Marking a Year of ‘Down-Home’ TV

“This is stuff that you can’t get on L.A. television,” said Bonnie Dwyer, spokeswoman for the producer--the City of Brea.

Wednesday night was a recap of the best of 1986: on-the-scene coverage of a sock hop at the local high school, an interview with Miss Brea and shows about downtown redevelopment.

It was the first anniversary show of “Video Brea Line,” a purely down-home facsimile of TV news. Could it really have been only a year since the first program broke the story about the city’s purchase of truck sweepers and premiered a cartoon from the Fire Department urging residents to take fire precautions?

“We’ve had some real good, positive response,” Dwyer said.

The show is available to about 12,000 cable customers in Brea, La Habra and La Habra Heights on Channel 3 at 8 p.m. Mondays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

Wednesday’s anniversary show, a special wrap-up of last year’s highlights, will be shown for two weeks so no one need miss it.

Included is Kricket, a purebred Chinese Crescent hairless that won an ugly dog contest on the first 19-minute show that aired Jan. 15, 1986. Sharing the billing with Kricket is Mickey the Clown, professional basketball player Molly Bollin and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who visited Brea last year.

Also included are bloopers, just like in those blooper shows on network TV. One blooper shows program regular Glenn Ross being hit with a bucket of water while doing a story at the city’s public swimming pool and host Dan Hubbard crying--because “he was laughing so hard,” Dwyer said.

“This is real hometown stuff,” Dwyer said.

Those who for some reason miss the broadcasts can check out videotapes from the city library.