NO SYNDICATION DEAL YET: There are not many Richmond residents keen on attending City Council meetings. And let's face it, while we all cherish the freedoms provided us by democracy, to see it in action at a city council meeting is akin to eating a very dry turkey at an alcohol-free Thanksgiving celebration with your dysfunctional and dyspeptic family.

That's why Richmond residents might be surprised to learn their City Council is a big hit overseas.

KCRT, the city-owned cable station that broadcasts the meetings, has enjoyed high cable ratings locally since 1992 when then-council member Donna Powers made national news for moonlighting as "Dolphina," the nude mermaid who bobbed around in a giant, glass water tank over the bar at Bimbo's night club in San Francisco.

"People would tune in to see Donna and they liked to watch the council bickering, which was quiet intense during those days," KCRT cable coordinator Cecily McMahan said. "They used to call the meetings, the 'Melrose Place of the East Bay.'"

But since KCRT began streaming the meetings on the Internet, the council has steadily gained a foreign audience.

KCRT has received calls and e-mail from India, Australia and especially Indonesia.

Apparently Indonesians are so enthralled with the council's Kabuki-styled politics, they watch the meetings live, which for them is first thing in the morning.

"It's one of the few outside broadcasts their restrictive government lets in," McMahan said. "Some think it's because the government wants to discourage Indonesian citizens from embracing American-styled democracy."

The Eye wonders who on the current nine-member council has the most fans.

John Geluardi, Theresa Harrington and Eric Louie contributed to this column.

Want to reach the international market? You can advertise on KCRT. Click here to see how.