Debate

I didn’t catch it. Did you?

Honestly, I didn’t fire up the ‘puter until about 8:30, so I didn’t see that it would be broadcast on WNED 970-AM radio. I do know, however, that it wasn’t carried on any TV station or cable channel in Buffalo.

The debate aired on NY1, which is New York City’s own city/regional news channel. Owned by Time-Warner, it’s also carried by Time-Warner Cable systems throughout New York State, including Rochester and Syracuse.

BuffaloGeek expressed his indignation at that fact earlier today, mocking the three networks for choosing instead to air the Insider or Access Hollywood or other crapola during the 7pm hour.

My turn.

My problem is that Adelphia didn’t bother to air it on one of the public access channels; that WNED-TV couldn’t air it; that WB49 or Fox29 or any of the other second-tier UHF channels couldn’t be bothered.

I know that the location of the debate – New York City – is the largest city in the state, if not the country. I also realize that the vast majority of New York Democratic voters are located within NY1’s market. But Buffalo is the second largest city in the state, and in fact hosted the fricking Democratic state convention last month.

That the debate wasn’t aired here is disgraceful.

As NYCO (from Syracuse) says in comments:

The debate was carried in Syracuse on News 10 Now. The preponderance of NYC-oriented questions was ridiculous, but just illustrates my point (http://www.silent-edge.org/wp/?p=339) that there is no such thing as statewide media in New York and it’s part of the reason why nothing ever changes.

At her own site, NYCO is less…subdued:

My reaction: More to come, but I am %@^$%^@#&$%ing furious at the fact that nearly every non-general question asked in the debate was about #^&$^#&*%^$&*%^&ing New York City issues. The Queens question was fine… the rest was just overkill. More proof that upstate has NO media strength and NO say — plus, this is the only debate we get.

But are you really ready to get pissed off? This from Newsday’s Inside Long Island Blog:

Suozzi says he’s the better candidate for upstate residents because he grew up in a small town with stores and windows boarded up. He knows, he says, how people want to move back to their home towns but cannot.

He wants to “improve the business climate — changes opposed by spitzer’s special interest supporters.”

Spitzer said he’s been in every town, seen the despair, and promises rejuvenation of the economy.

And he hits back.

For now, that takes care of upstate….

That’s it. That takes care of it. Reinforce the downstate stereotype of upstate being packed full of hopeless despair and boarded up shit. We are the afterthought; the redheaded stepchild.

Instead, our cousins downstate discovered:

Both Spitzer and Suozzi have tried pot.

NY1’s own roundup is lightweight.

That’s it, folks. If you’re a Buffalo-area Democrat, you have been essentially foreclosed not only from seeing the debate, but even being a salient issue for discussion.