KVZK Collection
Collection Summary
The KVZK Collection includes over 6,000 television programs, episodes, and raw footage documenting American Samoan culture, politics, and history. Digitization of KVZK material is ongoing, and thousands more items will be added to the collection in the coming months. The collection includes news reports, sporting events, patriotic and religious ceremonies, high school and college graduations, performing arts festivals, conferences, spelling bees, and pageants. The oldest program in the collection dates from the 1960s; however, most were produced between 1980 and the mid-2000s. Recordings are in Samoan, English, or both.
The collection is noteworthy for its rich cultural content. Some items, such as a presentation at the Lee Auditorium in American Samoa by high school students reprising their recent performance at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, showcase traditional Samoan music and dance performances. Others, such as Faga'itua High School’s 2015 graduation ceremony, feature students singing along to contemporary pop music and performing the latest dance trends. Footage from the Miss American Samoa and Miss South Pacific pageants includes traditional and popular music and dancing, as well as contestant speeches and outtakes. The collection also features sporting events, including fautasi (long boat) races, boxing matches, and women’s volleyball and weightlifting competitions.
Christianity is the dominant religion in American Samoa, which is reflected in the collection’s many recordings of church services, ordinations, and sermons. Similarly, the collection’s many Flag Day and Veterans Day commemorations attest to the patriotism of the American Samoan people. Talk shows reflect on 100 years of American Samoan history, and news reports and live coverage document major historical events, such as the devastation caused by Cyclone Val in 1991 and the 2010 American Samoan constitutional convention. Raw footage captures scenes of everyday life in American Samoa and the natural beauty of the territory.
Collection Background
KVZK-TV was established in 1964 as part of a novel experiment to imrprove learning outcomes in American Samoan schools. Mainland U.S. teachers provided instruction in English, science, and social studies, which KVZK pre-recorded or broadcast live into classrooms across the territory. In the 1970s, KVZK expanded the scope of its programming, broadcasting local news and event coverage, talk shows, religious ceremonies, and performances.
Digitization of the KVZK collection was supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Special thanks to Neil Bernard, Director of the KVZK/American Samoa Public Media Digitization Project for his assistance in curating this collection.
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