Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Little Rock Government Zoo Jam has financial problems UPDATE
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 7:18 AM
- Fox 16
- SPARSE CROWD: At Zoo Jam
The Zoo Jam Sunday at War Memorial Golf Course, with headliner Toby Keith, to raise money (tickets were priced $50 to $85) for the Little Rock Zoo was an apparent flop. Attendance was only 2,000 to 3,000, with many more anticipated.
Fox 16 reports that a couple of vendors that helped put on the event say they have not been paid because of a shortfall in ticket sales and the Little Rock Zoo said yesterday that it also had not been paid.
The problems may run deeper than unpaid bills to a couple of vendors. I got a note last night from someone familiar with the event. He said off-duty cops weren't paid in cash as contracted. He also said the vendor that set up the stage could not remove the stage from the No. 12 fairway until the company was paid because he needs several thousand dollars worth of labor to take it down. Its presence will interfere with ongoing golf course revenue. The course was rented for the event only through Monday. The event promoters owe the city $10,000.
UPDATE: David Koon has more details on the jump. And, yes, the golf course is still blocked.
Golf Course Blues
While the talent lineup for last Sunday's ZooJam concert at War Memorial Golf Course was a who's who of country music stars — including headliner Toby Keith, plus Sara Evans, up-and-comer Eric Church and seasoned combo Diamond Rio — ticket sales were an unmitigated bust, with sources saying only around 2,000-3,000 fans in attendance instead of the 20,000 planned. That shortfall has left many vendors in the lurch, a stage from the show marooned on a fairway until funds are secured to take it down, and the zoo spokesperson scratching her head over what happened.
Little Rock Zoo spokesperson Susan Altrui said the Zoo Jam concert will not cost the Zoo any money, because the zoo never contracted to put in any money. Altrui said that promoters Rodger Reeder and Eyren Mills, who produced last year's Boo at the Zoo event, formed their own LLC around the concert. (Another contractor won the bid to produce the event this Halloween.)They promised the Zoo 25 percent of the profits from ticket sales, and had designated the Zoo as the recipient of 25 percent of gross alcohol purchases at the concert, as required for granting of a state "picnic permit" for outdoor beer sales.
"We did not put any money in, and we didn't do anything for it," Altrui said. "They did all the contracting, they were the ones who got the talent, they did the production, they did everything. The only thing that we were participatory in was that we were supposed to get the money." Attempts to reach Mills and Reeder were unsuccessful. Calls to the War Memorial Golf Course were referred to Little Rock Parks and Recreation director Truman Tollfree, but a call to him went unreturned. A telephone messsage said, however, that the golf course was closed Tuesday. It had been rented only through Monday. It wasn't known if the city got its rent or what will be done about further disruptions.
Altrui said that the outdoor concert was great, with high production values and a fine lineup. Too, she said, promoters had made advertising buys all over town, and had partnered with country station KSSN 96 to hype the concert. While the ticket prices were steep — ranging from $50 for students to $85 for the "pit" area in front of the stage — Altrui said that they were no higher than most people would pay to see A-list country talent at a venue like Verizon Arena. She added that a number of other events happening around the time of the Zoo Jam concert — including the Razorback game in Dallas, the Taylor Swift concert on Oct. 4 — may have helped depress ticket sales.
"The only thing that I can chalk it up to," Altrui said, "is that this is an economy of uncertainty, and things that seem to be sure bets are turning out not to be."
One person who knows at lot about uncertainty at this writing is Jeremy Josephson with Rock City Staging, the company that owns the stage for the event. When we spoke to him Tuesday morning, Rock City's giant stage was still sitting on a fairway at War Memorial Golf Course. Josephson said the company hadn't been paid for the stage rental, and he didn't know when he would be able to move it. He denied that leaving it there was an attempt to pressure promoters to pay up for the stage rental and construction. He said the funds just aren't there to even begin a teardown.
"First you've got to find a labor company that's still willing to work to tear it out," Josephson said. "You've got to find a heavy equipment company that's still willing to leave the equipment out here that still hasn't been paid, and you've got to find a power company that's willing to supply power so that we can tear this thing down. That's going to be hard to come by at this point. It's not just as simple as me saying, I'm not going to take it out of here until I get paid, it's everybody involved that's required to get that done, but who is unwilling to do that until we figure out how that's going to be compensated. As of right now, we're talking about thousands of dollars out of our own pocket just to get out of here."
City officials were meeting on the problem Monday afternoon amid reports that the city might provide money to privately contracted police officers, though City Manager Bruce Moore said he hadn't heard that. Restoring the golf course to playable condition and expected city payments also were likely subjects of discussion. He would only say at the end of the day that the city was "working through" problems, but said the city had made no commitments on providing money.
Comments (30)
Showing 1-30 of 30
But we NEED to give a highly efficient rum operation likes this somewhere in the area of 8 million more dollars a year. Now we know why.....
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The staff from the parking contractor were rude and disrespectful for legitimate Zoo and Fitness patrons. Someone is accountable for this fiasco.
Clayton -- Its my understanding that the event was done on behalf of the Zoo -- the folks running the Zoo weren't actually involved. Events they do run like Boo at the Zoo are successful.
You may want to check it out before you start hurling stones at Zoo management. Besides, I'd like to think that MBlakely had better taste than Toby Keith.
The wife and I saw this cluster#$*) coming a few weeks ago while driving down 630 listening to a radio ad for this event. What we want to know is what City person(s) approved this and can anybody just sign up and promote a concert on the golf course?
Zoos are socialism. Public golf courses are socialism. Public parks are socialism. I-630 is socialism. And you expected it not to be a cluster#$&(*?
Elephants and other animals have one single purpose: To produce profit for humans. Has the zoo done a balance sheet analysis on the best way to maximize profit from each animal? I would bet some of those hides or stuffed carcasses are worth more than the incremental part of entrance fees allocated to that particular beast.
According to Fox 16, "ZooJam was so successful, organizers say they're already making plans for next year."
(http://www.fox16.com/news/story/ZooJam-fun…)
Uh, I think that was a premature excitation. Film with this report shows wide open spaces without people on them.
Zoo aficionados and Koby Teeth, as Bill Maher once parodied him, don't seem like a good fit. That's like Obama hiring Hank Jr. to entertain at a fund raiser. Guess they could have hired Ted Nugent, he loves animials, too, as targets.
This sounds like the August in Arkansas debacle in the early 90's that Mark Abernathy put on. Lot of people including our company never got paid. What a freaking disaster.
Susan Altrui and zoo officials should be held accountable. They allowed the zoo name and brand to be used and this is what happened. They would have accepted full credit if it were a success, they should accept full responsiblity for its failure.
No one could have forseen this would have flopped so bad, but that's not the point. They allowed the zoo to become a part of this event and the buck stops with them. Period.
I wonder if renting the golf course($?)is equal to or even higher than the revenue generated by daily play.. Since the staging equipment still blocks the golf course, technically they are still inhabiting it.
If they were to rent it the rest of the year, and couldnt pay, would parks own that huge stage?
Wouldn't have to charge much for concerts then!
And golfers would still have a fine 17 hole golf course.
War Memorial Golf Course and Amphitheater just rolls off the tongue.
Better get off the Internet, TeaParty2012. It was initially developed by the U.S. Government, which makes the whole damn thing SOCIALIST! Can't listen to the radio or TV, either, as they're governed by the FCC. Don't drink that government-purified water from the tap, either, because water that won't kill you tastes like SOCIALISM! And if you go somewhere in the car, better take a chainsaw and blaze your own road through the woods, given all those socialist, taxpayer-funded highways out there.
Yes, we are surrounded by socialism and the only answer is to starve the beast.
For example, we need to get government off the backs of the landowners around Lake Maumelle who are having their rights destroyed. If the water gets polluted because they exercised their freedom to put in a salvage yard or chicken barn, there's always bottled water -- brought to you by a profit-seeking corporation, as God intended.
"This sounds like the August in Arkansas debacle in the early 90's that Mark Abernathy put on. Lot of people including our company never got paid."
Neither did we, even after turning in over $1500 of their fake dollars. We were told Ringo had to get paid first.
Gosh I wonder if the outrageous cost of the tickets could be one reason the additional 18,000 people didn't come out "in support"! My advice for next time would be more reasonable ticket prices, maybe even five or ten dollars. And what about local talent or an up & comer band who doesn't require as much $ as Toby Keith...? Or a Battle of The Bands, with a reasonable entrant fee for the bands & audience. Is the Zoo trying to make all their money at once? Why not several smaller events that cost the public less money to attend. Just entering the zoo with two kids and one adult is expensive, nevermind if you get hungry or would like a drink refreshment..The water fountains are free but no telling what diseases may live on those! My most humble (lol) opinion: priorities & expectations were askew...just sayin'.
It smells even worse when you count in the damage to the golf course that can't be repaired until the staging is removed.. The main water line to that end of the course is damaged, every truck parked, every tire track,cigarette butt, and whiskey spill is concentrated on an area that can't be attended to. The 12th hole of the golf course is ruined, and will be through the winter and spring.
The City Of LR has put War Memorial G.C. up as a sacrificial lamb to every Rolling Stone concert, Razorback game, or Billy Graham revival to any promoter they think they can suck a dime out of, and each and every time it has cost the taxpayers of LR untold thousands, and the promoter has bailed out leaving unpaid bills.
If the citizens of LR want a golf course that their taxes pay for, they have it. A concert venue, a parking lot, or a dog and pony show are not what the area is intended for, or was donated to the city of LR a century ago as its primary use.
BTW, St. Vincent's has a standing offer from a quarter century ago that would fund Parks and Recreation for a hell of a lot of years
Every year it is rejected, without common consent
i
The stage can't sit on the golf course forever. The City of Little Rock may have to dismantle it, put it in storage, and send the owner a bill. If the owner can't pay it, the city may have to auction off the stage to cover the city's expenses. It's unfortunate, but the stage owner might have anticipated this risk.
If the zoo is wrong for anything, it's only that they trusted the production company with their name. It's my understanding they didn't even know what all the vendors were promised or anything about the stage. They were only involved because of that permit law requiring 25% donation. It's my understanding (only from reading the articles on it) the vendors had contracts with the LLC, not the zoo. They had experience with them last year and it went well, so why not lend their name for an easy donation that they didn't have to do anything for.
Clearly someone needs to pay (and clear off the golf course), and I'm sure the city will because it's the right thing to do, but the production company is really to blame.
RODGER REEDER!!!???!!! I worked with him in Austin MANY years ago when I worked for the local concert promoter there. Just because it worked in Texas, doesn't mean it will work here. Just because Boo at the Zoo was successful doesn't follow that giant country show will be--especially because it appears that no one checked the date for conflicts--like ...ummmm.... the Razorback game in Dallas or Bill or.... (I have always said there needs to be a central calendar somewhere). If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. 18,000 people??? really??? how many go to an outdoor show at Riverfest(just the show, not the festival)???
Big Buck$ for Toby Keith & Company on the golf course when you could take in Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea remaking history, with Chicago playing for free at the Old State House lawn? who couldn't see this disaster in the making?
If you try to attract 18,000 people in LR, you better have a (good)Razorback sports team, or some deer dying in one fashion or another...otherwise, well, we see what happens!
Toby Got some of his money but not all of it, deposit only.
What are you on, Dope or dog food?
We now all know 'Teaparty 2010" is a joke. He (or she) is just trying to stir the pot for posts. Time to ignore the troll. No one can be that stupid.
I live across Markham from the stadium/golf course. I did not know about this concert unitl literally about 3 days before it happened. In addition, I mentioned it to my mother, who is a country music fan, and she never heard a word about it. I think the production/marketing/advertising teams should face quite a bit of blame. I dont think running a few commercials of KSSN 96 is gonna get you 20,000 people. Ever.
I only heard about this event maybe twice in the month leading up to it. Why weren't they promoting the hell outta it???
Susan Alturi should stop lying and acting as if she does not know about the details. The facts are only Diamond Rio was paid there balance of $17,500 day of show. Toby keith/Eric Church package was paid half down and they were not paid the balance, neither was Sara Evans. Rock City Staging and Sound Services were not paid their money for stage and lights. Toby Keith's attorney's and management have already began filings for a law suit. it is a disgrace that Susan Alturi would put the beautiful city of LR in this position. She needs to be fired. As for Brian Day with the City of LR, he should be checked out on this as well. Jobs need to be taken away. No matter that it wasnt promoted correctly, they still should have had the funds to back it up. You dont see DeAnna Korte with Riverfest or Michael Marion's Verizion Arena shows doing this. Thats because they know what they are doing and they use reputable people in the business. When the suit hits goes public everyone will see the truth. I encourage everyone to call Susan and Brian at their respected places to ask for a Freedom Of Information on ZooJam 2011.
Eric Keith makes excellent points.
The Check that was made out to Eric Church had "insufficient funds".
Toby and Eric didn't have anything to do with this fiasco, and certainly didn't "skip town without paying their bills". They are the ones who didn't get paid, along with a bunch of other unhappy people.
I KNOW WHERE RODGER REEDER LIVES HE EMBEZZLED THE MONEY THAT WAS RAISED IRS SHOULD LOOK INTO HIM. HE LIVES IN IDYLLWILD CA. He lives next door to Cafe Aroma in the upper apartment cafe aromas address is 54750 North circle Drive, Idyllwild, CA. He has a p.o. box at Idyllwild Post Office. I believe his po box is 947 his home phone which he has caller id is 951-527-5002 his celll phone # is 951-719-1884
This man is evil so lawyer up and get that dirt bag
Rodger Reeder did not prepare in time. He had his son promote this in three days ahead of the show. He used to get away with a lot of money as he was younger but he's too sloppy and old for that game. The people want this man down Mayor. That old nut laughs about it now.
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