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New York Times,
June 15, 2005
Albany Officials Seek Their Own Reality Show
Al Baker
Though it may prove less titillating than watching
"Desperate Housewives" or "The Sopranos," state
officials say it is time for viewers across New York to tune in to the doings of the
State Legislature on cable television.
As the last frenzied days of the legislative session
unfold, officials in the Senate and Assembly are pushing ahead on a
long-promised deal with the cable television industry to begin broadcasting
legislative sessions live and unedited on cable stations across the state.
Officials want viewers to flip a switch and perhaps
trade an episode of, say, "The Apprentice," for the musings of
Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky, a Westchester County Democrat known for his
cantankerous critiques of the Pataki administration, or to see Senator Liz
Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, spar with upstate Republicans over school
spending.
But while live broadcasts would give all 212 state
legislators a chance to make political speeches to the people in their home
districts, most of the action promises to be as scripted as professional
wrestling: actual debates on issues in Albany are usually held off the floor,
far from any camera's eye, in the party conference meetings behind closed
doors.
Still, good government groups hailed the television idea
as a good first step, saying it would help open up a legislative process
notorious for secrecy. Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group
said that the programming should offer roundtable discussions like those
found on C-Span, where sessions of Congress have been shown live for more
than two decades.
Legislators view the potential broadcasts as part of an
overhaul of government work in Albany, and
they say that politicians in more than 20 other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut,
televise their work. John E. McArdle, a spokesman for Joseph L. Bruno, the
State Senate's Republican majority leader, said that discussions with the
Assembly and the cable industry were advancing.
Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, an upstate Democrat who has
been heading the Assembly's efforts, agreed, saying that officials would
soon announce "a significant step forward in having a statewide public
affairs channel, C-Spanlike."
Richard Alteri, president of the Cable
Telecommunications Association of New York, an industry group, said he had
to take the matter next week to a meeting of his board, which includes
officials from such companies as Time Warner and Cablevision. He said that
several questions remained, about costs and the technology for delivery.
"We are looking for a target launch date of January," Mr. Alteri
said.
As for market share, Mr. Horner said: "Will it have
Nielsen ratings that rival 'Survivor'? No. But there's enough of the public
that's interested in this; if there wasn't, there wouldn't be a
C-Span."
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