Tag Archives: Peoria

Television

How does TV channel 59 serve the local interest?

2 Comments

Television stations that broadcast on the public airwaves are required by law to operate in the “public interest, convenience,and necessity.” Brookings has a good history of this phrase and how it has been interpreted. There is some controversy over what “public interest” means, but surely if it means anything, airing infomercials 24 hours a day, seven days a week, does not qualify.

But that’s what channel 59, WAOE-TV is doing. Every day in high definition, the station offers no entertainment programming, no news programming, no sports programming, no local programming, no network programming, almost no programming of any kind that could be considered in the public interest except for three hours of children’s programming per week to meet FCC mandates. Other than that, it’s nothing but paid commercial programming around the clock.

What’s the benefit to the television-watching public? The public airwaves are a scarce resource. Surely there are better ways to use such a limited resource than wall-to-wall commercials. But perhaps in this age of streaming programs over the internet, this is just the death rattle of over-the-air television. If so, maybe it’s time to pull the plug.

In fairness, they do have two standard-definition digital subchannels:

  • 59.2 is TheGrio, which provides programming “focused on the African American community,” according to their website.
  • 59.3 is VPOD TV, which airs TV shows and movies in the public domain as well as some original content.

However, neither of these channels provide any local programming, and being standard-definition, the quality of the sound and picture are not very good by current standards. Peoria deserves better.

Amtrak, City of Peoria, Illinois Dept. of Transportation, Streets

Passenger Rail or Eastern Bypass?

39 Comments

Of course the title of this post need not be an either/or question. But I pose the question that way because I want to draw some contrasts between the two projects.

Peoria currently has four automobile bridges across the Illinois River (McClugage, Murray Baker, Bob Michel, and Cedar Street). Peoria does not currently have passenger rail service.

The Eastern Bypass would connect Route 6 at Mossville to I-74 near Morton via a north-easterly route in Tazewell County. Passenger rail service (as currently proposed) would connect Peoria to Chicago and St. Louis via Bloomington/Normal.

The Eastern Bypass is estimated to cost $650-700 million to build. The estimated cost to establish a passenger rail link between Peoria and Normal is $74.6 million.

Building the Eastern Bypass will require acquisition of the entire corridor via eminent domain and result in the destruction of more farmland. All that’s required to establish passenger rail service is the upgrading of existing rail lines.

There have been three public hearings and at least four major studies completed so far for the Eastern Bypass. There have been no public hearings and only one limited feasibility report on establishing passenger rail service to Peoria.

Opponents of passenger rail service (like Ray LaHood) contend that it’s convenient — or at least perfectly acceptable — for Peoria area residents to drive to Bloomington (40 miles away) to catch the train. Supporters of the Eastern Bypass (like the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission) say it’s too inconvenient for those in North Peoria to drive to the McClugage bridge (10 miles away) to cross the river, or to experience minor congestion for a few minutes twice a day.

IDOT has devoted several pages of their website to the Eastern Bypass study with encouragements to the public to get involved and a depository of study documents. The only thing on IDOT’s website about the possibility of establishing passenger rail service to Peoria is the aforementioned feasibility report which can be downloaded from IDOT’s Amtrak page.

Passenger rail is cheaper to establish, more sustainable to maintain, more ecologically and socially responsible, and covers a greater distance, yet it’s perceived as a greater cost to taxpayers than a highway that is nearly ten times as expensive, unnecessary, unsustainable, and only moves you in circles. Read the newspaper and you’ll see the cost of the Eastern Bypass mentioned in passing at the end of the article, as if it’s being included with a shrug saying, “that’s the way it is these days; everything costs money.” But read an article about passenger rail, and you’d think we needed to start mining for gold to afford it; the whole focus of the article is on the “tremendous cost to the taxpayers,” even though it’s a fraction of highway funding.

The Eastern Bypass is being pursued by IDOT et. al. with an aura of inevitability. There’s no serious question of “if” it will happen, but rather when and by which route. Meanwhile, IDOT is not giving any serious consideration to the establishment of passenger rail service to Peoria. They spent five years coming up with a “feasibility report” that didn’t even consider direct service to Chicago (which is the study that was actually requested), but instead studied feeder service to Normal, with no explanation of who authorized the change in scope.

At least as much effort should be going into the establishment of direct passenger rail service to Chicago as is going into the development of the Eastern Bypass. Local transportation officials as well as local legislators should be pressuring IDOT to do a real feasibility study–the one that we asked for in the first place. The assumption should be that we are going to get passenger rail service established, and the only question is which route is best (for ridership, cost, future expansion, etc.).

Why shouldn’t we approach passenger rail with the same aura of inevitability as the Eastern Bypass?

Television

Channel 31 now offers Bounce TV

14 Comments

WMBD-TV, channel 31, has been the only terrestrial television station in the Peoria market not to offer a digital subchannel — until today. Starting today, WMBD will begin broadcasting Bounce TV, “the nation’s first-ever over-the-air broadcast television network designed exclusively for African-American audiences.” Here’s part of the new network’s press release:

The new network […] will target African Americans primarily between the ages of 25-54 with a programming mix of theatrical motion pictures, live sporting events, documentaries, specials, inspirational faith-based programs, off-net series, original programming and more. Bounce TV will air twenty four hours a day, seven days a week as a digital terrestrial network designed for carriage on the digital signals of local television stations. […]

Live sports and events will be part of the Bounce TV schedule and the network today announced a multi-year rights agreement with Urban Sports Entertainment Group (USEG) to televise both football and basketball games from the nation’s largest African American athletic conference, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA.) Bounce TV will air the CIAA Championship football game and select quarter- and semi- final CIAA tournament basketball games as part of the agreement.

Bounce TV’s Founding Group includes two legendary figures of recent American history and the network’s leadership team is filled with veteran entertainment industry executives. The Founding Group is led by Ambassador Andrew Young, Martin Luther King III and Andrew “Bo” Young III. Rob Hardy and Will Packer, co-founders of Rainforest Films, one of the top African American production companies in the world, will also play important roles with Bounce TV. Hardy will serve as Chief Content Officer while Packer will be Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer. Former Turner Broadcasting executives Ryan Glover and Jonathan Katz will serve as Executive Vice Presidents. Bounce TV will be majority owned and operated by African Americans, with Ambassador Young, Andrew “Bo” Young III, Rob Hardy, Will Packer and Ryan Glover part of the initial ownership team. The network is leveraging the marketing, digital, post production and operational resources of Atlanta-based CSE, one of the country’s leading independently-owned sports, entertainment and television production agencies. […]

Bounce TV will be an ad-supported network with half of that time being available for insertion of local advertising by affiliates. Former EVP of U.S. Syndication Sales for Sony Pictures Television, Jeffrey Wolf, currently head of The Lobo Group, will handle network distribution of Bounce TV.

Wikipedia says the name “Bounce” was chosen to signify “a network that is ‘going somewhere with energy,'” and lists 56 channels on which Bounce TV will premiere, including WMBD. The following digital terrestrial channels are now available in the Peoria area:

19.1 WHOI-TV (ABC)
19.2 The CW
25.1 WEEK-TV (NBC)
25.2 WEEK-WX Weather First
31.1 WMBD-TV (CBS)
31.2 Bounce TV
43.1 WYZZ-TV (FOX)
43.2 The Cool TV
43.3 The Country Network
47.1 WTVP-TV (PBS)
47.2 PBS World
47.3 Create TV
59.1 WAOE-TV (MyNetworkTV)
59.2 Antenna TV

Television

WAOE adds new sub-channel

11 Comments

There’s a new TV channel in Peoria. Antenna TV, a new network owned and operated by Tribune Broadcasting in Chicago, is now being broadcast over-the-air on channel 59.2, a sub-channel of WAOE. “The network features classic television programs and favorite movies,” and just debuted the beginning of this year according to the network’s website. I just discovered it over the weekend as it was showing “The Partridge Family,” “The Monkees,” and other classic shows.

WAOE (“my59”) is an affiliate of MyNetworkTV, owned by Four Seasons Broadcasting, and operated by Granite Broadcasting. Granite Broadcasting is reportedly going to impose its “last, best, and final” contract on union employees at its Peoria stations this Saturday, July 16.

See also: Steve Tarter’s blog entry.

Movies

IMAX opens at Rave

2 Comments

A new IMAX opened at Rave Motion Pictures Grand Prairie 18 this week. I checked it out yesterday, and the screen is undeniably big for a multiplex theater at 1,800 square feet. But that’s smaller than traditional IMAX theaters which have screen sizes of 3,600 to 4,900 square feet. But the screen does stretch from floor to ceiling and wall to wall, and is moved closer to the audience than a normal multiplex screen, creating the perception of a much larger screen. The images were bright, in focus, and crystal clear, with no jitter. Interestingly, the movie that was shown was not the same aspect ratio as the screen, so it was shown in a letterbox-looking format — i.e., the movie filled the width of the screen, but there was unused screen space at the top and bottom, a total of roughly a sixth of the screen.

Not only was the screen bigger than average, the sound was enhanced as well. It was noticeably louder than a regular theater, but not distorted in any way. Dialog was clear without being piercing, low rumbles were sufficiently forceful to vibrate your internal organs — overall good frequency range and intelligibility throughout. And did I mention it was loud?

The movie itself was 2D, so I didn’t have the opportunity to check out their 3D capabilities. The movie was “Fast Five” (rated PG-13, starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker), which was forgettable and ridiculous. It not only routinely defied the laws of physics, it often defied the laws of cartoon physics. I’d give you the most egregious example, but it would give away the ending. Meanwhile, the female lead character, who is a criminal, is pregnant (evidently first trimester). She doesn’t let that stop her from jumping off buildings, through roofs, and other death-defying feats that would undoubtedly put her baby at risk, but later she responsibly refrains from having a beer. What a good mother.

Upcoming movies include “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (May 20), “Cars 2” (June 24), and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (July 15). Tickets are $10 for matinees, $12 for evening showings ($10 for children and seniors), plus a $3 surcharge for 3-D films.Икони

City of Peoria, Transportation

Spoof shows absurdity of train to Normal

9 Comments

Outrage. Disbelief. Skepticism. These were all feelings people told me they had while reading my April Fools Day post — a mock news report saying all Peoria flights would be going through Bloomington’s airport.

Everybody recognizes that flying to Bloomington and switching planes would be silly. Those who fly want direct flights to major hub cities, like Chicago.

Yet local leaders are actively pursuing something equally absurd: a passenger train to Normal. Instead of pursuing a direct route to Chicago, local leaders are all too willing to settle for a shuttle to the twin cities where passengers can switch to another train that will then take them to Chicago.

It will never work. People take the train to save time and money. A train into Chicago saves time since gridlock traffic can be averted getting into the city. Money is saved because a round-trip ticket is less than the cost to park in Chicago, let alone the cost of gas to drive there.

But going from Peoria to Chicago via a connecting train in Bloomington will add considerable time and expense — time and expense that can be avoided by simply driving to Bloomington and parking for free. And that’s what people will do.

The city should be pursuing direct passenger rail service to Chicago, not a shuttle to Bloomington-Normal. For additional reasons, see David Jordan’s posts on this topic here and here.

Radio

WAZU simulcasting Cabool station

11 Comments

There’s a new radio station on Peoria’s dial: WAZU 90.7 FM. Since I read about it in Steve Tarter’s column in the Journal Star, I’ve been checking it out regularly. It’s “a non-commercial station operated by Illinois Central College.” The format is community radio, which is described by Wikipedia as “a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial and public service.”

The station is just getting started, which is obvious from all the signal drops over the past few weeks (it’s gotten much more stable in the past week or so). Tarter quoted ICC President John Erwin as saying, “We’re in the beta stage working out all the engineering pieces.” During this “beta stage” they are also doing no original broadcasting, but instead simulcasting KZGM (KZ-88) out of Cabool, Missouri.

The programming is pretty diverse (in type and style, if not political viewpoint). Unlike commercial and public radio stations, community radio doesn’t limit itself to one musical format. Music on WAZU/KZGM runs the gamut from Bing Crosby (who has a whole one-hour show dedicated to him Saturday mornings), to rock ‘n roll of the 50s and 60s, to Trance Music and progressive music, to folk music, to local musicians.

There are also a number of local (for Cabool) music and talk programs; in fact, more local programming than anything we’ve seen around Peoria in decades. The talk programming is not just news, but also gardening, puzzles, schools, health, etc. The news programming is decidedly liberal; they make NPR sound like Fox News. National news shows include Pacifica Radio’s “Free Speech Radio News” and “Democracy Now.” The narrow political viewpoint is a concern to at least one listener who has contacted me, saying:

From the December 17, 2009, ICC Board of Trustees meeting minutes, page 3, “Dr. Robert Ehrich commented that he is concerned with political views, and Dr. Erwin responded that the commentator is restricted from giving political opinions.” […] So far, it’s the only thing that I’ve heard on WAZU FM. I’m curious if WAZU will program a wide variety of political viewpoints, or not.

I don’t know if this answers my reader’s question, but according to WAZU’s new website:

WAZU hosts, who are referred to as “programmers”, are to be accorded the maximum amount of editorial freedom possible. The only requirement is that they adhere to WAZU’s mission statement, all programming must be educational and non-commercial, must serve the cultural welfare of the community, and must contribute (or at the very least not be a detriment) to a lasting understanding between nations and between the individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors.

I’m looking forward to hearing what kind of local programming will be produced here in Peoria. So far, I’ve found community radio to be a welcome addition to Peoria’s radio dial, offering something completely different from existing radio stations. The Cabool hosts are interesting and entertaining; hopefully Peoria hosts will be also.

In other radio news, Peoria Pundit is reporting that four local FM stations have changed ownership recently.

City of Peoria

Tough questions from IFA about hotel project

6 Comments

In January, hotel developer Gary Matthews appeared before the Illinois Finance Authority (IFA). According to their website, The IFA “is a self-financed, state authority principally engaged in issuing taxable and tax-exempt bonds, making loans, and investing capital for businesses, non-profit corporations, agriculture and local government units statewide.” The IFA is subject to the Open Meetings Act, so their agendas and minutes are public information.

The IFA’s proceedings give us a bit of insight into what lenders and other governmental bodies may think about the proposed downtown hotel project since hotels are really important for people travelling, and many places have hotels or even lodges for people to stay as you can find in the Borneo Eco Tours that offer the best nature surrounded lodges for people to stay. It looks like the concerns are more than just the economic downturn:

Director Meister also noted that the Hotel Pere Marquette project will not come before the Board this month, but the project’s developer, Mr. Gary Matthews, is in attendance at the Committee of the Whole Meeting to answer the Board’s questions. Mr. Durburg stated that he was aware of the Pere Marquette Hotel project and wanted to know if it would be appropriate to ask tough questions of the developer as a new Board Member. Dr. Herrin emphatically stated that it was not only appropriate but Mr. Durburg’s duty as a Board Member to ask tough questions of any project. Chairman Brandt explained to the Board that aside from lack of specificity on project costs, there is also a potential issue with the way this project could be perceived. The fee that the developer is requesting is large and is of concern.

Dr. Herrin agreed with Chairman Brandt regarding the fees. Dr. Herrin stated that he needed firm numbers from Mr. Matthews as to the exact project costs, and then the sources and uses. He wanted to emphasize that this would not be a conduit financing, but essentially a commercial loan to EM Properties.

Chairman Brandt clarified for the rest of the Board that if this project is approved as presented; it would allow the developer to take as much as $9 million in fees out of the project at the completion of construction. Mr. Durburg offered his assistance underwriting this project as he has experience in this field. He also asked if this project would result in other hotels in Peoria closing.

Chairman Brandt explained that the Hotel Pere Marquette is an important civic facility that acts as the main event venue for the area. The project is also part of a downtown redevelopment plan for Peoria. Chairman Brandt cautioned that the State of Illinois has a history with hotel developments that is not positive and the IFA must avoid any similar entanglements.

That was just introductory. Later in the meeting, they dealt at length with this project:

No. 4: EM Properties, LTD (Hotel Pere Marquette Project)
Request for the preliminary approval of the issuance of taxable bonds backed by the “additional security” of the moral obligation of the State of Illinois. The moral obligation financing will finance a portion of the energy efficient upgrades of the 270-room historic Pere Marquette Hotel that will be renovated and converted to a Marriott and a “to be” constructed 180-room Courtyard. The development is located in downtown Peoria on Main Street two blocks from the Caterpillar world headquarters. The developments adjacent and will be connected to the skywalk to the Peoria Civic Center. Proceeds will be used to acquire the land, rehabilitation of the Pere Marquette Hotel, construction of the 180-room Courtyard Hotel, construct the parking desk, pay costs of issuance and fund capitalized interest and bank fees.

Mr. Bill Claus, Funding Manager, introduced the Board to Mr. Gary Matthews, the project developer; and stated that Mr. Matthews attended the meeting to answer questions regarding his project. He clarified that the project had already been pulled from the agenda and would not be presented for approval this month.

Mr. Matthews stated that he understood the Board was concerned about the developer fees for his project. Mr. Matthews explained that the fee was only 9%, well within the industry average of 7 to 12%. He added that he would still be willing to compromise on the exact number or timing of the fees.

Mr. Durburg asked Mr. Matthews how he could reconcile the supply and demand in a small area such as Peoria, where most of the major economic agents (i.e. Caterpillar) are suffering from the economic downturn. Mr. Matthews responded that the nearby Embassy Suites hotel has had four rate increases in the recent past. He understands that that project is doing very well, despite the economy. Mr. Mathews stated his belief that older hotels are suffering in this economy while the newest hotels in any area are not. Mr. Matthews stated that Peoria is lacking new, quality hotel rooms. He believes that with Marriott’s 30 year management agreement, along with several other factors, this property will succeed.

Mr. McInerney asked what the “per key” value of the Embassy Suites was. Mr. Matthews responded it was between $170 and $180 “per key”. Mr. McInerney requested an explanation of why the Embassy Suites’ per key rate was lower than the Hotel Pere Marquette’s. Mr. Matthews explained that the Hotel Pere Marquette project also includes an elevated walkway to the Civic Center and a 500 car parking lot that the Embassy Suites does not have.

Mr. Durburg asked if the project was contemplating any sort of agreement with Caterpillar for rooms. Mr. Matthews stated that Marriott was not interested in that sort of arrangement as they want to remain flexible. Mr. Matthews is not concerned, as Caterpillar has a long history with the Pere Marquette given the fact that their international headquarters and training center are within a few blocks of the hotel.

Dr. Herrin added that St. Francis Hospital will be developing a new children’s hospital across the street from the proposed project. This is expected to be a premier children’s hospital with people traveling from far away to receive treatment. This may be positive for the Hotel Pere Marquette. Mr. Matthews pointed out that this project was structured by Marriott based on its analysis of the market. This project includes the Hotel Pere Marquette as a full service property and the yet-to-be-built Courtyard by Marriott property will be special service.

Mr. Durburg asked if the first mortgage on this property will be non-recourse. Mr. Matthews responded that it was recourse debt to him, personally. Mr. Durburg then asked if Mr. Matthews had prepared a pro forma for occupancy over the first few years. Mr. Matthews responded that he could not off the top of his head, but that he believed that Marriott had prepared and submitted that report. He believed Marriott projected 73% occupancy for the Courtyard and Pere Marquette in the first few years. The breakeven point for the project is 50% occupancy for the Pere Marquette and 53% for the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel. This data is based on three different feasibility studies that were conducted.

Dr. Herrin asked if the IFA had all of these studies. Mr. Matthews responded that he believed the IFA did. He added that Marriott disagreed with one of the studies that suggested both hotels be full service. Mr. Claus added that the IFA will need an “as built” study as well. Mr. Durburg then asked what the occupancy rate at the Embassy Suites was. Mr. Matthews stated that December was not a good month for the Embassy Suites, but that other than that occupancy has been high. Embassy Suites has projected that January through February will be rough as well but that occupancy will pick up in March with March Madness. It is currently at about 45%.

Mr. Durburg pointed out that to break even, the project must have 50% occupancy and the projections are for 73% occupancy. He asked how Mr. Matthews could account for that.

Mr. Matthews stated that the project will have other sources of revenue including shops, restaurants and the parking deck. Mr. Durburg asked if there would be a need for the additional parking. Mr. Matthews explained the site lay out and adjacent businesses on a large scale map of the proposed development, clarifying the need for additional parking.

Mr. Durburg then asked if Mr. Matthews will be competing with the Embassy Suites hotel. Mr. Matthews responded affirmatively.

Dr. Herrin stated that he would like Mr. Matthews to prepare a finalized total project cost, including acquisition and renovation, as well as a list of the pledged financials. The IFA can then determine if it is possible or appropriate for the IFA to fill any gaps in total financing.

Mr. Matthews explained that the City of Peoria will not close on the funds they have pledged until a guaranteed construction cost agreement has been reached with a contractor. This cannot be completed until the design for the project is completed, which is still in process.

Mr. Durburg asked who currently owns the Hotel Pere Marquette. Mr. Matthews responded that it was a long established partnership. Dr. Herrin asked if Mr. Matthews would be able to break down and identify the actual costs of the project. Mr. Matthews stated he would be able to in two to three weeks.

Chairman Brandt stated that the State of Illinois has not had a positive experience with hotels in the past, which could create problems for this deal. He added that while that alone is not a reason to forgo this project, it is an excellent reason to proceed with great caution. Chairman Brandt stated that the other primary concern for the Board is the lack of certainty on numbers. The IFA will need a final project cost before we can proceed any further.

Large developer fees, “lack of certainty on numbers,” extremely high occupancy rate projections — these are the kinds of questions the IFA had for the developer. Nobody called it a “wonderful development,” incidentally. My guess is that other lenders had the same kinds of questions.

The next IFA board meeting is Tuesday, March 9, 3 p.m., at (are you ready?) the Pere Marquette Hotel in Peoria. The agenda hasn’t been posted yet.

Sidewalks

Should city require snow to be cleared from sidewalks?

49 Comments

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, “Private Property, residential or commercial property owners and occupants are required to clear the sidewalks abutting their property of snow or ice within 24 hours after the snow and ice have stopped falling.” An assistance program is provided for senior citizens and disabled persons who have no one in their household physically capable of clearing the snow, or who are unable to contract with someone to clear the sidewalk for them. The cost for the service is added to their property tax bill.

The City of Peoria has no ordinance requiring residential or commercial property owners to clear the sidewalks, nor does the city provide sidewalk-clearing services, leaving pedestrians with no other option but to walk in the street.

The question of the day is: Should Peoria institute a snow-clearing ordinance similar to Milwaukee’s? Why or why not?