It's been 24 years since a LOCAL cable company gave a true LOCAL news channel with
weekly programming. Back in the early years of cable in Hamilton Township, the
original "Hamilton Cablevision, and then" TKR Cable" maintained
studios in Hamilton where true local television could be brought to the
citizenry. Hamilton subscribers could tune in to watch LOCAL political
candidates, LOCAL football and baseball games, and LOCAL coverage of
Septemberfest, Harvest Fest, the Sayen Azalea fest, and other programming of
interest to LOCAL citizens. I was one of the personalities who brought local
politics, news and other interesting subject to the taxpaying citizens of
Hamilton in my weekly "In Focus" program. Then along came
Cablevision, and we lost the local coverage when the Hamilton Avenue studios
were closed. Cablevision's lame alternative to "Local Access"
programming is found in their slogan, “TV that’s close to home.” It is indeed close
to home if you live in Monmouth, Ocean, and Somerset Counties. Hamilton gets
minimal coverage. I would assume that it's just too expensive to travel from
the company headquarters in Wall, New Jersey, when they can save money by
covering the football games of Toms River High School, never mind the fact that
Hamilton Township covers a huge area insofar as population is concerned. Cablevision's
"TV that's close to home" gives us the opportunity to hear the
hostess talk with the mayor of Marlboro, NJ, a congressman from Dunellen or
Brick or Matawan or countless other a non-Mercer County districts. Where we
once had comprehensive coverage of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade, it is
now covered by Cablevision who televises the Belmar parade. Where we once had
full season LOCAL coverage of our local sports teams, we now get to watch
perhaps one football game from Hamilton, and the rest from out of the area. (WE MISS YOU, RONNIE STEWART; YOU GAVE US ALL THE
LOCAL FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL GAMES and were the best as a play by play announcer.)
Tom: You look like a true TV host and still doing a great job with this site, the information is great to read. Many more postings.
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