Chapman Makes Offer to Buy KOCE

After months of discussion and rumors about its sale, KOCE-TV operators have received a bid for the Orange County-based PBS affiliate from Chapman University, according to officials for Coast Community College District, which holds the station’s broadcast license.

District spokeswoman Ann Garten confirmed receiving the bid, but on Tuesday declined to release a copy or reveal the amount offered by the university in Orange. The Public Broadcasting Service affiliate, which is on the Golden West College campus in Huntington Beach and claims 2.5 million weekly viewers, was valued at $26 million to $39 million in a recent district-commissioned appraisal.

The district may have to reconsider ownership of the broadcast license, in part because the Federal Communications Commission has mandated that such stations be converted to a digital broadcasting format by 2003, a conversion estimated to cost about $8.5 million--of which the district has raised $750,000.

Two other Southland universities, the University of Southern California and Cal Poly Pomona, have expressed interest in KOCE, but Chapman’s offer is the first.

Chapman officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but acquiring the station would both enhance the university’s public image and provide its growing group of film and television students with hands-on training.

A deal is not assured, however. In August, the college district’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to explore all options that would let the district keep the station. The board reaffirmed that position at its Nov. 3 meeting. And sentiment remains strong for retaining the station.

“It would have to be a really substantial offer and give us some access to the channel to broadcast our distance learning courses for me to be interested,” Coast College Trustee George Brown said Tuesday.

Board President Armando R. Ruiz added: “We made a statement that the station was not up for sale. At this point in time, we have no intention of selling.”

And Trustee Walt Howald expressed surprise at Chapman’s actions in light of the board’s commitment to holding on to KOCE, which he called a valuable asset to the community and district.

A major fund-raising effort is scheduled to begin next year, but KOCE general manager Mel Rogers admitted that meeting that goal would be a challenge. “It is by no means a sure thing,” he said earlier this month.

If fund-raising efforts fall short, the district would have to make up the balance unless Congress or the Legislature allocates money to help with the conversion.

The station cannot be sold without approval of both the five-member college district board and the FCC.

Digital broadcasting allows stations to compress information and provide more channels and higher-quality program signals.

The possible sale of KOCE is not scheduled for discussion at tonight’s board meeting. The board, however, is expected to address the subject before the end of the year.

The college district provides about $1.5 million of KOCE’s $5.5-million annual budget, with corporate, individual and other donors filling out the balance. However, operating costs will rise after the conversion partly because more technical support is required for digital transmission than analog.

KOCE is the 15th most watched among the nation’s 348 public TV affiliates, with a signal that reaches as far south as San Clemente, north to Van Nuys and east to Corona. The station, which has won 27 local Emmy awards, broadcasts many educational shows and a nightly news magazine show, “Real Orange.”