Heard on the Hill: Gotta Love Those 90s Reruns
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air may have been born and raised in West Philly, but he was spotted on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Web stream Tuesday.
Luigi Montanez, a Web developer for the Sunlight Foundation, was monitoring the panel’s Web feed for the Sunlight Live blog. The blog uses the streaming directly from the committee.
After the hearing wrapped, Sunlight Live viewers were treated to a few minutes of a “Fresh Prince” rerun, and Montanez got the screenshot to prove it.
“I tried to get a screen grab with Carlton, but he didn’t appear,” Montanez says.
Those familiar with the House’s internal broadcast system will know that the chamber’s studio uses cable channels to broadcast hearings. When streaming the Oversight panel hearings, the internal studio uses House Channel 18, TBS, for broadcasting.
“They turn off TBS and they turn on our committee,” panel spokesman Frederick Hill explains.
After the hearing concludes, the House studio switches back to the regularly scheduled program. If the Web viewer or streamer doesn’t hit refresh, Hill tells HOH, viewers get to watch reruns of 1990s classic sitcoms.
Just another benefit of transparency from your friends at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.