KOCT funding / budget

KOCT board chairman asked the council for additional fiscal support, citing rising costs, equipment failures, and a looming fiscal crisis for the station.

The nationally known public radio host and Oceanside resident passionately backed a capital injection for KOCT, calling community TV the last refuge of local journalism.

KOCT past chair described the station as the community's seat at the table — free civic coverage, election information, and a platform for nonprofits.

An El Camino High teacher described KOCT as an industry-standard studio a mile from campus that has trained five student interns in four years.

A retired Navy public affairs officer highlighted KOCT's decades-long partnership with Camp Pendleton and its role as a journalism training pipeline in a 'news desert.'

Argued against general fund support of KOCT, calling it a 'pretend TV station' in a 10,000-square-foot facility, and urged moving to a Carlsbad-style in-house or contract model.

KOCT's executive director clarified that Carlsbad is actually a KOCT client, rebutting claims about other cities' models.

A musician who once performed on KOCT urged the council to keep supporting the station.