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TMCNet: Richland County Council goes 'live'

[April 17, 2012]

Richland County Council goes 'live'

Apr 17, 2012 (The State - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Richland County Council is joining the latest trend in civic accessibility by broadcasting its meetings live on the Internet.

When today's meeting cues up at 6 p.m., residents will be able to watch local government in action -- either by logging on to the county's website, www.rcgov.us, or turning on the TV. The television broadcast, on Channel 2, is only available to cable viewers who live in unincorporated areas.

The debut marks a campaign started a year ago by Councilman Seth Rose to provide a new level of openness, giving residents the opportunity to peek in on the routine and occasionally heated discussions.

"It's going to have a very positive impact on the civility of our council meetings," Rose said. "As the newest council member, I was kind of taken aback by some of the behavior of some members in the debate, and wondered if their constituency would be happy to see them behave in that manner.

"Now there will be accountability." But will folks tune in? It's hard to say.

The potential viewership on cable TV is 52,000 people. Internet access is boundless -- a fact that created a little anxiety after a training session last month covering topics such as nonverbal communication and dressing to best effect.

Hopkins resident Karen Irick stays plugged in to what's going on at County Council. She said the new webcasts are "a great move" on behalf of citizens.

"It's an awesome opportunity for the community to know what's going on down there, to be involved with what's going on down there, to hold them accountable," she said.

Irick doesn't subscribe to cable TV, and doesn't know how often she'll have time to watch meetings by computer. But now "there's no excuse" for residents to miss developments on the issues that interest them.

Columbia resident Laurel Suggs, who's active with the League of Women Voters, said airing meetings is a service that can cut two ways. "It can be a good thing, because people are being forthcoming," she said. "Then again, you do worry about people maybe grandstanding or saying things they wouldn't necessarily say (otherwise).

"But it's got to be good for democracy if we're showing that people in charge want to meet in front of the people who elect them." Political consultant Bob Wislinski, who teaches state and local government at Midlands Tech, doesn't watch the City Council broadcasts. "I'm more concerned for the propensity of these folks to put too much stuff behind closed doors," he said. "That remains the 600-pound gorilla that really hasn't changed." Executive sessions sometimes last for an hour or more.

But that may end up being instructive for the public as well.

County spokeswoman Stephany Snowden said the camera will continue to roll after council members exit their chambers for a private conference room, filming residents, staff and reporters as they wait for the discussion to resume in public. While folks watching by Internet will see the mostly empty council chamber, Snowden said staff will be able to substitute prepared programming for cable TV viewers.

Creating this window into the world of local government cost Richland County $61,000 for three cameras and related equipment that will be used for both broadcast and online formats, said Snowden, who has a background as a TV journalist.

In addition to the one-time equipment costs, the county will spend about $3,500 a year to stream meetings online, she said.

Snowden also has hired a part-time employee with expertise in video production and graphics.

Richland County is following the most recent trend: exploring the Internet as a forum for public discourse.

A spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable, Rose Dangerfield, said fewer than 20 percent of the cities and counties served by the company in South Carolina have requested channel space. The proportion hasn't budged in recent years, either, she said, perhaps because of the equipment expense of filming for broadcast.

Councilman Rose, meanwhile, is hopeful the council's twice-monthly meetings eventually will run on the city's Channel 2.

Richland County Council represents city residents as well.

Snowden said while trading broadcast material is ultimately a question for County Council and City Council, "there's an openness to sharing content" among staff.

Finally, in coming weeks, the council will decide whether to extend the broadcasts to committee meetings and planning commission meetings, for example. Rose will work for it. "If it's a public meeting, the public should be able to tune in, especially if we already have the staff on board, the technology. Why not? Let's be open." Reach Hinshaw at (803) 771-8641.

___ (c)2012 The State (Columbia, S.C.) Visit The State (Columbia, S.C.) at www.thestate.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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