(10/18) Mayor James Hoover wants to be
Emmitsburg’s Oprah Winfrey.
Hoover asked the Emmitsburg Board of
Commissioners for permission to broadcast a monthly 30-minute television show
on the town’s cable station 99. Hoover would produce the show and then replay
is a few times each month.
“It would highlight a lot of different
things going on around town and … emphasize some of the town’s positive
nature,” Hoover said.
Hoover already hosts a radio show on the
Mount St. Mary’s University radio station WMTB 89.9 each Sunday night at 7 p.m.
The university allows Hoover to use the campus station as a public service and
it allows students experience producing a radio show.
“This is another tool, another avenue to
provide some open public information and do it in a positive way,” Hoover said.
The mayor was a guest multiple times on
the Community Spotlight show that used to be on cable channel 10. He has been
considering hosting his own television show since he first talked about it last
year to The Dispatch.
The town already broadcasts its
commissioner meetings live and then rebroadcasts them on Tuesday and Thursday.
The commissioners had questions about
whether opposing views would be allowed to be aired and whether opposing
candidates would need to be allowed to access if the Hoover decides to run for
re-election.
“I also don’t want to get us shot in the
tail by somebody saying why’s he [Hoover] on there and I can’t be on there,”
said Commission President Chris Staiger.
Hoover said his intention wasn’t to
venture into controversial topics, but he said he would ask for the opinion of
the town’s attorney John Clapp to see if there were any issues the town would
need to consider if Hoover was allowed to broadcast the show on the town’s
cable channel.
The commissioners plan to discuss the
issue further at the Nov. 5 town meeting.
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