BROADCAST NEWS: Even before their first newscast...

BROADCAST NEWS: Even before their first newscast tonight, the news staff at Oxnard’s KADY-TV has uncovered a shocking Ventura County story: the cost of housing. “They’re just astounded,” said KADY Chief Executive John Huddy, who brought in 28 people from around the country for the twice-daily newscasts. “Some came from Missouri, where you can get a nice apartment for $400. For $400 here, you live in the trunk of a car”. . . . At Santa Barbara’s KEYT-TV, Manager Arnie Witchel said half the audience for his 5 p.m. newscast is in Ventura County. “The competition will keep us on our toes.”

JUDICIOUS JANITORS: With all the budget-cutting in Ventura County government, judges have started removing the trash from their courtrooms--which had small-claims litigants scratching their heads last week. Judge John E. Dobroth entered his court in street clothes, emptied four waste cans and left. A few minutes later, he returned in judicial robes and called the docket. . . . Said Dobroth: “All these people are wondering, ‘Why is the janitor deciding our cases?’ ”

PIPING UP: Mozart called it the King of Instruments, but these days the pipe organ--typically hidden in the back of a church--gets scant attention. This week, some of Ventura County’s little-known treasures take center stage as 200 members of the American Guild of Organists meet in Ventura. Tonight, they’ll hear the 3-year-old, $300,000 pipe organ at Cal Lutheran’s Samuelson Chapel. . . . Later: performances on notable organs in Ojai, Bardsdale and Piru.

IDENTITY CRISIS: The Calleguas Municipal Water District is running $4,000 worth of TV commercials to explain what the district does. Manager Don Kendall says it’s “money well spent,” even though the district is talking about raising property taxes by $5 or $10 a parcel. . . . “It doesn’t need to be a household name, but when you open your tax bill and see it, you ought to know what it is.” Calleguas provides water to most of Ventura County.