Public access television is part of the 21st Century advances upon which an enlightened people depend.
That goes double for Scranton.
Because as hip and groovy and artsy as we like to believe we are, we need a little more diversity in our cultural and conversational exchanges.
Our community is always better with debate, however contentious that debate becomes.
Democracy is a messy process.
The great “unwashed masses” of immigrants who came struggling to America’s shores knew that the dirty work of democracy gets done with no frills. The peasants who arrived long before the invention of Mennen Speed stick deodorant and television, for that matter, knew that a strong nation is built with sweat and tears.
But the strong smell of sweat, especially in the summertime, usually doesn’t sit well with the self-professed aristocrats who rule from a lofty perch and become uncomfortable when the people show up to speak their minds.
This is what happened over the years when citizens flocked to Scranton City Council meetings. This is what happened when Scranton Today began to televise those meetings. This is what happened when a new outfit showed up and wanted the job.
Now Scranton finds itself in a mess.
As of this morning, a new organization called Electric City Television (ECTV) has control over the public access and the televised council meeting that was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. But a glitch in the system prevents the meeting from being broadcast live. And that’s just not acceptable.
Neither is the plan to replay the meeting only once.
People with internet access can go to the ECTV website and view the meeting any time they wish, say ECTV bosses.
When I checked yesterday, though, the ECTV website was down.
And what about the many people, particularly the elderly, who don’t own computers?
Some people claim that politics drives the change in public access television organizations.
I don’t know about that, but it wouldn’t be surprising.
Politics drives everything in Scranton.
Mayor Chris Doherty and others in the business community have expressed displeasure at the madhouse that council meetings have sometimes become. They claim that the raucous debates portray the city in a negative light.
Too bad.
That’s life.
Scranton isn’t a sitcom.
Scranton is alive and well not despite the characters that populate our town but because of the characters that populate our town. Some of Scranton’s wildest charmers and knaves are well-known and beloved.
And if your family has roots deep enough in Scranton, you’re likely related to some of them. I know I am. Yes, democracy is messy - as well it should be.
Disorder in the house is part of the fabric that makes us what we are. Chaos can be fun. So can public accountability. That’s why ECTV bosses better understand that they serve the people in their new capacity as public access providers.
That means they must answer questions about their qualifications and their finances. They must smile and perhaps be more forthcoming than they have ever been in their lives. They must accept the responsibility for upholding the public trust, just like elected officials.
I ran into one of these ECTV bosses yesterday. Standing in the alley behind the Prescott Avenue church that will serve as ECTV headquarters, he expressed dismay at the public scrutiny. He said he wanted to “keep a low profile.”
The word “public” in public access means just that. Get used to it. Take a few public relations courses. Then do the job.
Generations of hard-working Scranton residents always did the job. They were the public.
We expect as much result from political bosses and ECTV executives as we got from our ancestors who asked for little in return for their hard labor and usually got just that.
Sue Henry
