COUNTY CABLE

O'MALLEY?

Montgomery County Government TV

Content Heavy on O'Malley, Brown

County Tax Dollars Used to Promote

Democratic Administration

What's going on at County Cable Montgomery (Channel 6)? It wasn't long ago that the county-run operation was home to traffic cameras, County Council sessions, information on county services and facilities, and - most of all - countless Doug Duncan ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

But now, it seems like every time I turn to Channel 6, I find Governor Martin O'Malley or Lt. Governor Anthony Brown on the screen. There's this long program that consists of, apparently, 100 episodes, of Lt. Gov. Brown going on and on about the most cliched, feel-good, irrelevant, "state-government-working-for-you," time-killing filler you've ever heard.

You'd fall asleep, except that whoever filmed this just discovered the invention of the video camera. And just opened a new box of video-editing software.

This person proceeds to run the Brown video through every built-in trick, bell, and whistle he or she has on the menu. Brown is two pictures at once. One freezes, and he continues talking in the lower square. Then the cameraperson lays on the floor and points the camera up at Brown. Then he or she zooms in on Brown's hands. Then the picture changes to black-and-white. Goodness gracious. It's a veritable tour-de-force.

Anyway, why are the Governor and Lt. Governor being given so much exposure on a county channel? I don't recall them having Bob Ehrlich or Michael Steele on often, if ever, when they were in office. This raises questions. Why are Montgomery County tax dollars being spent on what are essentially political ads for O'Malley, Brown, and the Maryland Democratic Party?

Whoever thought that the day would come when we'd miss Doug Duncan and his scissors?