700 Attend Townhall – where was the media? Updated
As I was reading some some of our alternative print/online media this morning, an article in the Toledo Journal caught my attention. The topic is Dorr Street and the attempts to revive the area, it also describes some of the problems being faced that are stated to be because of white owned banks. Unfortunately the article doesn’t give the exact date this town hall happened, but I don’t remember hearing any media about this and Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop who attended the town hall with fellow Commissioners Pete Gerken and Tina Skeldon Wozniak stated:
Mr. Konop noted the absence of most of Toledo’s white-owned media outlets at the meeting. “If there were 500 people out in Sylvania having a positive meeting, where do you think the media would be?” he asked the audience. “But we’ll get it out there. We’ve got to let the community know that this is a positive project that will benefit the entire county, not just Dorr Street. … It’s not going to be easy but we all have to remember that we’re all in this together.”
I don’t receive all of the press release type information that the traditional media does, but I do know I did not receive any press releases on this town hall, which is I think part of the problem. Yet still, you can’t help but wonder how a town hall meeting of 700 people gets very little press at all…
Update:
You’ll see through the course of this thread that we discovered there was more media at this town hall than originally thought. Including a Toledo Blade article the day of the town hall, a Sojourner’s Truth article afterwards and even video from Fox Toledo. If there ever was a thread that demonstrated how much information we all learn from each other as well as raising some valid questions? This is one…
Any idea what might have been going on at the same time? It could be that they intended to attend, then had some breaking news that jumped ahead of the meeting. Like maybe Paris Hilton was in town.
If I’d been at that meeting, I would have called the media (while the meeting was still going on) to let them know 700 people were there. Sometimes numbers will move them more than the event itself.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:03 pmNo, only that it was before July 10th since that’s when the Toledo Journal came out. I’d agree though that if you have that many people and no media, someone could have called.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:09 pmIf it was on June 27 it was mentioned in the Blade. Reference “the other Dorr Street”.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:13 pmI searched the Blade for “Dorr Street” and it didn’t come up on their website. I’ll try “the other Dorr Street”, thanks!
July 16th, 2007 at 1:16 pmJust to clarify, it was mentioned in the Blade the morning of, not actually covered by them. Too bad for the Blade. It made for a great piece for the Toledo Journal.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:18 pmLooks like a release before the Town Hall took place:
link which means the other media should have been notified as well if the Blade reported it the day of the meeting – June 27, 2007.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:19 pmLooks like we both posted close to the same time, the same thing. Great minds think alike! Thanks for the heads up though I don’t know why it didn’t come up in the Blade under Dorr but did through google.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:20 pmSojourner’s Truth covered it as well, reporting 500 in attendance which is still a rather large turn out for a town hall meeting.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:21 pmIf this public meeting was so important to Ben and the entire county, why didn’t he announce the meeting date on his Lucas County blog? And why weren’t meeting notes taken and posted on the Lucas County blog? Informing the public as a substitute to the media is one role blogging can play. Ben can complain, but he could have helped solve the problem a little by exploiting simple technology.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:31 pmA good portion of Dorr runs thru Wilma Brown’s district so I googled her name & Dorr and it came right up. It nice that she has some political, etc. support for some of her projects, refreshing to see them stand together on this. Too bad the Blade missed the boat on covering it, maybe that is a blessing in disguise. Sometimes the slightly “under the radar” stuff is more successful anyway.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:35 pmI saw there was nothing on his blog about it, I checked that before I posted this to see if there was a hint on the date. I agree with you 100% on blogging being used as a substitute manner of informing the public, it’s the reason after reading the Toledo Journal article I decided to blog it.
I think the financing issue for the Brownstones is an important one, having to sell two of them sight unseen before they can get bank financing for the rest seems a bit unrealistic from whichever bank it is.
July 16th, 2007 at 1:48 pmSomehow, and I know this sounds bizarre, but I think that banks may not be willing to finance apartments in the area because of conditions of the current houses and business there… and the crime in the area.
I lived on the “nice” part of Dorr Street adjacent to the university and even there, we encountered theft and break-ins. And got to see cool drug-dealers.
I guess you have to start somewhere to clean up the city, however.
I don’t think that this is a case of “white-owned banks” trying to assert racial dominance.
July 16th, 2007 at 2:14 pmI’m not sure it’s racial dominance, but it is expecting a higher standard of participation than is normal. Location I’m sure is a factor but the reality seems to be that the Brownstone project will never move forward because of the more stringent terms. It also adds to the frustration of those in the community, since the ground breaking was in August of 2006 and nothing has happened.
Wilma Brown did clearly imply she feels it’s racial bias wondering if a similar project in Maumee or Perrysburg would have to meet the same standards, yet as you pointed out Emily, they are very different neighborhoods…
July 16th, 2007 at 2:22 pmIf it was a project in Maumee or Sylvania, would the Toledo-based county commissioners be involved? Seems the county commissioners are only interested in projects for Toledo. But then again, I doubt the other communities need help from county commissioners.
Wilma should ask Ben why he posted info on his blog about the art assist program, the sports arena public forums, and the gas card handouts, but nothing about the Door Street meeting and project.
So is this Door Street project being led by government or private developers? If the former, will the Lucas County commissioners eventually look to Sylvania, Maumee, and the other communities in the county to help fund the Door Street project? Why isn’t this project led by Toledo government if government needs to be involved? Is this what county commissioners are suppose to do?
I hope this isn’t a different version of the Portside and Erie Street Market projects. And I’d be interested in knowing how this helps the entire county. The recent sports arena public forums were held in Toledo, Oregon, and Sylvania. Will future Door Street public meetings be held in Maumee, Whitehouse, or Holland?
From the Toledo Journal article, Wilma said:
“When I first came to Toledo, in ’49, [Door Street] was bustling. We had everything you needed. And things just kept deteriorating.”
Has a report been published as to WHY Door Street deteriorated, so that if or when Door Street is revitalized, those reasons that caused Door Street to deteriorate can be avoided in the future?
July 16th, 2007 at 2:59 pmI’ve just been informed that Fox Toledo was there and it is believed that Channel 24 was there as well.
It seems the media that was present heard the comment from Ben Konop and thought it strange since they were present. If 24 was there too? Then half of the local television stations were present…
July 16th, 2007 at 3:20 pmThose are great questions Jr, I remember reading a report on Dorr Street done by I believe, UT but I’m not sure how deeply it went into the aspects you’ve raised.
July 16th, 2007 at 3:28 pmDorr Street deteriorated very rapidly in the late 60s and early 70s because of two factors: Urban Renewal and riots.
There was once a nice business district near Dorr and Smead. The bureaucrats of the Great Society tore it down and never replaced it. What was left burned in a riot.
Hopefully, JR, the problems that caused Dorr Street’s demise are passed. Urban Renewal has been discredited and let us hope that rioting as a means of expressing indignation is a thing of the past in Toledo.
I’m not surprised that the members of the media did not speak up. They are trained to not make themselves part of the story or the meeting by making comments.
July 16th, 2007 at 3:50 pm“Dorr Street deteriorated very rapidly in the late 60s and early 70s because of two factors: Urban Renewal and riots.”
And the Mayor has spoken about Dorr Street; “Last month, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and University of Toledo President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs talked about working together to develop a student village environment along Dorr, where the university is located.”
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/NEWS16/706270390
But what are his thoughts about the rest of Dorr?
July 16th, 2007 at 4:08 pmI’m sorry is it the fault of the white man that the area is run down or is it just our fault that it can’t be rebuilt?
July 16th, 2007 at 4:50 pmThe Mayor was on-hand for the groundbreaking of the Brownstones. Tomorrow, we’ll be announcing some new business development incentives that will target Dorr Street.
There you go, Lisa — an exclusive!!
July 16th, 2007 at 5:06 pmThanks Brian!
July 16th, 2007 at 5:22 pmI stand by my statement. When I made my remarks, 36 was the only station there. 24 came later in the event if I remember correctly. 11 and 13, which represent about 80% of the market share, were not, as far as I could see, in attendence at any point during the meeting. And the Blade was not at the meeting either although they did do the preview article.
July 16th, 2007 at 8:23 pmBen, if you were going by market share rather than actual number of as the way the Toledo Journal phrased it, that is a bit different. It was that statement that drew me to blog about it in the first place then because at first glance it seemed like there was not as much news coverage as you would expect.
I have no idea what the market share numbers are, last I heard Fox’s newscasts were above 24’s but it’s been a while so I don’t know how much of the actual market WTOL and WTVG have. If someone does, I’m sure they’ll chime in.
Thanks for the clarification as to what the basis of your statement was on, it’s always nice to have you stop by.
July 16th, 2007 at 8:58 pmWe’ve been watching this discussion with interest at FOX Toledo, especially since we did cover the meeting on Dorr Street. I was glad to see that over the course of the day that’s been proven, and that the story is available for people to view.
That being said, I find what Commissioner Konop just posted to be somewhat offensive. While I freely admit that our market share isn’t as large as WTOL or WTVG, we still put on a quality product and have a considerable number of viewers. Those viewers were able to see this story the night of the meeting, but apparently the commissioner doesn’t count them. Instead, he begrudgingly admits that we were there, then dismisses us by essentially saying we aren’t good enough.
I wonder if he would make the same comments regarding the Toledo Journal, since their readership is smaller than the Blade. I suspect not.
Mr. Konop never had a problem speaking with us during his campaign, and he never insinuated that we didn’t rate as a station at that time. Why has his position changed now that he’s in office?
Karl Rundgren
July 16th, 2007 at 9:47 pmManaging Editor/FOX Toledo News
Karl, you raised a valid point, I don’t think he meant it that way, I think he was trying to explain the rationale of his comment. Since as this thread progressed it became clear there was more media coverage than initially thought. That said, I can understand why if the implication was being made that you were not worth mentioning, that would be offensive. You and the others at Fox Toledo do work hard to bring many stories that at times the others don’t carry and many of us do appreciate that.
Not to mention things like your participation in the Lucas County Commissioner Debates…
July 16th, 2007 at 9:54 pmKarl, I give you guys a lot of credit for showing up and covering an important event. In no way did I intend to negate the value of what your station does by my comments. I apologize for insinuating anything along those lines. Perhaps because you cover things like the Dorr Street meeting, your viewership is increasing.
July 16th, 2007 at 11:57 pmI think the key phrase is “most of Toledo’s white-owned media outlets at the meeting.” The key word of course is most. And when you think about it, it’s not a false statement. If one of four news stations shows up, that means the other 3 didn’t. Which means that most didn’t show up. Regardless of whether Fox Toledo News was there, this did not get the coverage it deserved. I’m utterly outraged by the fact that Fox Toledo would try to use this as an opportunity to exploit one of the three commissioners for making an accurate statement. What Konop said was true, at least based on the common meaning of words. If Fox Toledo was offended, all they should have asked for was a clarification pointing out the fact that they were there. Fox Toledo should not use this truth as reason to attack the commissioner. What Konop said was true. Karl Rundgren should not attempt to exploit politicians.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:31 amLeave it up to Fox News to skew the facts.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:38 amKurt, it’s not Fox news… it’s actually Fox Toledo News, just an affiliate. For one commenting on an alleged skewing of the facts, you might want to look at how your comments reflect on your argument.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:27 amIndeed I looked at my comments and stand by them Sam. I’m sorry if you felt I was unclear above, but I was very deliberate in my proper names between Fox Toledo and Fox News. But who knows, maybe the affiliates take a page from their network brethren.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:03 amAnd yet, again, the topic and substance of the post starts to fade away due to he said, she said, they said.
If Mr.Rundgren is that offended then take it up with Commissioner Konop and either work together or agree to disagree but for me I read what the Commissioner wrote and some what agree. But then again I do not what that much local news as I find much more of what I need to know about the world at large elsewhere.
If the local media want more viewers and such then start covering more of the events and such or is it a case where some how the media was not alerted to the event.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:08 amOkay, now that the side issue of giving credit where credit was due to the media who did show up has been dealt with…Let’s get back to the topic of Dorr Street and some of the points raised in this discussion.
What will be the new business incentives on Dorr Street? Will that work? Also what jr raised:
July 17th, 2007 at 10:03 am“Let’s get back to the topic of Dorr Street and some of the points raised in this discussion.”
Hear…hear….!
And wonderfully enough when a googling I did go….I found this…
via, August 25th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Brownstones on Dorr Street
Posted by LisaRenee in Uncategorized
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060819/NEWS16/608190407&SearchID=73254835982269
July 17th, 2007 at 10:17 amThe riots here and in Detroit caused quite a bit of damage. I remember that time period, I also remember the hope that things would rebuild. There was a very detailed article about the Black Panthers and the riots in Detroit that mentioned how it extended into Toledo but it does not seem to be online anymore. The Officer Down Memorial Page mentions Patrolman William A. Miscannon, his death was stated to be related to some of the violence during that time period.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:35 amI appreciate the clarification Commissioner. We’ve always had a good working relationship in the past, so I was a little surprised at the post above. Thanks for the addendum.
Now I should make a clarification of my own for Kurt. I was never trying to exploit or attack Commissioner Konop through this, and I don’t disagree with the comments he made that night. The Journal did say “most” and that is accurate.
The only thing I was concerned about was the insinuation that we were insignificant as a station, which he has since apologized for.
I can also say that I was as surprised as anyone that this meeting didn’t get more coverage. Hopefully that will change as more progress happens on Dorr.
Karl Rundgren
July 17th, 2007 at 11:08 amManaging Editor/FOX Toledo News
Fox 36, insignificant? I don’t think so! It’s the one news cast that I watch EVERY day, both the 4:00 and 10:00 showings. I wish they had a morning news cast because I’d tune away from the one I currently watch and watch that as well. Fox 36 puts more focus on local news and less on the “fluff”, so Karl and everyone at Fox 36, THANK YOU!
July 17th, 2007 at 1:47 pmPatrolman Miscannon was killed on Dorr Street. He sat in a wagon, waiting for his partner to bring food out of a restaurant, when someone walked up behind the window and shot him.
The suspect (who was tried and found not guilty) was a Black Panther and was holed up in the Panther headquarters at Dorr and Junction. An ugly battle between the police and the Panthers ensued and many were hurt and there was a great deal of property damage.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:46 pmOn Michigan Radio there is a documentary in audio form that was presented last night about the Detroit riots.
http://www.michiganradio.org/ashestohope.html
I listened and one of the comments that caught my attention was the sense that the riots could happen all over again, what with the economic condition of the city.
And then I thought about this; “Dorr Street deteriorated very rapidly in the late 60s and early 70s because of two factors: Urban Renewal and riots.”
There is a sense or at least a perceived sense in some of the areas of the city that there is not much to look forward too.
Parts of Dorr are almost opposites of each other. One that has UT and is busy and one that has some retail and what appears to be little else and looks old and tired.
So, I guess in a way not much has changed.
July 18th, 2007 at 8:18 am