Executive Director Mike Maloney of the City Advertising and Promotion Commission announced last Wednesday that the Grammy Award-winning western swing band Asleep at the Wheel, the band scheduled to play at the White House on the fateful Sept. 11, 2001, would appear at the Auditorium Friday, Feb. 16. The band has won nine Grammys since its inception in 1970 and has toured with a variety of top performers including Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Emmy Lou Harris, George Strait and the Dixie Chicks.
This will be the first of several shows the CAPC is planning for 2018, Maloney said.
From music to money
Maloney continued the 2018 budget conversation saying he and his Internet service provider have contrived a new strategy to provide better service for the investment. He also said the CAPC website will change more often to take advantage of keyword optimization, and he intends to increase email activity.
Another important shift will be more money going toward network advertising in every major market and less on cable because network simply reaches so many more viewers. He mentioned as an example KY3 in Springfield, Mo., which reaches 32 counties in southern Missouri and northwest Arkansas.
Chair Susan Harman asked what amount of funding it would take for cable to reach the same number of viewers at network stations, and Maloney indicated it would be at least another $100,000. She pointed out that would mean the CAPC reach into new areas like Denver or Chicago would therefore be Internet only, and she would put at the top of her wish list adding more to the cable TV budget if collections were better than expected next year.
Maloney also mentioned there would be more discussion beginning next spring about ramping up the Christmas season next year including possible entertainment in the Auditorium. Harman insisted that the commission, in collaboration with other city entities, should develop a three-to-five-year plan determining the goal for what the city wants for its month of Christmas activities and pinpoint who would be responsible for each component. Commissioner David Mitchell added there must be oversight for how CAPC funds are spent.
Next meeting will be Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 6 p.m., in the Auditorium lobby.