Guide to the KRUZ Tapes Collection

HISTORY

In approximately 1984, Group W, the cable provider in Santa Cruz County at that time, was in a bidding war for to see which cable provider would win the exclusive cable franchise for the next several years of service to Santa Cruz City and County. All 4 competing organizations included some type of local content provision in their proposals. Since Group W held the cable franchise during that time, they created their own Local Origination television station to provide local programming and possibly give them a leg up in the negotiations with the city and county.

When the franchise was finally approved, KRUZ was written into the Santa Cruz City/County Franchise Agreements (since no access station existed at that time) and mandated that any cable company holding the franchise, had to maintain a mobile production truck, a studio, and a five member full time staff in order to assure that the cable company would have to offer local content. KRUZ continued to be operated by a series of cable providers (Group W, United Artists, TCI, AT&T, and now Comcast) even after Community Television was created.

The main difference between Public Access and Local Origination is that nearly all of the content offered by a Local Origination station is created by a paid staff, rather than by members of the community who rent equipment and/or studio space and learn to create their own shows.

KRUZ programming aired initially on KPIX, Channel 5. Since KPIX and KCBA aired the same network shows during prime time.  Group W was allowed to pre-empt KPIX in order to run locally produced content. After the cable system was rebuilt, KRUZ was given it’s own 24 hour channel, initially Channel 4, and later Channel 17.

KRUZ won a number of awards during its many years of operation, including the SC Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year in 1994 for a telethon that raised more than $100,000 for local sports and arts programs in county schools. Over the years, through other telethons and fundraisers, KRUZ raised half a million dollars for local schools and organizations, and produced hundreds of award-winning shows and documentaries.

KRUZ was in operation until 2009, when Comcast closed ten (or so) of its Local Origination stations in Northern California.

POSSIBLE LEADS FOR MORE INFORMATION

Stewart Butler was the General Manager for Group W during those early years, and he now works for Comcast as Director of Sales and Marketing in the Fresno region. Unfortunately, I don’t have a contact phone number for him.  His e-mail address might be Stewart_Butler@cable.comcast.com.

Rusty Reed is a videographer who produced sports for KRUZ when I went to work there in 1988. Rusty may still be in touch with some of the key players from those early days. His phone number is 407-616-4066. Rusty’s wife, Becca King Reed produces a show for KQED called “This is US.” She is the Executive Director of KTEH in San Jose .(408) 795-5413, and may have some useful info for you.

Michael Warren, who later became Senator Bruce McPherson’s Administrative Assistant, was the Manager of KRUZ when I first started there in 1988. I’ve lost track of him, but Rusty Reed might know how to reach him. He produced many of the news shows that you’ve got, along with Doug McVadon, who may still be in touch with Rusty.

Tony Hill was the first Executive Director of KRUZ, but he is, sadly, no longer with us.

Doug McVadon, who anchored the local news shows in the early days. Rusty Reed might have current contact info for him.

CONTENT (117 x Tapes)

Box 1:  Tape EQ1 – Downtown, water and gas disruptions, Neil Coonerty interview
Box 1:  Tape EQ2 – Good Times, Haber’s Ford’s Roberts, Shockleys, Cooper House, Homes
Box 1:  Tape EQ3 – Del Mar, Ford’s Shockley’s, Logos, Book Shop, Old Theater, Robley Levy
Box 1:  Tape EQ4 – Good Times, Habers, Front Street Damage, Fords, Media, Robert’s, Shockley’s. Cooper Homes
Box 1:  Tape EQ5 – KSCO. Town Clock, Holy Cross, Mardi Wormhoudt, Sam Farr, Leon Panetta
Box 1:  Tape EQ6 – Homes damaged, street and bridge damage
Box 1:  Tape EQ7 – Gary Patton and Leon Panetta interviews
Box 1:  Tape EQ8 – Cocoanut Grove, Red Cross Shelter and interview
Box 1:  Tape EQ9 – Destroyed homes and interview regarding issues with FEMA
Box 1:  Tape EQ10 – Black and white photos (not sure who provided these to us)
Box 2:  Tape EQ11 – Fireman interview, post office interview, government center report
Box 2:  Tape EQ12 – Bubble Bakery, Holy Cross, demolition near Del Mar Theater
Box 2:  Tape EQ13 – Pavilions, Interview with Shandrydan owner
Box 2:  Tape EQ14 – Compilation of shots from other tapes.
Box 2:  Tape EQ15 – Demolitions of Rittenhouse building, and St. George
Box 2:  Tape EQ16 – Fissures in earth at summit
Box 2:  Tape EQ17 – ESPN story on local athletes voluteering following quake
Box 2:  Tape EQ18 – SC City Hall, City Souncil on fate of St. George, Mardi Wormhoudt/Mayor
Box 2:  Tape EQ19 – Fissures (same as 16?) and news reports from various stations (poor quality)
Box 3:  Tape EQ20 – Casa Del Rey demolition, Del Mar, St. George relocation, Cooperhouse down
Box 3:  Tape EQ21 – Homes destroyed
Box 3:  Tape EQ22 – Earthquake retro story – 1 year later
Box 3:  Tape24 – Pavilion C
Box 3:  Tape25 – Archival footage (?) and shots of Watsonville tent city
Box 3:  Tape – St. George Fire #1
Box 3:  Tape – St. George Fire, Tape B
Box 3:  Tape – Rory Calhoun with Open and Credits
Box 3:  Tape – Rory Calhoun Master
Box 4:  Tape – Kruzin Package Master
Box 4:  Tape – Shakespeare 1999
Box 4:  Tape – Mall Stuff
Box 4:  Tape – Carousel
Box 4:  Tape – Sesnon #2
Box 4:  Tape – Sports Arts Telethon
Box 4:  Tape – Downtown Santa Cruz #1
Box 4:  Tape – Loch Lomond #2
Box 4:  Tape – Downtown Santa Cruz #2
Box 4:  Tape – Beach History
Box 5:  Tape – Looking Back Master
Box 5:  Tape – Red Cross, Aptos Chamber
Box 5:  Tape – Kruzin A
Box 5:  Tape – Blue Plate Special
Box 5:  Tape – History Master #3
Box 5:  Tape – Ross #2, RC Generic, ’06 Quake, MAH
Box 5:  Tape – Old Time Santa Cruz – 1931 Flood
Box 5:  Tape – History of Cars in Santa Cruz, Children’s Dance Class
Box 5:  Tape – Evolution of TV Master
Box 6:  Tape – Ross Golson Photos
Box 6:  Tape – KSCO #6, Vernon Berlin
Box 6:  Tape – Loch Lomond #1
Box 6:  Tape – Red Cross Master
Box 6:  Tape – History Packages Master 1
Box 6:  Tape – History Packages Master 2
Box 6:  Tape – Del Mar Theater Master
Box 6:  Tape – Postcards
Box 6:  Tape – Del Mar B-Roll
Box 6:  Tape – Del Mar Stills #5
Box 7:  Tape – Cruzin 242
Box 7:  Tape – Cruzin 209
Box 7:  Tape – 1992 Portraits
Box 7:  Tape – Portraits J Master
Box 7:  Tape – Portraits G Master
Box 7:  Tape – Santa Cruz Report #3, 19 October 1986
Box 7:  Tape – Santa Cruz Report
Box 7:  Tape – Women’s Work, 2 October 1986
Box 7:  Tape – Santa Cruz Report
Box 7:  Tape – Santa Cruz Report, 20 December 1987
Box 7:  Tape – Santa Cruz Report Archive 5
Box 7:  Tape – Santa Cruz Report Archive 1
Box 7:  Tape – Santa Cruz Report Archive 3
Box 7:  Tape – Santa Cruz report Archive 2
Box 8:  Tape – Airplane, 2 of 3
Box 8:  Tape – Aerials 8
Box 8:  Tape – Aerial 1
Box 8:  Tape – Aerials 7
Box 8:  Tape – Aerials 4
Box 8:  Tape – Downtown, 13 December 1993
Box 8:  Tape – Archive General #2
Box 8:  Tape – Archive General #1
Box 8:  Tape – Aerials 5
Box 8:  Tape – Airplane, 1 of 3
Box 8:  Tape – Aerials 2
Box 8:  Tape – Aerials 6
Box 8:  Tape – Airplane
Box 8:  Tape – Aerial 3
Box 8:  Tape – Airplane, 3 of 3
Box 8:  Tape – Aerials 9
Box 9:  Tape – News Archive #8
Box 9:  Tape – Lisa’s News Packages
Box 9:  Tape – News Packages 8
Box 9:  Tape – News Archive #7
Box 9:  Tape – News Archive #6
Box 9:  Tape – News Archive #4
Box 9:  Tape – Earthquake Special
Box 9:  Tape – Santa Cruz Report, Archive 4
Box 9:  Tape – News Archive #7
Box 9:  Tape – 1995 Telethon
Box 9:  Tape – News Archive #3
Box 9:  Tape – News Archive #2
Box 9:  Tape – News Archive #1
Box 9:  Tape – Lisa’s Package Masters
Box 10:  Tape – Archive General #3
Box 10:  Tape – Cruzin 211
Box 10:  Tape – Master County Beat
Box 10:  Tape – Highlights #1
Box 10:  Tape – News Packages #9
Box 10:  Tape – News Packages #7
Box 10:  Tape – News Packages #6
Box 10:  Tape – Package Master
Box 10:  Tape – General Archive #4
Box 10:  Tape – General Archive #5
Box 10:  Tape – Archive #6
Box 10:  Tape – Archive #7
Box 10:  Tape – Looking Back ‘A’
Box 10:  Tape – Cruzin 223
Box 10:  Tape – Mike Leimbach
Box 10:  Tape – Blues Festival