No ‘Puzzleworks’ on KOCE

Don’t look for “The Puzzleworks” on KOCE Channel 50, Orange County’s public television station. KOCE is a so-called Limited Use Discount station, explains spokeswoman Judith Schaefer. That means it receives discounts on programs obtained from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) as long as it doesn’t take more than 40% of its programming from the service. At the moment, Schaefer said, KOCE has reached the limit and therefore cannot pick up “Puzzleworks” without jeopardizing its fiscal base.

She noted that the Limited Use Discount regulation is scheduled for national re-evaluation this fall. “Many public stations would like to have children’s programs, like ‘Puzzleworks,’ exempt” from the regulation, she said.