THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020642
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Coming soon to a TV near you: Regionalism.
Four public service announcements on the topic, sponsored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, will begin airing next week.
The spots are designed to put a face and voice to the ongoing civic debate on regionalism - make that the lack of regionalism.
The TV spots, which cost $5,000 to produce, stress the need for Hampton Roads cities to cooperate if the region is to prosper. So far, the region's cities have vied over everything from drinking water to sports facilities, often viewing each other as competitors rather then neighbors.
``The current conflict between the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach over the Lake Gaston pipeline project is a prime example of the difficulty the region's cities have working together,'' said Hampton Roads Chamber Chairman Robert Kopecko, Jr. ``These TV spots show Hampton Roads citizens how we benefit from working together - and how we suffer when we don't. We hope the spots get citizens talking about the issue.''
The common message through all the announcements is ``Think Big. Support regional cooperation in Hampton Roads.''
``One of the things that precipitated these (public service announcements) is whether the general public has a sense of the importance of regionalism, whether the communities could work together,'' said Jack Hornbeck, president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Chamber, which released the spots Thursday. ``We didn't want to preach to the choir. The PSA was to garner a greater understanding of regionalism among the public of Hampton Roads.''
Two TV spots address the general need for and urgency of regionalism.
The remaining two PSAs address tourism and sports.
The tourism spot praises the thinking behind the Virginia Waterfront campaign, which markets the cities of Williamsburg, Norfolk and Virginia Beach as a regional destination. The $3 million annual campaign, which celebrated its inaugural year in 1994, is funded solely by the city of Norfolk.
The sports PSA addresses Hampton Roads' inability to attract a major league sports franchise. It compares the region - the 27th largest metropolitan statistical area - against the likes of smaller metro areas like Charlotte and Jacksonville, which both have major league sports teams.
Julie McCollum, director of community relations at WTKR, channel 3, welcomed the PSAs at her station.
``We've done a lot of news stories that focused on regional issues,'' she said. Historically, it's something we have felt is important. I'm glad to see the Chamber of Commerce provide us with a message that can get repeated exposure over the airwaves.''
The announcements were distributed to all the major local TV stations and Cox Cable. Not all the stations have had the opportunity to view the spots and decide whether to run them. McCollum said WTKR may run them as early as this weekend.
``Being local and addressing local issues is of primary importance,'' McCollum said about the criteria for public service announcements.
Genesis of the TV spots originated in 1993, said Lin Smith, group vice president of marketing for the chamber. The Chamber of Commerce felt a responsibility as a regional organization to promote discussion of the topic.
``We're not convinced that the general public as a whole has really considered what they want to see this region as or these counties to be. Ultimately it's the people who live here and vote who make the decision.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
KEYWORDS: HAMPTON ROADS REGIONALISM by CNB