Public Access TV, All Want and No Need, Faux Support

According to a story over at PortCityDaily.com, “Nearly 80 percent of respondents in a recent City of Wilmington survey said the city should secure a public access television channel that residents and organizations may use to express themselves.”

Hmm. . that’s just plain interesting. . . . and there’s more, “Almost 72 percent said they would support the use of local tax dollars for the channel, and about 65 percent said they would tune in daily or weekly.”

Really?  So, 70 of city voters outright rejected a plan to build a baseball stadium but support using taxpayer dollars to support a TV station?  If you look at how the survey was done, a lot more makes sense.  It was an online survey that the city posted in November that received virtually no press and was unknown by almost everyone except supporters.

Once again, the city failed to take a scientific survey and will be making a decision based upon a select group of folks who desire taxpayer dollars be used to support a TV station that we don’t need.  And primary supporter Stave Lee’s attempt to make this a constitutional issue is rather odd as well.

Steve Lee, head of the Wilmington-based Southeastern Alliance for Community Change (SEACC), said he’s aware of the upcoming city council discussion and is hoping locals before then will “stand up for the First Amendment” and expand known support for the proposal.

This isn’t about the 1st Amendment at all, it’s about people who don’t want to pay for time on radio or tv to have access for their personal whims at the expense of taxpayers.  One would have thought the city would have learned a lesson from the drubbing it took in November after trusting that public sentiment was on their side with their previous surveys.  Here’s hoping that city manager Sterline Cheatham doesn’t want another embarrassment.