Yesterday 588 people tuned in to watch a webcast of Leeds democracy in action.
That's the number of hits recorded on a new City Council website created in a bid to make meetings accessible to anyone with a broadband connection.
It might sound like a pathetically small number, compared to (say) Britain's Got Talent or Strictly; but putting it another way that's about a hundred more punters than could pack in to see a sellout show at the City Varieties, and it's fair to say any act filling that venue would normally be hailed a success. Not that I'd ever draw a comparison between a Council meeting and a pantomime. Perish the thought.