View Full Version : AP article



Doug Loudenback
05-05-2008, 08:04 AM
I don't see that this has been posted yet, so I'll go ahead ... nice AP article here: The Associated Press: Cowtown no more? Okla. City looks to Sonics to improve image (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5itctqqxInmulzBMLKLJp-CY4rgUQD90FBBUO0)


Cowtown no more? Okla. City looks to Sonics to improve image

By MURRAY EVANS – 6 hours ago

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Even the mayor admits this is a town with an image problem.

When people think of Oklahoma City, they harken back to the 1995 federal building bombing that killed 168 people or a massive tornado four years later that killed 44. Decades after John Steinbeck immortalized the plight of Okies in "The Grapes of Wrath," Oklahoma City is still a "Dust Bowl" town to many.

"We have allowed ourselves to be branded by negativity, by disasters," Mayor Mick Cornett said. "We need positive imagery connected with Oklahoma City."

But civic and business leaders here hope Oklahoma's first permanent major-league sports franchise will finally change the way people think about the area.

NBA owners voted last month to allow the Seattle SuperSonics to come to Oklahoma City, paving the way for it to take up residence no later than 2010 in an arena that is the centerpiece of an urban renaissance.

"That Dust Bowl image has been ingrained in people's minds," said Roy Williams, the president of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. "I don't know that you ever eliminate it, but what you can do is expand it and you can say, 'Yeah, that happened, but now all this is happening.'

"You can't erase history, but you can certainly write the new history, and I think that is what is going on in this community."

That Oklahoma City could support a major-league franchise seemed improbable less than 20 years ago, when downtown activity mostly ceased at the end of the business day and entertainment options were minimal.

Then developers and city leaders conceived an idea to turn an aging warehouse district adjacent to downtown into an entertainment destination.

The first restaurant in Bricktown opened in 1988 but growth didn't pick up until voters narrowly approved a temporary one-cent sales tax five years later to refurbish the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, upgrade the Civic Center Music Hall, build a Triple-A baseball stadium and construct a canal that runs through Bricktown.

Just south of downtown, three dams were created to fill a riverbed typically so dry that locals used to joke it was the only river that needed mowing. Now the Oklahoma River is the site of college regattas and it recently hosted the U.S. Olympic trials for canoeing and kayaking.

A freeway is being realigned, creating even more room for growth between downtown and the river, which will be home to several futuristic college boathouses. A new water taxi service has begun along the waterway.

Voters passed a sales tax extension to pay for a downtown arena that ended up hosting the New Orleans Hornets for two seasons after Hurricane Katrina drove the team from its home venue.

In 71 home games at the Ford Center, the Hornets averaged 18,328 fans and recorded 30 sellouts.

"When the NBA came to town and it was so well supported and it got national attention ... it really made us stand up straight and say, 'We can do anything,'" said Jim Cowan, the executive director of the Bricktown Association. "It's kind of a can-do attitude. Our city has shown we can handle it."

To make sure the Sonics would come, voters approved a sales tax to pay for $121 million in improvements to the Ford Center and an NBA practice facility, and state lawmakers passed a tax incentive program.

And it's not just Oklahoma City's downtown that is booming. The city's strong energy sector, led by Devon Energy Corp. and Chesapeake Energy Corp., has buffered the impact of economic problems being felt across the nation.

The state's unemployment rate, hovering around 3 percent and one of the nation's lowest, has bucked national trends and decreased over the last year, while housing prices have countered the national market and increased by 4.5 percent.

"Our banks did not make some of the foolish loans on mortgages that a lot of the banks and mortgage companies in Florida and California did," said Larry Nichols, the chairman and chief executive officer of Devon.

Nichols said the city's emergence on the national scene can be credited to teamwork between local politicians, city employees and a united business community.

"You don't see that in a lot of cities, to get all those groups ... all engaged, having debates but agreeing on the correct course of action and charging forward," Nichols said. "We've had 15, 18 years of very positive momentum and it just keeps going."

That momentum has changed the national image Oklahoma City once had of being "boring" and "kind of a nowhere place," said Christopher B. Leinberger, a Brookings Institution fellow who has helped transform more than 20 downtowns.

"We've definitely jumped up in the minds of other communities and states," said former mayor Ron Norick. "We are not a cowtown anymore. We've become a real progressive city, where there are things for people to do."

Leinberger said the Sonics' eventual relocation will lead to the city being "taken much more seriously as a relocation site for business in general."

Williams said that he began receiving calls from businesses asking about Oklahoma City within days of the NBA's approval of the Sonics' relocation.

"They're saying, 'You're now joining an elite market. We need to see whether we should be in your market.' We do think there are going to be some ancillary benefits" from having the Sonics in town, the chamber director said.

That comes as no surprise to Cornett.

"That's because people know the NBA doesn't do villages," he said. "They don't haphazardly put franchises into cities where they're not going to be successful."

It includes a couple of river pics:

http://ap.google.com/media/ALeqM5iC-XMiK-l2LmUuMaCMmS0V2QK7kg?size=m http://ap.google.com/media/ALeqM5hxssVS1wIfD-250SE49QkZh7Zo5g?size=m

Google News shows it being published in 20-30 web locations around the world ... I noticed 3 in England when quickly looking ... I didn't count but that number gives a broad idea of the number of places where this article will be read. Oklahoma City has certainly been in the news a lot lately. See - Google News (http://www.google.com/news?sourceid=navclient-ff&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-46,GGGL:en&ncl=1148756297&hl=en&scoring=d) for the google list. CNNMoney.com adds a bold subtitle, Relocation of NBA's Seattle SuperSonics another sign of Oklahoma City's emergence. In Washington, I see that Tacoma published it: - Google News (http://www.google.com/news?sourceid=navclient-ff&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-46,GGGL:en&ncl=1148756297&hl=en&scoring=d)

I can't place the author, Murray Evans, but judging by this website, Latest By MURRAY EVANS News - Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/Topic-By__MURRAY_EVANS.html) , I guess that he is an Oklahoma person. Googling his name pops up many Oklahoma City articles.

metro
05-05-2008, 08:14 AM
Great article, thanks Doug. The momentum is here finally! I truly believe this summer we will reach our tipping point. With the hundreds if not thousands of new residents moving downtown this summer as construction wraps up on most projects, this will create a point of critical mass that will justify further developments in our core.

metro
05-05-2008, 08:39 AM
I highly recommend everyone hitting as many of the links to it as possible, get our page rankings up and hopefully more AP outlets will pick up the article. Also an Francisco Chronicle), St. Louis's paper, Minneapolis, Albuquerque. I'm tracking it in at 60 web locations as of now on Google. Make sure and leave comments when you can.

Karried
05-05-2008, 09:00 AM
I found about 10 articles AP when I put the entire title in Google .. how are you tracking it Metro?

Karried
05-05-2008, 09:04 AM
I've found Alabama, Houston, SF, Monterey CA, International Herald Tribune, St. Louis, New Mexico ... cool.

Midtowner
05-05-2008, 09:07 AM
If y'all have a Digg account, go digg it here:

Digg - Will Sonics' Move to Oklahoma City Really Change it's Image? (http://digg.com/basketball/Will_Sonics_Move_to_Oklahoma_City_Really_Change_it _s_Image)

betts
05-05-2008, 09:22 AM
I find this to be the most interesting part of the article, as that is what I thought would happen, but wasn't completely sure I was right.

"Williams said that he began receiving calls from businesses asking about Oklahoma City within days of the NBA's approval of the Sonics' relocation.

"They're saying, 'You're now joining an elite market. We need to see whether we should be in your market.' We do think there are going to be some ancillary benefits" from having the Sonics in town, the chamber director said."

Karried
05-05-2008, 09:23 AM
dugg it

Karried
05-05-2008, 09:27 AM
I find this to be the most interesting part of the article, as that is what I thought would happen, but wasn't completely sure I was right.


betts, I think you had that figured out from the beginning.

I remember talking about the pros of the tax extension... this was a intangible benefit that a lot of us felt really strongly about.

I remember very well the positive reactions after the Hornet's success.

OKCTalker
05-05-2008, 09:39 AM
This adds to the recent buzz. Those of us "of a certain age" will recall the 1980s when we'd almost apologize for being from Oklahoma City, usually giving the single consolation, "Well, it's a great place to raise a family." Guests would come from out of town and we'd really have to brainstorm for something to do. Now, you have to narrow down the options depending upon when friends arrive and what they're interests are. Wow - What a place to be!

FritterGirl
05-05-2008, 10:08 AM
I find this to be the most interesting part of the article, as that is what I thought would happen, but wasn't completely sure I was right.

"Williams said that he began receiving calls from businesses asking about Oklahoma City within days of the NBA's approval of the Sonics' relocation.

"They're saying, 'You're now joining an elite market. We need to see whether we should be in your market.' We do think there are going to be some ancillary benefits" from having the Sonics in town, the chamber director said."

Let's just hope we don't get Kerninated again! :smile:

metro
05-05-2008, 10:15 AM
I find this to be the most interesting part of the article, as that is what I thought would happen, but wasn't completely sure I was right.

"Williams said that he began receiving calls from businesses asking about Oklahoma City within days of the NBA's approval of the Sonics' relocation.

"They're saying, 'You're now joining an elite market. We need to see whether we should be in your market.' We do think there are going to be some ancillary benefits" from having the Sonics in town, the chamber director said."

Don't tell this to David Glover..

Kerry
05-05-2008, 11:08 AM
I don't think DG has seen this yet so let me respond for him and his 2 or 3 minions.

"What did you expect Roy Williams to say? He is just saying this to make the sheep happy."

OK - now back to our regularly scheduled program....

soonerj
05-05-2008, 11:12 AM
Murray is from here. He used to be a reporter for The Oklahoman. Great article!

soonerguru
05-05-2008, 12:30 PM
You know, I admire what Mayor Cornett and Roy Williams and others are doing, but they are hanging themselves (us) with this lame PR strategy. The great New York Times piece everyone was heralding here a couple of weeks ago carried a headline referring to "Dusty Oklahoma City."

Why don't these morons confront the Dust Bowl crap with the fact that Oklahoma City received nearly 60 inches of rain last year. This is not a dusty environment. It is a temperate environment.

The rest of the world thinks OKC is like Lubbock Texas and our own leaders are too dumb to figure out how to change that image.

Even the positive articles about "not having to mow" the ditch that was our river don't combat this image and stereotype.

Mayor Cornett, Roy Williams, etc. PLEASE NOTE: People who don't live here think we live in a dusty desert. Tell them it rains here -- a lot.

mecarr
05-05-2008, 02:48 PM
I found this article on CNN.com