New Format Set for KCET’s ‘Life & Times’

KCET-TV Channel 28 inaugurates the third season of its local series “Life & Times” tonight with substantial format changes: four in-studio, “talking head” programs a week instead of three, one documentary program instead of two, and a greater focus on statewide issues.

The changes continue the trend of downsizing documentary evenings in the series, which premiered in January, 1992. In its first season, “Life & Times” embarked on an ambitious program of having three documentary nights a week.

Economics played a role in the format changes, station executives say, because documentaries are considerably more expensive to produce. But they also point out that the public-affairs discussions have drawn the same size audience as the documentaries.

“What we found we were able to do,” said Stephen Kulczycki, KCET’s senior vice president and station manager, “was to reach a similar-sized group of people with a less expensive format, and do it more often and keep it fresh.”

“Life & Times” will still produce 22 documentaries this season, he said, but with only one airing each week, the producers will have more time to shoot and edit them.

Executive producer Blaine Baggett said the decision to go with one documentary a week was motivated by wanting to add state issues into regular discussion.

“There’s not enough attachment from Southern California to the rest of the state,” said Baggett, also KCET director of public affairs and feature documentaries. “It was like this gaping hole. And I felt (this) was one dire need that public television could try to begin to fulfill.”

So “Life & Times” will talk about state politics, economics and social issues, on Mondays. The hosts for the 7:30 p.m. show continue to be lawyer and KFI radio host Hugh Hewitt, Los Angeles Times staff writer Patt Morrison and writer-poet Ruben Martinez.

Tuesdays will bring “One on One”--an interview with a major community figure. In the first of these on Oct. 12, Hewitt interviews Assembly Speaker Willie Brown.

Wednesday is now documentary night. Thursdays will focus on arts-related issues and profiles.

Fridays will bring discussions of the week’s major news events. Tonight’s show will be pegged to Sunday’s opening of the rebuilt Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, with author Ray Bradbury as the guest.

(This schedule will not be followed precisely next week, when “Life & Times” plans a Tuesday-Thursday series profiling three surgeons.)

Of KCET’s overall $12.5-million programming budget this year, “Life & Times” is expected to account for $2.8 million, $400,000 more than last season.