Published: March 16, 2008 12:48 am      

MARREN: Christy kept LCTV interesting

There’ll be no more hair jokes or uncontrollable screaming into your family room every Thursday night. No more on-air calls from Edwina, Kathy or Frank. You will no longer see large, stacked paper cups from Wilson Farms on your television screen.

Thanks to government control, Tom Christy and LCTV’s Legislative Journal has been silenced.

I’ve been pretty quiet on the whole Christy versus LCTV and/or its board for a while. Much of the reason is because at one point I was partially involved. I was told I couldn’t be a guest, then I was told I could, but that other members of the local media couldn’t.

I couldn’t follow the double-talk, so I just stayed clear. I also withheld comment because I realize, as a journalist, there’s always at least two sides to every story. Since Christy, a friend, was the only one coming to me with any information, his side was all I had and I trusted what he told me.

Producer Rich Zapp e-mailed me a few times and a board member called me as well. What I got from them was very vague information. Zapp’s a good guy, but never did I get an answer on who exactly has been complaining about Tom. No one told me what led the board to seek input from the state on how much editorial control it has with regard to the station and his program.

Still, today, no one knows who these alleged complainants are or what they said. That’s because there are none. Well, at least not from your average viewer. There may be complaints from board members, local politicians or state politicians, but not the average viewer. The board member who called me said someone called to complain Tom used the word diddle or diddly. I can’t remember exactly what the word was because I’ve heard worse terms from much more mainstream media this week with regard to Client 9. Basically the word she said he used was no worse than most of what your kid is hearing on the school bus.

Still, the station, which is public (you pay for it), has not released any of these alleged complaints to us or any media.

The complaints LCTV says it has against Christy are one thing. Another thing to consider, from an outsider’s perspective, is this is a bad move when it comes to quality programming and trying to attract viewers. Christy had an audience. Even my mom in the Town of Tonawanda tuned in.

Dropping Christy may sound the death knell for LCTV. Killing Christy in favor of NASA coverage of astronauts floating in space doesn’t exactly scream “Must See TV.”

John Benoit, chairman of the local commission that oversees LCTV and treasurer of the station’s board of directors said canceling the show will be a benefit. It’s “getting it back to the original mission,” he told our reporter.

“That (show) is intended to provide the public with information about what the government does,” Benoit said. “Legislative Journal, basically, was an opportunity for elected officials or representatives of elected officials, to provide information about what they do, how they function.”

What those elected officials won’t offer is what they don’t do or what they failed to accomplish. How they don’t function would never be exposed with a host who lobs softballs. That’s why Christy questioned his guests. He threw fast balls. It’s what made his show good. And he was always very fair about it, as well.

LCTV has always been unique in that it offered a program like Legislative Journal, in addition to meeting coverage and other political shows. Legislative Journal, though, was better than the other softball-question programs because it offered opinions. That may also be the reason it was killed.

Lockport has been lucky to have a local paper, radio station and television station. Luckily, two out of three aren’t controlled by the government.

LCTV will no longer interest me, because it’s no longer unique. There will be no opinions. It’s sterile. The elected officials will go on, hosting their own shows and what you view will be filtered. I’ve been told the board isn’t driven by a political agenda or orchestrated from above, but until someone shows me reports on who complained and what they complained about, count me as a conspiracy theorist.

At this point the conspiracy seems to be more fact than fiction.

Managing Editor Tim Marren’s column appears every Sunday. He can be reached

at 439-9222, ext. 6238, or marrent @gnnewspaper.com.