

In 2002, the District offered KOCE for sale in order to raise revenue for other programs. A bidding war ensued between Christian televangelist network Daystar and members of the community who wanted to continue membership with PBS.

In 2004, the sale was finalized to the KOCE-TV Foundation, an organization made up of civic and business leaders who wanted to keep KOCE an educational station, for a bid price of $25.5 million, reduced from an initial bid of $32 million ($8 million up front and the rest in 25 equal installments without interest beginning in 2009). Daystar's unsuccessful bid was $25 million, all cash.

Daystar sued in state court, stating that under the terms of the auction, its all-cash bid should have been accepted. A lower court ruled in favor of the college district and the foundation, but on June 23, 2005, the California Court of Appeals ruled that the sale of KOCE was illegal, since the offer was modified after the end of bidding and because the value of the bid was not expressed in net present value terms. Both sides appealed this decision. On 22 November 2005, a state appeals panel reheard arguments in the case following a petition from KOCE, the foundation, the district and Daystar^[2]. On 25 May 2006, the appeals court reaffirmed its decision, again ruling the sale illegal.^[3]

At the same time, Daystar also filed a federal lawsuit, alleging religious discrimination, civil rights violations and racketeering. On 1 May 2006, the District Court dismissed the racketeering, but not the civil rights, portion of the lawsuit.^[4]

In June 2006, a state assembly bill that had previously been approved was changed to allow the Coast Community College District to sell KOCE below fair market value in order to keep it a PBS station^[5]. The new bill was passed by the assembly, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it citing concerns about serving the public interest in the sale of public property and the unresolved legal challenges to the type of sale that the bill would have authorized^[6].

In June 2007, an agreement was reached in which the KOCE-TV Foundation will keep the station, provided that Daystar is allowed to broadcast on one of KOCE's digital subchannels (channel 50.3). ^{[7] [8]}

KOCE employs a Weather Center stationed in La Habra Heights, CA, about 20 miles north of the KOCE's broadcasting center in Huntington Beach. It is also located in the same area as the KOCE's transmitter site for the Orange County area. This Weather Station, which only consists of a weather camera, is shown live only on Real Orange broadcasts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the weather reports. The weather radar image and other data are gathered from other weather sources as KOCE does not employ its own weather radar.

1. ^ A Nostalgic Look at the Milestone Events Which Have Formed the Rich History Of KOCE-TV. The KOCE-TV Foundation (2005-09-15). Retrieved on 2006-05-20.
2. ^ Fisher, Marla Jo. "Appellate court hears KOCE sale dispute", The Orange County Register, 2005-11-23. Retrieved on 2006-03-08. 
3. ^ Campbell, Ron. "State court strikes down sale of KOCE-TV", The Orange County Register, 2006-05-27. Retrieved on 2006-06-06. 
4. ^ Fisher, Marla Jo. "KOCE lawsuit can continue, judge rules", The Orange County Register, 2006-05-01. Retrieved on 2006-06-06. 
5. ^ Fisher, Marla Jo. "Lawmakers take up KOCE bill", The Orange County Register, 2006-08-10. Retrieved on 2006-12-22. 
6. ^ Schwarzenegger, Arnold (2006-09-30). AB 523 Assembly Bill - Veto. Legislative Council of California. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
7. ^ Powers, Ashley. "KOCE stays with PBS in settlement", Los Angeles Times, 2007-06-22. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 
8. ^ Fisher, Marla Jo. "KOCE-TV will stay with PBS", The Orange County Register, 2007-06-21. Retrieved on 2007-07-07. 

• The voice heard in KOCE's station identification spots is that of popular voice-over artist Camille Dixon.

• Official KOCE Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KOCE