A reader told me Chris Koos heavily advertises his 2 businesses on WJBC and B104. Does this influence how they cover Normal’s government?
by: Diane Benjamin
Everybody knows the Coliseum is a disaster for taxpayers. It does NOT make money and is a couple million dollars away from even breaking even. The rosy reports published lately show minor OPERATING profits. Those profits don’t cover paying for the building and the interest expense incurred.
The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts is exactly the same. Sales taxes were raised to pay for it, yet the BCPA never makes any money and doesn’t even break even. The City always has money to bail them out.
Government does not handle money the way the private sector and individuals do. Most of the Bloomington City Council decided years ago it was their job to provide you with entertainment. They call it “Quality of Life”. Have the bills from the Coliseum and the BCPA provided you with “Quality of Life”? Or, does theft of your tax dollars to pay for these boondoggles make you mad enough to actually start voting in local elections? Maybe you would finally get mad enough if next they voted for a Community Center and new soccer fields!
What does this have to do with the press? Easy. What does the City have to do to publicize events? Advertise! WJBC has exclusive rights at both the Coliseum and the BCPA. It makes little sense that sporting events held at the Coliseum aren’t advertised on the local sports station where fans might actually be found, but they aren’t by the signed agreement.
Then there is the Pantagraph. In 2012, just CREDIT CARD payments from the City of Bloomington to the Panatagraph totaled around $35,000. Add another $16,000 in checks from the BCPA . So far that’s $51,0000. I haven’t received access to all the City spending yet, so there could be much more taxpayer money transferred to the supposed city news source. Does anybody believe they would kill their golden goose by actually doing investigative reporting?
Isn’t it much more likely City of Bloomington stories written by Pantagraph employees are agenda driven, or at a minimum, don’t tell the entire story? I wonder if David Hales does the editing for them?
On Saturday the Pantagraph did a story from 2008 on Brian Barnes. I also did a story, but I took it down as I learned more about this story. The Pantagraph obviously had an agenda since 2008 news doesn’t normally make the front page. I will be following this story and reporting as information becomes available.
Two things to learn from this story:
- Government should not involve themselves in business type activities – the private sector is hugely more efficient.
- The press in Bloomington-Normal is corrupted because they are in bed with government. Don’t count on ever hearing the truth from anybody making money off the subject of the reporting.
.
.
.
Most (95%) of the national press used to be owned by more than 250 entities. Now only 5-6, major corporations own the 95%. There lies most of the problem as competition has been redefined as agenda in this industry. Also please note the Team Albee for sale or lease signs plastered all over the Pantagraph building. The people have spoken.
Its a known fact, that before televised Bloomington city council, Pantagraph reporter’s gave you tid bits of city council meetings, it being edited by David Hale. The books are open for anyone to check on fianicial status of the city of Bloomington,!! problem!! which book do you want to see ?
That is why they call it the Slantagraph!!! Mark Pickering (Head of Newsroom) is their Gate Keeper that makes sure to keep the TRUTH out and the indoctrination in!
Former program director for wjbc was at same time serving on the Normal Planning Commission. And yet the same person would mock people who called in talking about media bias. Sickening.
Listen to Benjamin Yount, on Illinois Watchdog Radio, Cities 92.9 from 4-5 PM tomorrow to hear this subject discussed. And be ready to call, email, text, Facebook or Tweet your comments!
“The press” in town isn’t “in bed” with the government just Radio Bloomington. There ARE other media outlets and some more suitable to report and promote the events. They’re all crooked!
I was on the Committee with Dale Elder heading the petition drive against building the Colusium, knocking ,on registered voters doors , for support,well… all went well, but with tie vote at city council meeting the then Mayor Judy Marowitz broke the tie in favor of building,!! the beast of burden !! Just one of many boo! boo’s thats choking the tax payers !!
Here’s my “personal” experience from being shafted by the City
http://news.cities929.com/2013/07/special-editorial-is-coliseum.html
The whole story doesn’t come up!