Cal State Fullerton and KCET Enter Into Exclusive Orange County Partnership

California State University, Fullerton and KCET/ Los Angeles have entered into an exclusive Orange County public television media partnership to support the opening of the university’s new Performing Arts Center and its performing arts season. The partnership also provides the university with media support from KCET for its cultural, academic and athletics activities, while offering the Southern California public television station an opportunity to contribute to an important educational and cultural institution in its community.

Because Cal State Fullerton’s new Performing Arts Center will celebrate its grand opening Jan. 13-15, 2006, the partnership comes at a fortuitous time, said Milton A. Gordon, university president.

“We are particularly pleased to be partnering with KCET, since their high level of excellence is remarkable among Southern California public television stations,” Gordon said. “We expect to be working with KCET on activities involving the Performing Arts Center and on other various educational projects of mutual interest.”

“Some of those projects include Cal State Fullerton’s upcoming involvement in such programs as “Los Niños En Su Casa,” “Life & Times” and “A Place of Our Own,” said Bruce Erickson, associate vice president for university communications and marketing.

For KCET, the partnership with Cal State Fullerton opens up new opportunities to reach audiences through station signage in the Titan Gym, the softball complex and at Goodwin Field,
in addition to patrons of the arts at the new Performing Arts Center.

Cal State Fullerton has the largest enrollment of all 23 California State University campuses, with more than 35,000 students, including 3,000 at the CSUF Irvine Campus. An increasingly diverse campus combining the best in research and teaching universities, Cal State Fullerton is No. 1 in California for awarding degrees to Hispanic students and No. 2 in the nation in awarding undergraduate business degrees to Asian-American students.

“KCET and Cal State Fullerton share the same commitment to education, and we both recognize the importance of supporting the arts in our community,” said Al Jerome, president and CEO of KCET. “We are proud we can help launch this new Performing Arts Center, which is such a cultural jewel for Orange County. We look forward to an ongoing partnership of worthwhile activities.”

KCET/Los Angeles, public television for southern and central California, airs to four million viewers per week in 11 counties, the largest broadcast reach of any public television station in the United States. Throughout its 40-plus-year history, it has garnered hundreds of awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming; its national PBS drama and documentary productions; its quality education, family and children’s programs; and its outreach and community services. Additional information about KCET can be found at www.kcet.org.

Contacts: Bruce Erickson, associate vice president for university communications and marketing at CSUF, (714) 278- 7429
Laurel Lambert, director, advertising and promotion for KCET, (323) 953-5246