Editor’s Notebook -- Danette Goulet
Danette Goulet
If you’ve been missing the instigating ways of our old friend Ron
Davis, pine no more. He can now be found each week on HBTV 3.
His new show “Perspective,” which airs weekly, is the culmination of
five years of battling. Throughout that time, Davis has complained about
the “sub-par” programming on the city station, which he now describes as
“cutting edge for government access” with the addition of his show.
For years he made it his business to be the bane of station director
Rich Barnard’s existence, until the station agreed to tape a pilot of his
idea. He scoffed at programming that he felt offered a one-sided view of
issues and pleaded with them to step it up and make waves.
His idea was to have a debate, rather than a discussion, of city
issues.
“This is what I’ve always argued -- [HBTV3 has] got to present both
sides or go back to to just airing council meetings,” Davis said.
There are two formats to the show Davis produces and hosts. On a week
that there is a council meeting the show covers the hot topics from the
meeting. He takes the attitude that no one watched the meeting and
explains what happened and debates with a guest council’s decisions. The
next week the show will cover one major topic and invite guests from
opposing camps to debate the issue on air.
The idea is to have lively debate sans politicos, he said.
He’s done two shows on the invocation issue, inviting clergy and
taking the anti-invocation stance himself.
This week if you tune in to channel 3 at 7 p.m. you can see activist
Joey Racano go head-to-head with Blake Anderson of the Orange County
Sanitation District.
It’s a “real wrestling match” Davis tells us.
I think Davis has really found his niche. If being a lawyer didn’t
provide enough of an arena for battle -- now he’s got a forum and an
audience.
* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)
965-7170 or by e-mail at o7 danette.goulet@latimes.comf7 .
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