Entertainment, Not Civics, On Demand
September 28th, 2007
The Bloomberg Administration unveiled Monday the new NYC TV On Demand, an online companion to the popular municipal television channels. You can now go online and choose which channel to watch and what show to watch.
Just don’t expect to see a policy discussion. You can watch “Secrets of New York,” a series of Discovery Channel-like documentaries about the city’s infrastructure. But if you type “Michael Bloomberg” or “City Council” into the website’s search function, it finds nothing for you. You’re more likely to find a show about hot dogs.
Councilmember Gale Brewer, chair of the council’s technology in government committee, has been critical of the content on the channels for some time.
“You could do shows about restaurants,” suggests Councilmember Gale Brewer, “but what is the policy behind them? What are the issues with labor? Where do they get their food? Health issues. I get those questions all the time.”
While NYC TV’s programming has been hailed for its innovation, Brewer thinks the dearth of educational and civic content is inappropriate for a municipal television channel. “All we get is flash, flash, flash.” she says.
By Mike Muller on September 28, 2007, 1:20 amIn category: Tech | Comments Off on Entertainment, Not Civics, On Demand