CobbTV, the county’s governmental access channel, will no longer host political debates to educate voters before local elections under a policy change approved unanimously Tuesday by the Board of Commissioners.
Ross Cavitt, the county’s communications director, requested the change, saying the public service was no longer needed in an era when such events can be live-streamed on the Internet by anyone at little cost.
Broadcasting the events at the county government building, he said, had become a costly and time-consuming affair for a communications department that has shrunk over the last few decades. The events also required the county to pay for additional security to keep the building open at night.
To offset the cost to taxpayers, Cavitt said the county changed its policy four years ago to require candidates to pay a fee to use the space. Cavitt said no one has held a political debate on CobbTV since.
The commissioners’ board room is still available for Cobb County residents to reserve and broadcast town halls and other community events for a $100 per hour fee. CobbTV broadcasts to cable television subscribers as well as online through its YouTube channel.
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