KOCE to layoff one employee

Marisa O’Neil

The KOCE-TV Foundation hopes to take ownership of the station and

slash its operating budget by $2 million on July 1 with only one

person being laid off.

That feat will be accomplished through 14 retirements, two

resignations and 18 employee transfers, 10 to other areas in the

college district and eight to the foundation’s payroll.

The foundation, which formerly served only as the station’s

fundraising wing, is expected to take over the station’s operations

at the beginning of July. Coast Community College District is selling

the station to help ease its own budget constraints.

Most KOCE-TV employees, who actually work for the district, are

taking advantage of early retirement or severance packages. Others

are transferring to jobs with the foundation.

“A lot of people loved working for KOCE,” station President Mel

Rogers said. “But because the district [retirement] package is so

much better than you can find in corporate America, a lot of people

had to move over there for their financial well being.”

Of the 14 people taking advantage of retirement packages four of

those in management positions have been asked to work for the

foundation in their retirement. One worker in a management position

is being laid off, according to district reports, two are taking

lower positions with the district and two are transferring to the

foundation.

All 10 of the remaining classified employees, who work in

nonmanagement positions, will transfer to other jobs in the district,

said district spokeswoman Erin Cohn.

Some KOCE-TV employees, like camera operators and engineers,

belong to a union called the International Alliance of Theatrical

Stage Employees. Of those, eight are retiring, two will work for the

foundation and two took a severance package.

“A lot [of positions] will be filled by part-time employees

because they didn’t require full-time,” Rogers said. “We have a lot

of automation that doesn’t require as many people [to run].”

Donations from members, for example, are entered by volunteers and

fully tracked on a computer.

In the past, he said, people had to manually run tapes for the

station’s programming schedule. Now the station’s master control is

fully automated, as are those in most television stations, he said.

The foundation is waiting for approval from the Federal

Communications Commission for the license transfer from the district.

Once that is final, the foundation’s remaining $7.9-million down

payment is due.

A superior court judge ruled last month that the district was

within its rights to accept the foundation’s bid, most of which will

be financed. Spurned bidder Daystar Television Network, which had

sued for the right to buy the station, has appealed the decision.