Shanahan was good for community

It is an absolute travesty that the BATV board decided to oust Dan Shanahan. If I owned a TV station I would consider it a privilege to have him at the helm.

He is, above all, a lifelong Batavian whose roots and heart are firmly planted in our soil. I have attended many events over my years here and he is always there, camera in hand, recording our daily lives for the benefit of the community. In my years as alderman it was always him behind the camera making sure our citizens saw their representatives in action. He also used those opportunities to train young people with a dream of working in television.

If a programming decision led to his dismissal then I shame the people who decided to let him go. The beauty of television and radio programming is that the person in the home has the ultimate control over what they watch or to what they listen. If Shanahan challenged people's decision making then he should be lauded not dismissed.

John Hankes

Batavia