Heeere’s Burbank! : City Council to Consider Live Telecasts of Meetings, Civic Events on Cable Television

Television viewers may soon do more than just laugh at Johnny Carson’s constant ribbing of beautiful downtown Burbank. They may be able to flip a channel and see Burbank live and in living color.

The Burbank City Council will soon consider a proposal to put its Tuesdaynight council meetings on cable television, as well as town hall meetings and other city events. Although some officials favor an edited, tape-delayed version of the sometimes heated and rowdy council proceedings, others feel that there’s nothing like the real thing--live.

“I think it should be gavel to gavel, it should be unedited and it should be live,” said Councilman Michael R. Hastings. “Let’s show what it’s like in the trenches. It will get the people at home involved. And, with so many things happening in our city right now, that’s a real important tool to use.”

Hastings said he doesn’t feel that popular Tuesday-night television series such as “The A-Team” and “Moonlighting” would provide too much competition for the council meetings, which sometimes go on long after Carson finishes his nightly monologue.

The meetings would be telecast on the Sammons Communications cable system and would occupy the C-SPAN channel, where sessions of the U.S. Senate and other legislative bodies are televised. Now, the only place to watch the City Council on television is in its chambers, where monitors hang from the ceiling.

Broadcasting meetings is part of an ambitious media package proposed by Larry Johnson, the city’s public information officer. He said it will cost about $65,000 to upgrade the city’s television equipment and add “special effects” such as color and split-screen.

“Other communities have tried it as part of their efforts to further involve the public, so we’ve been looking at this for a long time,” Johnson said.

Monrovia and West Hollywood are among cities that televise their council proceedings. West Hollywood televises its meetings on a tape delay but will switch to live coverage in September, officials said.

Johnson said he is getting a tape of one of those meetings to show the Burbank council. He also wants to schedule a study session in the next two months so the council can further discuss the proposal.

There is already opposition to the plan.

“People play to the camera, and some of the gadflies we have here would be really more outward, while other folks who want to attend the meeting might be inhibited by the camera,” said Councilman Al F. Dossin.

Council meetings recently have been distinguished by loud shouts from the audience, which Mayor Mary E. Kelsey continually has to silence.

Besides, Dossin said, the council may not be as open on camera.

“It would just be another distracting factor,” he said. “I don’t want it at all.”