KVST-TV was a television station on channel 68 in

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, California, owned by the Viewer Sponsored Television Foundation. Broadcasting from May 5, 1974, through December 23, 1975, KVST-TV was an early experiment in public-access and community television that struggled to gain enough viewer support to operate.

History

Viewer Sponsored was formed in 1967 to bid on channel 58, the second non-commercial television allocation for Los Angeles. It lost to the

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...

, in large part because the group had only raised 25 percent of the $528,000 need to construct and operate the channel; hearing examiner Chester F. Naumowicz found the LAUSD bid on better financial footing. (A third applicant,

KCET KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE-TV ...

channel 28, had previously dropped out of the running to avoid lengthy and expensive proceedings.) However, in that proceeding, Viewer Sponsored Television asked for the allocation of channel 68 for noncommercial use in Los Angeles, which was approved by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

. Viewer Sponsored Television then was granted a construction permit for that channel in August 1972 and the call letters KVST-TV in November. It took two years to build channel 68, during which time the

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almost investigated VSTV's 26 directors for their political beliefs; a vote to do so ended in a tie. With a grant from the city council, KVST-TV finally signed on May 5, 1974. It debuted airing two hours of programming a night, four nights a week, but viewer interest from the outset was low. Channel 68 programs in the first month included a live concert by

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

and many films on social change, particularly produced outside the United States. Throughout its history, channel 68 was constantly treading financial water and experiencing staff turnover. Clayton Stouffer, who had helped build the station, was ousted in January after a spat with the board of directors and was replaced by Jerry Shaw. The station ran ads to try to attract attention to its programming and thereby increase viewer support. There were technical problems, as well: the main antenna had been installed pointing in the wrong direction, which was not discovered until the winter and delayed the award of a permanent license in lieu of a construction permit. The station operated on an annual budget of $700,000 and had a scant 250 memberships in April 1975, which jumped to 1,600 after a sponsorship drive. One producer claimed that the station sabotaged a program featuring a Black cultural center and tried to keep "positive" Black images off its air. By the summer of 1975, channel 68 had begun producing more programming, including a weekly news analysis show; ''Ms. Cellany'', a women's show; and a

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magazine program, ''La Raza''. One of KVST-TV's notable programs included the first television appearance of the new wave rock group

Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the ye ...

in 1975. Its programming was described as a groundbreaking experiment in public access television. Another innovation of KVST-TV was that it checked out portable video recorders (the only type which existed at the time was the Sony

Portapak A Portapak is a battery-powered, self-contained video tape analog recording system. Introduced to the market in 1967, it could be carried and operated by one person. Earlier television cameras were large and heavy, required a specialized vehicle ...

, a 1/2" reel-to-reel machine with a separate camera) to community organizations which were "on the cutting edge of social change". Members of these organizations would document their meetings and proactive solutions to various issues within the communities which they served. This material would then be edited into viewable TV programs for broadcast. Amid continued financial difficulties and internal strife, KVST-TV signed off December 24, 1975, with the hope of signing back on in 1976. A new president and chairman of the board were elected, but Viewer Sponsored Television struggled to raise the money it needed to return to the air. It never returned. The construction permit was canceled and the call letters deleted by the FCC on February 17, 1977. Channel 68 would be used again in 1987 for KEEF-TV.

References

{{LA TV VST-TV Defunct television stations in the United States Television channels and stations established in 1974 Television channels and stations disestablished in 1975 VST-TV 1974 establishments in California 1975 disestablishments in California