Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

George Sampson has big plans for KCAT, but first he needs to get some functioning equipment.

New general manager is on quest to turn KCAT around

Plans include greater focus on Los Gatos

By Jeff Kearns

George Sampson isn't quite sure what he inherited when he was hired as the new general manager at KCAT, Los Gatos' public access station. Looking around the cluttered studio, he says he's sure it's going to be fun--but it won't be easy.

KCAT currently broadcasts from 6 to 9 p.m. on weeknights, but Sampson wants to push airtime up to 12 hours a day and fill those hours with creative programming that focuses on the town.

"We're here for Los Gatos," he says. "I want to produce things that have to do with the town." Projects he's thinking about include doing a series on local artists and musicians and focusing on schools, perhaps broadcasting school concerts. Sampson, who is also the continuity director at San Jose public television station KTEH, also envisions a forum for discussing issues about the town.

"I'd like to bring in community leaders to talk about what's going on at the police department, fire department, city hall, that kind of thing, and give them an opportunity to get the word out to the community."

KCAT occupies a building behind the tennis courts at Los Gatos High School. It broadcasts on cable Channel 6 in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno.

The first challenge will be to get the studio up and running. After two years of neglect, the main studio is filled with old furniture and miscellaneous outdated electronic equipment that makes it look more like a high-tech rummage sale than a production facility.

"I want to get everything here up and running so we can do productions here, but the first step is finding out what works and what doesn't and what should have been thrown out three years ago," he says, standing on the cluttered set lit dimly by the sunlight leaking in through windows in the next room.

Since he was hired by the station's board of directors at the end of February, Sampson has put in some long hours getting started on sorting out his new station. With only two volunteers to call his employees, almost every task falls on him. But he expects to change that and is actively seeking volunteers who are knowledgeable about electronics or video engineering to help him out.

The intercom system in the studio, which allows the control room to communicate through the double-paned glass that separates it from the studio, isn't working. Sampson also needs a character generator to superimpose titles and credits on the broadcast image. He's also looking for a multidisc CD player and a working SuperVHS player.

"It's basic television equipment, and we don't have it," he says. "I'm trying to see what I can get donated or buy at an extreme discount. The more we have, the more we can do for the town."

Sampson will be challenged by coming up with creative solutions to stretch the $31,000 annual budget KCAT receives from the town. One of his plans, once the station is ready to produce its own shows, is to take a page from the book of PBS and ask local businesses to underwrite particular programs.

Current programming includes shows on local history, vegetarian cooking, classical music, animal rights, story time for the kids and Tehran TV, which is taped in Farsi and seems to have a rather faithful audience. "I didn't think it was that popular," Sampson says, "but one week when it didn't air, we got a lot of phone calls."

KCAT also plays programs produced by the Democratic and Republican parties. "I see that as part of our mandate," Sampson says.

Volunteer Maxine Bouchard comes in at night to play the tapes, but during the rest of the day and night, the station broadcasts community and public service messages. These come from an old Commodore Amiga hooked up in the studio control room. "Still works," Sampson says.

The studio also functions as a classroom for video production classes taught to high school students.

Sampson began his broadcasting career at the now defunct KXRX 1500 AM in San Jose, where he started doing traffic reports after graduating from San Jose State University in 1973. "I was one of the first traffic reporters in the Bay Area. I sat in a room with a bunch of police scanners. We didn't have a helicopter," he laughs.

In the late '70s and early '80s, Sampson was the news director at KLIV/KARA (AM and FM), which he says was a lot of fun and taught him a great deal about the South Bay. "You really get to know a community when you work in news," he said.

Over the years, Sampson also taught radio news broadcasting at his alma mater, as well as an intro to radio class at Santa Clara University, where he was also the faculty advisor to the campus radio station, KSCU 103.3 FM.

For the last 13 years, Sampson has worked at KTEH, Channel 54, producing television shows and hosting fundraising drives. He also co-hosts a show about animals called PetPourri, which is in its eighth season.

Anyone who wishes to get involved with KCAT, has ideas for shows or would like to donate equipment can get in touch with Sampson by calling the station at 395-KCAT.

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