The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation has awarded a $1,500 grant to LTV to support its Bill Fleming Project. The money will be used to assist in digitally preserving “The East End Show,” which Fleming, a longtime East Hampton attorney, hosted for 34 years until his death in 2018.
The East End Show was LTV’s longest running show. Fleming’s eclectic interests and love for the town were evident every Thursday at 6 p.m. on LTV, the show capturing life on the East End. Its proper preservation will ensure that it can be viewed and archived for all time.
“Bill’s show was classic community television,” Michael Clark, LTV’s executive director, said in a statement on Monday. “The beauty of that is it truly shows what life was like during that period of time. His guests, the discussions, and even the reading of local newspaper headings immediately takes you back to that time and what was on everyone’s mind. It’s an important piece of local history. Having the Gardiner Foundation recognize that is wonderful and having them support it is even better.”
The project will see the digitization of 965 shows, which will then be available to the community. Some of Fleming’s friends and colleagues are participating in the project along with the Gardiner Foundation.
“It’s a great community effort,” Mr. Clark said. “Now having the Gardiner Foundation on board allows us to reach our goal of having this all completed by February 2022. We are so incredibly thankful and the reward, for us, is sharing local history for all time.”
