Time for more outside media scrutiny of Ogden's government-controlled broadcast monopoly
By Dan Schroeder
Folks, you're all aware of the recent disagreement among mayoral candidates over the debates organized and run by Van Wagoner.
But the story doesn't stop there. On August 8 I learned from Bill Francis, who runs Channel 17 under contract from the city, that someone has already scheduled two debates for after the primary, on September 22 and October 6. Bill hasn't told me who is sponsoring those events but I'm reminded of two years ago, when the mayor's office and Channel 17 invited the city council candidates to hold debates on the ninth floor, on predetermined dates, moderated by the same guy who does the mayor's weekly call-in show. (And when one candidate refused to participate, the mayor used this opportunity to attack that candidate on his official blog.) It sounds like few, if any, candidates were consulted regarding these planned events, but Bill has asked them to mark their calendars. Of course, only two of the eight will still be in the race by then. Seems to me that anyone wanting to sponsor a post-primary debate should wait to see who the two candidates are and then consult them on scheduling and other details.
Meanwhile, Bill has refused to tape or broadcast the August 24 candidates forum that the Ogden Ethics Project is sponsoring, citing concerns about my personal "agenda" and the fact that I also write for the "slanderous" Weber County Forum. This despite the fact that all eight candidates have agreed to participate and that the moderator, Kim Wheatley, is a highly respected professional. Of course, Bill works under contract from the city so the city is ultimately responsible for his decisions.
I think it's time for more outside media scrutiny of Ogden's government-controlled broadcast monopoly. Whether you spin it that way of not, there's definitely a story here.
