Parks and Recreation: News-Herald should get the story right

Staff

Published Thursday, June 30, 2005

Editor, the News-Herald:

I am writing in response to your editorial entitled "If You Build it, They Won't Necessarily Come" printed on Monday, June, 27, 2005.

I am so pleased that you felt that the setting at Constant's Wharf Park and Marina on Friday, June 24, 2005 "sounds like the makings of a great party."

I must say that I agree with you. However, the seven people you reference in your photograph were not a large percentage of the total turn out on Friday evening. I realize you needed to print Saturday's paper and were in a hurry to get back to work, so it only makes sense that you were unable to stay long enough to see the twelve boats with approximately 75 people mingling on the dock and the 500-600 people enjoying the sounds of Bio Ritmo until 9:30 on Friday night.

As far as the disappointment that you are "sure" officials experienced, let me say that apart from dealing with parking issues we did not receive one negative comment in reference to the event from officials or citizens.

In fact, the Department received written compliments about the event's success from several people.

In addition, the Parks and Recreation Staff randomly surveyed 16 citizens throughout the evening. All of them said that they had a positive experience, and several said that they heard of the event through various media outlets.

We all need to remember that this was the first TGIF event in recent years and only the second one sponsored by Parks and Recreation at Constant's Wharf Park and Marina.

As I am sure you are aware, it takes time for events like this to grow in popularity. Harborfest certainly did not host 250,000 people in its first weekend.

In reference to your statement about the nonexistent marketing of this event: the Parks and Recreation Department spent quite a bit of money on advertising the TGIF concert series. In fact, we placed an advertisement in your paper on Friday, June 24, 2005, and it ran on page 3.

The Suffolk cable channel has information on the message board as well as a 30-second spot about the series.

The Department ran ads in The Virginian Pilots' Suffolk Sun, printed 5,000 magnets that were distributed to Suffolk Citizens by downtown merchants and city offices, and ran radio spots on station 106.9, the FOX, to reach as many people both inside and outside Suffolk as possible.

Mr. Prutsok, you stated in your editorial that "The Suffolk News-Herald, in combination with the Tidewater Shopper, reaches more households than any other publication, and at a lower cost."

I hope that you meant in Suffolk.

We conducted a mathematical analysis of publication distribution rates and advertising rates for the News-Herald and another local newspaper.

Parks and Recreation feels very comfortable with the way we spend our advertising dollars for the TGIF concert series and our other

events.

The advertising sales staff at the News-Herald are wonderful people to work with and do a great job! The Department is satisfied with the advertising results we have received from the News-Herald. I believe that it is great that Suffolk has its own newspaper. So many times Suffolk news is buried or left out of the bigger regional newspapers. But please, Mr. Prutsok, do not suggest we have not properly marketed our events.

Melanie Scoggins

Recreation Specialist II

Suffolk Parks and Recreation

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