Orange County Newschannel
Encyclopedia
The Orange County Newschannel (often branded as OC Newschannel and OCN) was a regional cable news network featuring a rolling news format, serving Orange County, California
south of the Metropolitan Los Angeles area. Technically a network because it was carried by multiple cable operators then in business in Orange County, OCN, launched in 1990 by Freedom Communications
, was among the earliest regional 24-hour
cable news
cable television channels (the first being the Cablevision-owned News 12 Networks
, which all launched in December 1986). As early as 1992, OCN began producing news for KTLA
(which would eventually attempt to rival the cable channel in its home county). Freedom sold OCN to New Canaan, Connecticut
-based Century Communications, which at the time operated other cable entities in California, most notably in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles
, in 1996.
The network was purchased by Adelphia Cable in 1999 (eventually the name was changed slightly to Orange County News Channel) and struggled with decreasing profits and ad revenue until finally closing in 2002. Throughout its life, OCN had a largely captive audience, as the only other sources for news in Orange County were KTLA and KOCE-TV
. While Adelphia may not have initially planned to purchase the network, it helped with technical issues and attempted to retain as many jobs as possible.
OCN's website continued to operate as an internet-only news portal for Orange County, offering daily news to subscribers. Several members of the news staff that had worked at OCN eventually found a new home at KOCE-TV's news desk.
The network was a founding member of the Association of Regional News Channels. The station is not related to the currently-operating (and similarly named and formatted) OC channel (a digital subchannel of KOCE-TV).
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
south of the Metropolitan Los Angeles area. Technically a network because it was carried by multiple cable operators then in business in Orange County, OCN, launched in 1990 by Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications, Inc. is a media conglomerate in the United States. It owns approximately 100 daily and weekly newspapers in the US, with a combined daily circulation of nearly one million subscribers, and also operates over seventy local news websites...
, was among the earliest regional 24-hour
24-hour news cycle
The 24-hour news cycle arrived with the advent of television channels dedicated to news, and brought about a much faster pace of news production with increased demand for stories that can be presented as news, as opposed to the day-by-day pace of the news cycle of printed daily newspapers...
cable news
United States cable news
Cable news refers to television channels devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, early networks included CNN in 1980, Financial News Network in 1981, and CNN2 ...
cable television channels (the first being the Cablevision-owned News 12 Networks
News 12 Networks
News 12 Networks comprises seven regional cable news television channels in the New York metropolitan area. The channels offer local news 24-hours a day and reach approximately 3.8 million television households in the tri-state area...
, which all launched in December 1986). As early as 1992, OCN began producing news for KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
(which would eventually attempt to rival the cable channel in its home county). Freedom sold OCN to New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
-based Century Communications, which at the time operated other cable entities in California, most notably in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, in 1996.
The network was purchased by Adelphia Cable in 1999 (eventually the name was changed slightly to Orange County News Channel) and struggled with decreasing profits and ad revenue until finally closing in 2002. Throughout its life, OCN had a largely captive audience, as the only other sources for news in Orange County were KTLA and KOCE-TV
KOCE-TV
KOCE-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member Public televisionstation, and is the primary PBS member for Los Angeles and Southern California. KOCE also features programming focused on the communities of Orange County, California. It airs Orange County's only nightly newscast, Real Orange, with...
. While Adelphia may not have initially planned to purchase the network, it helped with technical issues and attempted to retain as many jobs as possible.
OCN's website continued to operate as an internet-only news portal for Orange County, offering daily news to subscribers. Several members of the news staff that had worked at OCN eventually found a new home at KOCE-TV's news desk.
The network was a founding member of the Association of Regional News Channels. The station is not related to the currently-operating (and similarly named and formatted) OC channel (a digital subchannel of KOCE-TV).