July 07, 2012 02:34 AM UTC

Just How Many People Are Watching Internet Public Access, Anyway?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Although JBGTV — shorthand for “Jefferson County Business Guide TV” — is certainly an innovative way to broadcast video footage from community events around the county, the fact of the matter is that no amount of innovation can make public access television any more gripping or, well, entertaining.

Sure, it’s novel that JBGTV captured, for example, Jefferson County Commissioner Don Rosier creepily reading books to children. And it’s probably important that somebody filmed the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 40 West Arts District.

Still, no matter how many quirky events JBGTV puts on tape and offers online, it’s highly unlikely that anybody’s actually watching anything on its website.

How many people, for example, would spend over an hour of their day playing the June 6th meeting of the Alameda Gateway Association? There are probably 20 or so people in the world who even know what the Alameda Gateway Association is, and they were all at the meeting. Even worse, why would anybody choose to take part in that meeting remotely and after the fact? At least if you attend in person you get free pizza and soda.

JBGTV claims that they’re “now reaching over 63,000 viewers and growing.”

That’s impossible.

Lakewood (where JBGTV seems to have the deepest roots) has roughly 142,000 residents. That means that, according to the website’s estimates, nearly half of all of Lakewood’s citizens are regularly watching recorded townhall meetings and dry speeches from low-level area politicians.

Considering the fact that only about 24,000 people voted in the 2007 mayoral election in Lakewood — the most competitive race in recent memory — JBGTV is either the widest-reaching and most influential local news outlet in the area or is straight out lying about its numbers.

Which do you think is more likely? A poll follows.  

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