LTV, East Hampton’s local access television offering government, public, and educational programming, was recognized last Thursday on the 35th anniversary of its incorporation by the East Hampton Town Board.
Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc read a proclamation that was then presented to Diana Weir, LTV’s chairwoman, and Michael Clark, its executive director, who assumed that role in October.
LTV began in 1980, the supervisor noted, prior to its regular cablecasting service that launched in 1984, its mission “to provide a free speech and media platform to share all manner of public discourse and education and creative expression within our community and the world at large.”
Mr. Van Scoyoc lauded Frazer Dougherty and his wife, Frances Ann Cannon Dougherty, LTV’s founders, as well as some of those who made “invaluable contributions” to the channel, including Bill King, who designed its logo, Jill Keefe, who produced the first program in the archive, William J. Fleming, the host of LTV’s longest-running show, and Henry Haney, who produced two of its most influential shows.
The cablecaster moved to its present location on Industrial Road in Wainscott in 1992. It is outfitted with editing suites, talk show studios, a kitchen studio, a tech shop, an archive library, and Studio 3, a large space for public forums and performances. An extensive upgrade in 2001 brought a second public access channel and the installation of cameras and broadcasting equipment at Town Hall and the meeting room at the Emergency Services Building in East Hampton Village, allowing meetings to be aired live and live-streamed from LTV’s website, Mr. Van Scoyoc said.
“LTV’s archive includes more than 25,000 videos comprising interviews of local residents from all walks of life, nature shows, historic films, debates, protests, testimonials, and town government meetings, all of which is preserved and accessible,” the supervisor said, not to mention “more news shows per week than any other access station on Long Island.”
“Be it proclaimed that the Town of East Hampton hereby recognizes the invaluable services of LTV Studios and congratulates them on 35 years of growth and success.”
Ms. Weir, a former member of the town board, spoke of her early experiences as a volunteer at LTV, describing the now-antiquated equipment in use at the time. (“Programs were made on cast-off vintage equipment,” according to LTV’s website, “and shows often went out in hues of green with audio often fading into silence.”)
“It’s come such a tremendous long way,” Ms. Weir said, offering thanks to “every town board over the last 35 years . . . regardless of affiliation,” as well as residents who have produced content that has “been able to give us that local public information and the things that we need.” She also thanked LTV’s staff. “We’re so proud to have Michael with us now,” she said of Mr. Clark, who told The Star in October that new ideas and new management would birth a new culture at the station.
“I am proud to say that this is the best and most advanced public television access in the state, bar none,” Ms. Weir said.
“And that’s thanks to the support from this town board and the village and the people of the community.”
