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.
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16 comments:
Clarification: This is a verbatim email that I sent as a news tip to the Standard-Examiner, the Salt Lake Tribune, and Weber County Forum a few days ago. I was hoping that one of these media would dig into the story a little deeper, but posting the email here is better than nothing.
How else can Brandon, The Sock Puppet, get his message out to the voters without the help of his mentor, Mayor Matthew, Too Many Terms, Godfrey to tell him what to say. I would think listening to Brandon for 8 years and everyone having to explain to him their proposal before he finally got it, is not a quality one looks in choosing a mayor. Dumb and dumber should not be a follow-up act ever.
One more observation I have is why is there Ogden City candidate signs in other surrounding cities that do not vote for them? Thinking back, I've never voted for Saddam Hussen!
Is it just me, or do other WCF readers see parrallels between Mayor Godfrey's Channel 17 station manger, and Hitler's propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels?
Dan S. said: "I think it's time for more outside media scrutiny of Ogden's government-controlled broadcast monopoly."
Better yet, the City Council could pass an ordinance mandating that the Channel 17 public access TV channel should be administered by a politically neutral citizen's committee.
Thanks for the 'clarification, Dan!
I do believe however that this this particular post stands own merits, and deserves no further explantion.
Did Van Wagoner even graduate from High School? if so, which one?
Mr. Francis is being disingenuous in claiming he won't permit the Ethics group sponsored debate [to which all candidates have agreed] to air on Channel 17 because those sponsoring them have "an agenda."
Anyone appearing on a public financed TV station to discuss public policy.... any public policy.... has an agenda. If all people with agendas are banned from appearing, the Mayor's Q and A show would have to go. And the station would be reduced to running even more pablum than it now does.
Recalling what 17 used to show --- when it was known to some as the "All Godfrey, All Geigers, All Gondolas, All The Time" channel --- Mr. Francis' claim that "no agendas are allowed" is laughable.
It's still, it seems, the Godfrey Channel. I hope it will not become, in January, the personal PR fiefdom of whoever the new mayor might be. It will, I'm afraid, take some Council involvement to see that it does not.
can the event be recorded and broadcast on the weber county forum?
Bless the "slanderous" WCF. May the truth actually find the light of day in shady Ogden. KEEP ON SLANDERIN'.
We're working on it. Could use technical assistance from anyone with expertise in such things.
Cockroaches don't like the light of day, and will scurry away when you pick up whatever it was they were hiding under. and then call their exposure "slander."
Lets get those Envision Ogden and FNURE check endorsers to see who the real slanderers are! (Wait, I guess these would be white collar criminals!)
Yehhhhhh!!!!!!
And there is more to come.
Huh? Where did that come from?
Would be somewhat interesting if true though. Although, be careful as that could be a "rags to riches" story that people rally around. This is America after all.
Van Wagoner did graduate from High School, although he supported himself to do it. Estancia High Costa Mesa, CA.
Its really not a rags to riches story- it's more of a rags to Mr. Mom story. He has has been very vague about any graduation in the past ---so verification of this might be interesting-
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