KSCI

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KSCI (known on air as LA-18) is an television station operating in Los Angeles and on channel 48 (KUAN-LP) in San Diego, California. It targets Asian Americans, and most of its programming is from the Japanese Television Network.

[edit] History

Long before KSCI went on the air, the Sun-Telegram newspaper in San Bernardino operated KCHU-TV on channel 18. During its time on the air, in the mid 1960s, the station showed those living in the Riverside and San Bernardino area a steady diet of vintage Hollywood movies. KCHU's studios were located in the old Fox Theater in downtown San Bernardino. KCHU-TV operated from 1960 to 1964, making it the first UHF station in Southern California to offer programming.

In 1977, the television station KSCI began broadcasting in Los Angeles on Channel 18. The initials stood for "Science of Creative Intelligence", a theoretical aspect of the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It featured prerecorded presentations by the Maharishi and variety shows featuring such famous meditators as Stevie Wonder, Peggy Lee and the Beach Boys. Station KSCI's goal was to report only good news and was intended to be part of a network of stations owned by the Transcendental Meditation movement.[1] It was founded as a non-profit station, but in 1980 it switched to for-profit and by 1986 it was earning profits of $1 million on revenues of $8 million.[2] In 1985, the owners of KSCI, the World Plan Executive Council, loaned $350,000 to help start Maharishi International University in Iowa.[3][4] In 1986, the World Plan Executive Council sold the station to its general manager Thomas Headely, and an outside investor, Ray L. Beindorf, for $40.5 million.[5]

KSCI aired New Wave Theatre with Peter Ivers in the early 1980s. The program featured local rock and punk LA bands such as Fear, X, The Blasters, Circle Jerks and The Dead Kennedys. The show was later picked up by USA Network's Night Flight.

In 1998 KSCI moved its city of license from San Bernardino to Long Beach. In early 2005, KSCI changed its on-air name to LA-18, though the call letters remained the same. The station adopted a new slogan: "Keeping You Connected."

KSCI is owned by the AsianMedia Group, who also owns KIKU in Honolulu. KSCI has subleased several of its digital subchannels to other broadcasters. Station management believes that six digital subchannels can fit into the spectrum, using statistical multiplexing.[6] [edit] Current programming

The station has recently added several new shows. "Power Breakfast" Mandarin Chinese is a two hour live breakfast show airing on 18.1 from 6am to 8am (PST) Monday to Friday. "Tsou LA" Mandarin Chinese is a weekly location magazine show airing on 18.1 every Thursday at 5pm (PST). "Global Report" is a half hour news and magazine show airing on 18.1 Monday to Friday at 3pm (PST). "Halo Halo" Tagalog is an entertainment show airing Monday to Wednesday on 18.1 at 4pm (PST). "Prime News" Korean airs on 18.1 Monday to Friday at 8pm (PST). Over the last 12 months LA18 also produced a series of documentaries on the Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao entitled "Kababayan LA - Manny Pacquiao Specials" following the boxer in his build up to his fights with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

The station has daily weekday programs and news in Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog (Philippines), Japanese, and Korean. On weekend mornings, it has programs in Khmer (Cambodian), Indonesian, Armenian, Arabic, and Persian. English subtitles appear on certain programs, including some of those in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. These programs are a mix of rebroadcasts from their original countries, independent productions, and KSCI-produced programs.

KSCI also has a number of programs in English and Hindi that feature music videos and entertainment news from Bollywood, as well as regular news from the Indian subcontinent. There are also a number of religious programs, in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese, shown mostly in the very early morning hours. The station broadcasts infomercials in the remaining time slots.

KSCI's local programming include "LA Living", a Mandarin-language show hosted by Juliette Zhuo that deals with life in LA for Chinese Americans, and features interviews with guests. The station also produces "Kababayan LA," a Tagalog/English language show hosted by Jannelle So serving the Filipino community.

There are locally produced news programs in Mandarin ("JTN 18 Evening News"), Vietnamese and Korean ("Prime News/Town Guide"). In addition, KSCI also sponsors Los Angeles-area Asian American events.

Ch Programming
18.1 LA 18
18.2 The Dojo Network
18.3 Asahi America (KXLA)
18.4 The Baptist Channel
18.5 USArmenia
18.6 Amiga TV (Spanish Children's network)
18.7
18.8 JTN HD

KSCI offered the FUNimation Channel (Which is now on KCAL-TV) on DTV channel 18.3 from 2006–2007, and ETTV America during primetime from 2004-2005. On the analog/digital conversion deadline of June 12, 2009, KSCI moved its digital signal back to Ch 18 from its previous analog channel 61 assignment. The station's pre-transition digital channel, UHF 61, lies within the core spectrum of channels (52 through 69) being auctioned as part of the American transition to digital television.


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