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There are 168 hours in a week. 24 hours in a day. 302,400 minutes in the average month. I think it is more than enough available time for MCTV to televise every meeting for every government in the County. In fact, each meeting could be repeated several times. So why isn’t what should be called the tax-payer-funded Martin County Citizens Channel doing so?

Much has to do with inertia…county government believing that since they have never done so, why should they do so now could be a prevalent thought. Another possibility is a more parochial one…the channel belongs to the government. In my mind, those are lame excuses. The County should do it because it is in the public’s interest to know what their governments are doing in their names. That was the concept of having government channels when franchise agreements with providers were signed in accordance with Section 611 of the Communications Act.

It is amazing how many people tune in to watch meetings. It is more than I would ever have expected. Not everyone can go to BOCC meetings but almost everyone can watch the re-airing later. Many of us do.

What has really brought this to the forefront is the shutting down of public meetings in the time of COVID-19. Different boards have tried and done their best, but it has resulted in limited public input. The “public square” has been cordoned off. Zoom has been used in the breach, but it is nothing like a real face to face meeting.

And when a citizen can’t be there, televised meetings are the next best thing. Body language, which sometimes conveys more than words, helps identify where someone stands on an issue. C-Span has been going strong for the past 40 years showing unedited content of Congress and our national government. There is the Florida Channel which does much the same for Tallahassee. MCTV should serve the same function for Martin County.

MCTV production costs are paid for through the County’s General Fund. Whether you live in unincorporated Martin County, Stuart, Indiantown or the other municipalities, every taxpayer is contributing. The intention of the station was never to be the lone mouthpiece to showcase how staff views things. It was to inform the public on all government.

There would be added expense for sure. Most of it should be borne by the general fund and some by the governmental entities based on population. Currently, the only other governmental entity that broadcasts a meeting is the School Board. That meeting is not shown live but rather a couple of days later. I would imagine that is because closed captioning must be inserted.

The School Board is charged a premium. It is against the concept of sunshine and open government.

The station should operate much as C-Span does and not as a propaganda arm of Martin County government. Today, we have the capability of making sure that citizens have the knowledge of what is being done in their names, televised meetings are as much a part of government as other departments.

The County Commission should get behind this effort and spearhead it. The other governments and their boards should also be lobbying to see this occur. I hear from many board members that they are committed to transparency. Having televised government meetings for every board in Martin County would be a way to show their commitment to that principle.