8 Cable Stations Carrying Gays’ ‘Spectrum News’

SANTA ANA — “Spectrum News,” a 30-minute television program devoted to homosexual issues, is now carried on eight cable stations in 14 Orange County cities.

“We’ve handled a range of things, from the Gay Pride Festival in Santa Ana to federal protests in favor of gay rights,” said “Spectrum” producer Brad Hudson.

Hudson said “Spectrum” has been broadcasting since February when it produced a 10-minute show for public-access channel KYOU in Santa Ana. The expanded, 30-minute format began in May and includes entertainment, news items and coverage especially related to the county but sometimes focusing on national and statewide issues, he noted.

The goal of “Spectrum” is to overcome perceptions that homosexuals only “live in closets, lay on the beach and drive to Los Angeles for fun.”

The program can be seen in Santa Ana (KYOU Channel 26 on Tuesdays at 5 p.m.), Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Beach (Dimension Cable, Channel 33 on Fridays at 10 p.m.), Irvine (Community Cablevision, Channel 3 on alternating Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m.), Anaheim (Multivision, Channel 22 on Mondays at 6 p.m.) and Costa Mesa (Copley-Colony, Channel 61 on Mondays at 7 p.m.).

It is also aired in Orange (Cablevision of Orange, Channel 21, Mondays at 9 p.m. and Thursdays at 6 p.m.), Fullerton and Placentia (Channel 51 on Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 p.m.), Buena Park (Channel 55 on Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 p.m.), Huntington Beach, Garden Grove and Westminster (Rogers Cablesystems, Channel 3, air times to be announced).

Hudson said Spectrum is in the process of developing a steady audience. He added that the program, which operates on a budget of $150 per episode, is searching for volunteers and donations.