Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Custodial History
Administrative History
Chronology
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: KCET-TV Collection of "Life and Times" production files
Dates: 1991-2007
Collection number: CSLA-38
Creator: KCET (Television station : Los Angeles, Calif.)
Collection Size:
54 linear feet
Repository:
Loyola Marymount University. Library. Department of Archives and Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90045-2659
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open to research under the terms of use of the Department of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Marymount
University.
Publication Rights
Materials in the Department of Archives and Special Collections may be subject to copyright. Unless explicitly stated otherwise,
Loyola Marymount University does not claim ownership of the copyright of any materials in its collections. The user or publisher
must secure permission to publish from the copyright owner. Loyola Marymount University does not assume any responsibility
for infringement of copyright or of publication rights held by the original author or artists or his/her heirs, assigns, or
executors.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Series number, Box number, KCET-TV Collection of "Life and Times" production files, CSLA-38, Department
of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University.
Acquisition Information
Gift of KCET. 2012
Custodial History
The materials in the collection were in custody of KCET-TV, stored at its Hollywood offices, until they were transferred to
Loyola Marymount University's William H. Hannon Library in April 2012.
Administrative History
KCET-TV Channel 28 is an educational independent television station located in Los Angeles, California. KCET first signed
on the air on September 28, 1964 as an affiliate of National Educational Television (NET).
When the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was established in 1970, KCET became a charter member. The station was Southern
California's flagship PBS member station until December 31, 2010, when it ended its partnership with PBS after 40 years to
become the nation's largest independent public television station. Until moving to new offices in Burbank in 2012, KCET broadcast
from its studios in Hollywood. In addition to its signature news program "Life and Times," KCET produced Huell Howser's "Cailfornia
Gold," "Tavis Smiley," "California Connected," and a number of children's programs including "Storytime."
Chronology
1992-01-14 |
"Life and Times" debuts on January 14, 1992 in the 7:30 p.m. time slot. In-studio programs air on Monday and Friday nights.
Documentary programs air on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays each week. The programs are hosted by Patt Morrison, Hugh
Hewitt, and John Ochoa. Ochoa is replaced by Ruben Martinez within three to four months.
|
1992 Fall |
"Life and Times" switches to three studio programs and two documentaries a week. Wednesdays are devoted to arts and culture. |
1993 Fall |
"Life and Times" switches to four studio programs and one documentary per week. The new format is comprised of news of the
state on Mondays; one-on-one interviews on Tuesdays; documentaries on Wednesdays; arts and culture on Thursdays; and timely
news of the week on Fridays. During this time, Kerman Maddox is added as a fourth host.
|
1994 Fall |
KCET begins distributing the Monday night programs to a state-wide network of public television stations. Ruben Martinez is
only available sporadically, and George Ramos subs frequently.
|
1995 Fall |
Ruben Martinez no longer available to host the show. |
1996 Fall |
"Life and Times" changes to a magazine format for nightly continuity. George Ramos no longer with the program. He is replaced
primarily by Monica Lozano. Distribution to state-wide networks is discontinued.
|
1998 January |
"Life and Times" becomes a live nightly program with Yolanda Nava. |
1998-09-14 |
The show is moved to a 7 p.m. time slot. |
1999-01-28 |
Yolanda Nava's last day hosting "Life and Times Tonight" |
1999 June |
Warren Olney hosts show intermittently. |
1999-07-05 |
Val Zavala begins hosting show intermittently. |
1999-07-08 |
Last program airs with Patt Morrison, Hugh Hewitt, and Kerman Maddox as hosts of 'News of the Week Round-up' on Friday nights.
Val Zavala begins co-hosting with Warren Olney. End of nightly live show.
|
2000-09-20 |
Warren Olney's last show. |
2001 January |
Jess Marlow begins hosting "Life and Times Tonight" with Val Zavala. |
2003-05-05 |
Jess Marlow bids farewell to the show. |
2003-07-07 |
The show begins a new field-based format. |
2004-01-05 |
The show no longer repeats on KCET at the 11 p.m. hour. The Tavis Smiley Show airs instead. |
2004-08-06 |
Last day for Philip Bruce, KCET's News Director from 2001 to 2004. Bruce moves on to NPR. |
2004 August |
"Life and Times" moved to 6:30 p.m. time slot. Huell Howser's show airs during the 7 p.m. time slot. |
2005 February |
KCET adopts widescreen (16 x 9) format for its broadcasts of "Life and Times"; no longer broadcast at 4 x 3. |
2007-04-01 |
"Life and Times" moves back to 7 p.m. time slot. |
2007 December |
"Life and Times" ends. The final three episodes reflect on the show's history. |
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection CSLA-38 contains documents created during the production of "Life and Times," a half-hour public affairs series
produced by and broadcast on KCET-TV from 1992 to 2007. The collection is comprised of 128 boxes, which contain administrative
notes, script revisions, shooting schedules, contracts, and expense reports created by the producers of "Life and Times."
Related materials may be found in the following collection in this repository: "Life and Times" Program Masters, CSLA-37.
From its start, the show aired Monday through Friday. Over the course of its 16-year run, "Life and Times" went through a
number of format changes, but its goal to provide a quality alternative to commercial television news for Southern Californians
remained constant. "Life and Times" won numerous Los Angeles Area Emmy awards and Golden Mikes.
As KCET-TV's signature news program, "Life and Times" held a prominent evening timeslot. The show reported on politics, education,
the environment, demographics, transportation, science, culture and arts. The show featured interviews, in-depth analysis
of important local and regional issues, and documentaries about citizens making a difference in Los Angeles communities. "Life
and Times" offered an alternative to commercial television news. The show was a platform for Los Angeles voices with a wide
variety of guests including community leaders, elected officials, educators, authors, artists, activists, actors and scholars.
In its later years, the series was hosted by Val Zavala, who was also KCET's vice-president for public affairs and news. Hosts
included Patt Morrison, Hugh Hewitt, Ruben Martinez, Kerman Maddox, Jess Marlow, Warren Olney, Monica Lozano, and Yolanda
Nava.
In October 2007, KCET announced that it would stop producing "Life and Times." The final episode aired in December 2007. The
successor to "Life and Times" was "SoCal Connected," a weekly newsmagazine program hosted by Val Zavala, which premiered on
KCET-TV in January 2008.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series. Series 1: "Life and Times" Documentaries; Series 2: "Life and Times" Studio
Programs; Series 3: Miscellaneous Production Files.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
KCET (Television station : Los Angeles, Calif.)
Broadcasting--California--Los Angeles
Television
Television programs
Public television--California
Public affairs television program--California--Los Angeles