It took far too long to get here, but WisconsinEye is finally broadcasting.
State government's answer to C-SPAN's coverage of Congress began operating last week after years of fund raising, negotiations with lawmakers and fits and starts.
With a click of your computer mouse, you can peer into what's happening at the state Capitol at www.wiseye.org. Soon, Charter Communications and Time Warner will carry the broadcasts 24/7 for customers subscribing to the cable companies' digital service.
As far back as August 2004, we encouraged donations to WisconsinEye, a private, not-for-profit network. Officials were hoping to flip on cameras and catch upcoming budget negotiations. Obviously, that didn't happen.
The cameras finally rolled last Tuesday, and it was a good start. The network got e-mails from around the country.
Skip Bliss, owner of Bliss Communications and publisher of The Janesville Gazette, was among donors to WisconsinEye. Last spring, Ken and Diane Hendricks donated $1 million and joined WisconsinEye's board. Other forward-thinking area residents, including Jim and Marilyn Fitzgerald, Tom and Sally Basting, Steve King, John Eyster and Roger Axtell also saw the network's value and donated.
The money was needed to buy and install cameras and broadcasting equipment and for ongoing operations. WisconsinEye also spent much time negotiating with lawmakers on coverage and operational details.
The question is, will anyone care enough to watch once the fanfare of the launch dies down and the novelty wears thin?
Jay Heck of Common Cause in Wisconsin argues that just as city council meetings and C-SPAN have devoted viewers, WisconsinEye will find its political junkies.
The network's core mission is complete, non-editorial coverage of all three branches of Wisconsin government. It will offer gavel-to-gavel coverage, including floor debate, committees and public hearings. Public affairs forums and discussions from across the state could be in its future.
WisconsinEye should become an outstanding means of freely disseminating vital information, without editing or bias. The network could be the gathering point for our state's policy, political and cultural discussions.
And if the constant, watchful eyes of cameras bring more civility to politicians in our Capitol, WisconsinEye will have indeed been worth the investment and the wait.
