HUNTINGTON BEACH : Mayor’s New Cable TV Show Spotlights City Issues

As the city’s official spokesman, Mayor Victor Leipzig is in the spotlight again. But this time, it’s not on the dais Monday nights presiding over City Council meetings.

Leipzig is now taking center stage before the local cable television camera to tell viewers about decisions made by the council.

The new 30-minute show, “The City Report,” made its debut Friday on HBTV-3. The show is taped inside the HBTV-3 studio on the lower level of City Hall. Leipzig does the show off the cuff and brings on city staff as his guests.

“The whole point is to keep the public most informed,” Leipzig said.

The first show featured news from the Jan. 3 council meeting and the Jan. 4 special meeting on the budget. Guests included City Administrator Michael T. Uberuaga and City Treasurer Don Watson, who discussed the Orange County bankruptcy and its impact on the city.

Leipzig said he hopes the show gives residents a better understanding of council actions and creates a higher level of civic involvement.

In addition to “The City Report,” Leipzig is hosting another new program that previews upcoming council agenda items. Leipzig said the program is intended to “alert the public about issues that may be buried or ignored” since the agenda is often lengthy and items are not always easy to understand.

Richard Barnard, deputy city administrator who acts as HBTV-3’s station manager, said the city-operated cable station has been on the air since 1982 as a vehicle to inform residents about their local government.

He said the station reaches about 100,000 households in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Westminster, Stanton, Garden Grove and Rossmoor. The viewing audience in Huntington Beach alone is about 45,000 households, which represents about 55% of all households.

In recent years, the station’s budget has been a target of cutbacks. The most recent was a $107,000 reduction that resulted in cutting the news program, which costs up to $40,000 year to produce, Barnard said.

This year’s HBTV-3 budget is about $336,000. The money comes from revenue the city receives under its agreement with Paragon Cable, Barnard said.

The station produces 14 other shows, including televising City Council and Planning Commission meetings.