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'Hotline' to Salem enters cyber age By PETER WONG SALEM -- During legislative sessions for four decades, business executives heard the voices of Southern Oregon's lawmakers in a weekly conference call of the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County. On Tuesday, they also were able to see lawmakers' faces -- and vice versa -- when the 38-year-old chamber "hotline" entered the age of video conferencing. After several tries in recent weeks, lawmakers and the chamber finally made the video connection between a hearing room in the Capitol and a conference room at Avista Utilities in Medford, where the executives were gathered. "I guess we'll plan on doing this for the rest of the session," said Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland, Southern Oregon's senior legislator. The two senators and four representatives whose districts cover Jackson County were present. The telephone conference call was started in 1961 by then-Sens. Lynn Newbry of Talent and E.D. "Debbs" Potts of Grants Pass, who shared an office because legislators did not have their own offices then. Hannon took over the conference-call duties when Potts was defeated for re-election in 1984. Hannon said among the guests at the Tuesday sessions, which run from 7:30 to 8 a.m., are legislative leaders and committee chairs. "A lot of them have envied the kind of support and participation we have by our chamber," he said. In 1993, some of the chamber sessions were broadcast live on Medford television station KOBI. Although video conferencing is not new to business -- Avista Utilities has done it for more than two years -- it is relatively new to the Oregon Legislature. Officials say Tuesday's half-hour linkup was one of the first uses of video conferencing from the Capitol. "It's a sample of some of the things that can be done," said Tom Mahon, the state technician who helped arrange the linkup at the Capitol. "The legislators are talking with people who would otherwise have to drive five hours to get here." Video conferencing offers viewers in outlying areas the potential to see live broadcasts of legislative proceedings in Salem, similar to what the Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) does for congressional proceedings in Washington, D.C. Jackson County viewers now see tape-delayed proceedings on Rogue Valley Community Television. It also would allow people in outlying areas to testify at legislative committee hearings without having to come to Salem. "We'll have all our constituents here all the time," said Rep. Judy Uherbelau, D-Ashland. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA