| Tweet |
We are particularly proud of the nature series “Coastal Kingdom,” produced in partnership with the Spring Island-based non-profit group the Lowcountry Institute. Naturalist Tony Mills hosts the program, which features local wildlife and animal habitats and is shot and edited by our broadcast services staff. Recently, the show earned four national Telly Awards, the premier awards for outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs. A 30-minute feature documentary on Hilton Head Island’s 2008 Concours D’Elegance also earned a Telly.
The channel is carried on all local cable services and at www.bcgov.net. Here, you will see live and recorded meetings of Beaufort County Council and its boards and commissions, as well as excellent documentaries on local history, culture and nature. The channel also broadcasts youth sports offered by the Beaufort County PALS and other events of interest, such as commencement exercises at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and USCB baseball games.
Another very important aspect is the channel’s ability to reach residents during an emergency, such as a hurricane evacuation or a bridge closure. These safety messages can appear in a crawl at the bottom of the screen during regular programming or full screen when warranted. Traffic cameras are also televised during rush hour.
The County Channel has also proven to be a valuable tool in unifying and engaging citizens in the public process. The service allows people to “attend” county meetings from miles away. They can ask questions and offer comments in real time. This saves precious time, gasoline and ferry tickets required for travel to meetings.
The broadcasts bring transparency to Beaufort County, as citizens can view the government process from their homes or from other meeting places, such as the county library on Hilton Head Island, the Mary Field School on Daufuskie Island or council chambers in Beaufort. This has led to a deeper public understanding of county programs, policies and issues. The gap has diminished between county council and the people and, as a result, citizens are more connected to Beaufort County government than ever before. Citizens no longer, for instance, have to rely solely on synthesized newspaper articles or 20-second sound bites for an understanding of council decision-making processes.
With less and less local money back from the state for funding public education, and with a multitude of other financial challenges brought on by the recession, we are pleased to prevent additional burdens to taxpayers by continuing to keep a tight belt on spending in Beaufort County while, at the same time, offering valuable public services such as The County Channel.
