Questions for Yes Weekly's Brian Clarey on Greensboro Coliseum Trade/Barter Agreements

"...during a controversial discussion about various projects and concerns at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Director Matt Brown mentioned that [Yes Weekly] had held a discussion about naming rights for the new — and again, controversial — amphitheater.

...everything involving the coliseum and its environs elicits controversy because it is owned by the city.

...we do business with the coliseum, just like every other print publication and most other media in town.

What are the specifics of the trade/barter agreements

between the Greensboro News & Record, the Rhino Times and Yes Weekly?

Just like we also do business with the Lawrence Joel in Winston-Salem, the High Point Theatre, the Carolina Theatre, Triad Stage, SECCA and every other arts and entertainment venue that wants access to the smartest and best-informed readers in the Triad. That’s how it works.

Fair enough...

None of that has anything to do with our editorial content...

Have some mainstream media personalities criticized policy positions of some,

while receiving undisclosed and/or indirect compensation from others

interested in non-attributed dissention?

...Currently at issue is an ACC VIP lounge, approved by council last week, to be funded by a grant from Ovations as part of a deal for securing concession rights in the arena.

Some seem to feel that the money should have been used against the $1.8 million or so subsidy afforded the venue by the city.

Should "grant" money be considered a slush fund for the Coliseum,

if Greensboro's residents have to pay more for consessions

in order for Ovations to recoup the upfront payout

while the city's taxpayers are subsidizing operations for $1.8 million plus per year,

or is the deal is some kind of free lunch?

But we see nothing wrong with using this grant to improve this city-owned facility.

...On this one, Matt Brown got it right, particularly since he was shrewd enough to allay much of the construction costs using tickets as trade. And we’re not saying that because he paid us to do so...

Was the ticket trade for construction completed with no-bid contracts

without anyone else having a chance to bid for government work,

without the public being informed of the details?

...these improvements are contractually linked to the grant..."

Could “grants” from privately held vendors to a publicly owned entertainment venue

be considered by some to be a backdoor bribe,

locking in future profit at the expense of local non-taxpayer supported businesses?

Why not tell the vendor to use their kickback dollars

for whatever whoever tells them to allocate the money to,

or else tell them they are not the vendor anymore?

The nature of the business
Brian Clarey
Yes Weekly

If a few multinational corporations
own an overwhelming majority of newspapers, magazines, news channels,
radio stations, book publishers and business information sources,
what are the chances of an investigative journalist
publishing a negative story on a sister subsidiary
or on a subsidiary of another company that could retaliate in kind,
or for an author successfully marketing media criticisms?

George Hartzman