Statement: Mayor Clark on the closure of CHAT-TV
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Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark issued this statement on the closure of CHAT-TV:
“Yesterday’s announcement that CHAT-TV will no longer be broadcasting after nearly seven decades of service is heartbreaking and a huge loss for our region. Since 1957, generations of Hatters grew up trusting CHAT-TV journalists to deliver the day’s stories reflecting the issues and triumphs of southeastern Alberta – stitching together a draft of our history, one story at a time.
“Local journalism is democracy’s most immediate watchdog. This is true regardless of the size of the municipality you live in. Hometown newsrooms provide the granular scrutiny that national outlets can’t, deterring corruption and keeping public spending, zoning, and policy decisions in the open. CHAT-TV’s coverage of our municipal democracy – town-halls, debates, live election-night results, candidate profiles, and reporting on City Council meetings – gave residents information they needed to participate in civic life.
“Beyond politics, CHAT-TV was a narrator of our story: the Tigers’ playoff runs, Mavericks league championship bids, the weather (a well watched topic in these parts), flood and drought responses, ribbon cuttings, and the thousands of everyday acts of neighbourliness that make Southeast Alberta home. They amplified the successes of our athletes, artists, musicians, writers, businesses, non-profits, community leaders, and the work of countless volunteer groups and charities.
