Larry Dean/R-VCRLarry Dean/R-VCR
The station is located in a basement at San Bernardino Valley Community College. Here is now retired operator Bill Bacon guarding the master control room, located in the deepest dungeon.
R-VCR archive
Mr Rogers Neighborhood started in 1968 "I remember television with Ed Rothhaar" is popular KVCR show of the early days of television. KVCR itself goes back quite a few years to 1962. This was long before PBS was established. In those days it was National Educational Television. KVCR got the NET program off-air by receiving Los Angeles KCET 28 and relaying the signal on channel 24.
R-VCR archive
This was in the Black and White era. When KCET went to color, the relayed signal on KVCR passed through with the color still on it!! KVCR became a true color station when the new high power transmitter was built, about 1976. PBS was the first to use satellite distribution. KVCR has its dish at the Crafton Hills campus in Yucaipa and microwaves it back to Valley College. This bicentennial period is when Alistair Cooke hosted the America program, as seen in this promo slide taken in front of a still-under-construction World Trade Center. Both NET and the early PBS were very New York City oriented.
R-VCR archive
Fred R. Burgess started out as a station volunteer in 1963, as a student. After graduating he joined the staff working up as Program Director and then General Manager. He was skilled at grant writing and oversaw a major expansion of facilities. From there he stepped over to become Development Director at San Bernardino Valley Community College District. Besides Ed Rotharr, Tom Little was also a station GM. Tom spent a tour as television manager at the government stations in American Samoa, before returning to KVCR to take the GM position.
On the first anniversary of 9/11, KVCR TV celebrated by installing a brand new klystron tube at the transmitter at Box Springs Mountain Park. This picture of the installation has Jon Guptil, director of engineering pushing from the right. Another view of the transmitter
Valley College has all new phone number, here is the current list for KVCR operations
The KVCR URL http://www.kvcr.org San Bernardino Valley Community College 601 South Mt Vernon Avenue San Bernardino CA 92410
