BackTalk with Becca » History

Japantown is a Rare Sight in the U.S.

becca — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:44:13 +0000

There are only three Japantowns left in the United States. One of them is here in San Jose. Established at the turn of the 20th century, it offered Japanese emigrants a community that felt more like home.

About 80 years later, in 1981, KTEH produced an historical tour of Japantown featuring many of its historic buildings. In this clip you will hear about the early history and see what Japantown looked like in 1981

Have you visited San Jose's Japantown?

When Grapes Were Crushed by Hand….or Foot

becca — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:54:39 +0000

In the second part of the KTEH's 1970 documentary, "The Valley That Was," vineyards vie for the top crop spot. In 1880 vintners like Mirassou, Paul Masson and Picchetti Brothers were growing grapes. Their children were crushing them….. Take a look.

What is your fondest memory of the valley before silicon?

Early Japanese Farmers in Santa Clara Valley

becca — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 23:32:10 +0000

Japanese farmers began arriving in the Santa Clara valley around the end of the 19th century. By 1908 Japanese farmers of the San Jose district controlled 3241 acres of land. Some of that land was purchased by the Sakawa family. Edward Sakawa talks about his father, and working on their turn of the century pear farm, in this clip from "The Valley That Was."

How Did You Spend Your Summer Vacation?

becca — Fri, 06 May 2011 23:16:02 +0000

Before World War II, cutting apricots for the drying process was the summer job of choice in the valley.
Whole families would would work together making 10 cents a box - or about 10 cents an hour. Apricots were also canned in some of the 50 canneries running in the area. A local woman remembers her apricot summers in this clip from "The Valley That was."

What was your favorite summer job?

The Valley That Was

becca — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:54:39 +0000

One day into May, it seems like Spring is really, finally here. The sun is out, the flowers are in bloom an tissues fill my pockets. There is a dark side to our valley's beauty - pollen.

I'm sure I'm not the first allergy sufferer to wonder what is was like back when Blossom Hill really was covered in blossoms; when we were the Prune Capital of the world. I did a little research and found something very interesting.

Back in the 1970's KTEH made a documentary called, "The Valley That Was." It told the story of farming in the Valley of Heart's Delight from the beginning. It features some wonderful early silent movies, produced
to promote travel to the area. Here's a clip:

Magical History Tour of San Jose

becca — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:35:57 +0000

Deep in the KTEH archive, we found a tape labeled "Things You Should Know about San Jose." We loaded it on to our old one-inch machine and found a fascinating historical tour of San Jose done in 1981. In this clip, we we take a tour through San Jose's early beginnings from the bank of the Guadalupe River, to the Peralta Adobe and to the Fallon House. It's interesting to see how those building have changed even more over the last 30 years.

This is Us National Parks Special

becca — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:40:26 +0000

Last year the This is Us crew met-up with a lot of remarkable Californians who have a connection to our national parks, Betty Soskin, the oldest park ranger, Greg Smestad a member of one of the oldest families in California, Dr. Masako Miura a survivor of the internment camp Manzanar, 96 year-old Ernie Pruitt, a former member of Roosevelt’s Citizens Conservation Corp and several more.

The inspiring stories of their lives, and their relationships to the parks, were featured in an hour special edition of This is Us. That special will be re-broadcast tonight. Here's a clip from the show.

The Fragile Promise of Choice

becca — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:23:41 +0000

Back in 1993 Bay Area filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman was nominated for an Academy Award for her film,When Abortion Was Illegal: Untold Stories, a co-production with KTEH. The film captured first person accounts of women who experienced illegal abortions and the people who assisted them. Many women didn't survive these back-room, anesthetic-free procedures. Their moving stories are told as well.

In the following years, Fadiman produced two additional films, “From Danger to Dignity” and “The Fragile Promise of Choice,” about changes in the laws governing abortion.

This year KTEH and KQED are re-releasing the award winning trilogy. You can see it on KTEH - Fridays at 11pm starting April, 2nd.

Buffalo Soldiers in our National Parks

becca — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:39:36 +0000

Here's an amazing story about the mounted troopers in the Army's 9th Calvary. The troopers were all African American and they were some of the very first men assigned to protect the National Parks. They were known in American military history for their outstanding service and their dedication to duty and they were called the Buffalo Soldiers. The camped here in San Jose, where the fairgrounds are today, on their way to the Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.

This is just one story from our This is Us special featuring local people who have a connection to our national parks. You can see the whole show on KTEH 10/07/09 at 7pm or see it in HD on 10/04/09 on KQEDHD.

Signing on…..

becca — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:55:52 +0000

KTEH signs on in 1964

In 1964 these men in black had a vision. They took a big step forward and launched KTEH. They saw the value of educational TV in classrooms. It was a big success and KTEH grew from there.

In September we will celebrate our 45th birthday.

Following the example of these local visionaries, KTEH continues to move forward using technology to inspire and enlighten. The internet makes it possible for us to offer our content well beyond the 24 hour broadcast cycle. And it's easy to use this technology - developed right here at home- to engage in real conversation with you, our viewers.

So welcome to Back Talk with Becca — the blog.

I began this conversation with viewers last year on a discussion board.The feedback was good but some of you mentioned the BackTalk board was sort of hard to find. The information you provided on Back Talk was so valuable, we decided to launch a bigger, better, fully-featured blog so we can really chat it up.

Here you’ll get to peek behind the curtain and see what’s in the works at KTEH. I’ll update you on our Brilliantly British line-up, share details about upcoming special events, keep you posted on plans for local shoots and most importantly, offer ways you can help us shape and create public media.

Recently viewers helped to create KTEH Cooks with Garlic. Currently Doctor Who fans are competing in our How Who Are You? contest. The winner will host an evening of Doctor Who on KTEH.

This is your public media station. We’d like to have your involvement as part of the KTEH community, and in our programs in the future – so check back often for opportunities speak your mind and get involved.

Thanks for your support and appreciation of KTEH.

Sincerely,

Becca King Reed