Westport official warns local journalism is shrinking, praises public-access TV

Shauna Tease, chairwoman of the Westport Select Board, warned that local journalism is contracting and urged residents to support community reporting while praising public-access television for keeping homebound and older residents informed. "I'm worried a lot about people just trying to consume free news and then people complain they don't know what's going on," she said.

Tease credited local public-access staff for their work making meetings available to residents, naming "John Rosendees and his team" and praising local reporter Ted Hayes and the outlet "the shorelines" for coverage. She said public-access recordings and local reporting help seniors and residents with disabilities follow municipal business when they cannot attend in person. "Sometimes when seniors can't sleep at night ... that's how I find out what you're doing," one viewer in the interview noted about public-access programming.

The chairwoman argued that subscriptions and community support matter because newsrooms cost money: "If you're going to lose something really valuable there ... they're not going to continue to pay for reporters until and if they're getting subscribership," she said, urging residents to consider supporting local outlets to preserve oversight of town government.

The host and guest framed the new show "What's Buzzing in Westport" as intended to be neutral and informative, aimed at increasing civic awareness and connecting residents with town volunteers and officials. The program concluded with an invitation for viewers to engage with local public-access offerings and to reach out to elected officials for information.

No formal recommendations or policy changes were proposed during the interview.