Business
Publisher Could Take $700,000 From Valley
May 21, 2007 
We can’t tell if the Daily Paper got enticed by the Chamber of Commerce or if they are consenting adults, but a recent business page story was a bit off the mark in our opinion.
United Airlines in-flight magazine publisher, Pace Communications, stands to take about $700,000 from Treasure Valley businesses if they sell 36 pages of puff for the reported $20,000 per page rate. There will not be 36 pages about Boise unless someone PAYS for 36 pages.
It is all part of a promotion–funded in part with taxes– to attract more bodies to our already polluted air and crowded streets. The Chamber folks say they want to attract high paying jobs, not more population. Are robots gonna do the work?
Any given day you will see news stories about growth in the mainstream media, yet no one objects to having cities and counties pay the Chamber of Commerce to promote increased population in the name of progress.
In the interest of fairness and objectivity, the GUARDIAN sent the publishers of UAL’s Hemispheres magazine a little note to make sure they cover Boise well in the 36 pages.
Here are some points we thought worthy of mentioning in the seat back magazine:
–As many as 12 neighborhood associations in several counties are banding together to oppose growth in the pristine foothills. Developers are planning tens of thousands of homes in this once wild area.
–Special state highway funds (GARVEE bonds) are inadequate to pay for new roads demanded by unbridled growth.
–There is a daily commute along I-84 that transforms the freeway into a parking lot often as not.
–Eagle Road is a nightmare of traffic. You need some telephoto lens shots to illustrate the mass of cars there.
–Boise has recently recorded same day air quality indexes TWICE as dirty as Los Angeles. DEQ will verify this.
–Ground water consumed by MICRON and others has caused the need to take water from the Boise river and inject it into the aquifer.
–The downtown building boom pays no taxes to the city on improvements–it all goes to the urban renewal agency to create more growth.
–Meridian can’t keep up with the demand for schools created by all the newcomers with children.
–Idaho Power Company has announced plans to hike rates due to high demand and low water.
If any of you have more ideas, drop an e-mail to [email protected]
The GUARDIAN previously wrote about the cozy relationship between the Chamber and local government in TAXES FUND CHAMBER .
On the following page you can read the Chamber letter to members which makes it clear this ain’t free, but mentions no rates.
Dear Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce business partners and supporters:
We are excited to announce that the Boise Valley will be featured in the September 2007 issue of Hemispheres, the award-winning inflight magazine of United Airlines. This 36-page editorial section, Insight: Boise, will reach readers traveling to over 210 destinations in 26 countries and will showcase Boise as a great place to live, work, and visit. In addition to the September feature, Insight: Boise will be available for one year on the United Hemispheres’ website (www.hemispheresmagazine.com).
Hemispheres selected the Boise Valley as a place to profile because we have an amazing story to tell – one that we want to share with the world. Just consider a few of our recent recognitions: the Boise area ranked #10 in best U.S. cities to live according to Frommer’s Cities Ranked and Rated, 2nd Edition; #4 City in the Nation for Business and Careers, Forbes magazine; Top Ten Great American Towns, Money magazine; Best Places to Live, Money magazine; Top 50 Smartest Places to Live, Kiplinger’s; and Top 31 Best Places to Live and Play, National Geographic – Adventure magazine.
Now is the time to build on the Boise Valley’s visibility. Insight: Boise in United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine is an opportunity to do just that. The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce is pleased to support this unique opportunity to share our story with the rest of the world. Over the next 10 weeks, the Hemispheres editorial and marketing teams will be in Boise to investigate the economic drivers and other factors that shape our growing community. We encourage your involvement in this project by welcoming these teams. They will seek substantive input to help tell our story as well as provide a dynamic marketing vehicle for private and public organizations that want outstanding advertising exposure linked to the Boise Valley feature.
We believe this is an unprecedented chance to share our story on a national and international scale. Please contact Kelley Bradley at Pace Communications at [email protected] or 336-633-9227, or Linda Alden with the Boise Valley Economic Partnership (BVEP) at [email protected] or 208-472-5244 for more information about this project.
We look forward to your interest and involvement in helping to tell about the Boise Valley’s outstanding success.
Regards,
Nancy Vannorsdel George Iliff
President & CEO Chairman
Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
May 21, 2007, 4:21 pm
Please publish the entire facts associated with this post. I read the same article and did not see a figure regarding a taxpayer entity incurring any cost with this magazine feature. And how much money is the Chamber contributing.
Before making blanket statements like they are fact, please provide the actual figure or numbers to back up the statements. Otherwise the following statement becomes an uninformed opinion.
“It is all part of a promotion—funded in part with taxes— to attract more bodies to our already polluted air and crowded streets.”
EDITOR NOTE–Clancy, you identify the problem well. I too read the article and saw no mention of the thousands uipon thousands of dollars in public money going into the chamber’s effort. Only the GUARDIAN will tell you that. Boise and Ada County PAY taxmoney to the Chamber. The Chamber pays for a local PR firm to plant stories nationwide–$40,000 according to the county records. The Chamber is paying to rent The Depot June 7 to host a private reception for the ad sales people. They have a select guest list.
May 21, 2007, 6:07 pm
I dunno Clancy. It appears we had a fluff piece in the Statesman about a fluff piece in an airline mag. Nobody mentioned any conflict of interest like the fact money was changing hands. I find it sad that the fourth estate has seemingly abandoned its integrity by failing to disclose such a glaring detail. I wonder what other connections they left out? Like maybe an association between parent companies?
But I also find it sad that once again Chamber folk line up like dutiful pavlovian puppies to fork over their entire marketing budget to the endless line of Harold Hills selling us something we don’t need. Why market a place that needs no promotion? Then ask yourself: why pay for advertising for more growth if we can’t solve the problems associated with the unsolicited growth?
May 21, 2007, 7:51 pm
Will these out of town peddlers get a license from the City Clerk?
No doubt about it, these people are slick. They get the Chamber, the mayor, and the Daily Paper all aligned to support their campaign to sell advertising.
G man you need to pay attention. Direct some of your great photography and writing to the other side and maybe you too could make some big bucks.
EDITOR NOTE–Mr. Logic, I got suckered once by a book publisher “endorsed” by the Chamber. They used thousands and thousands of dollars worth of my pictures and stiffed me. Chamber passed out books to attract businesses and I got about $18.
May 21, 2007, 9:00 pm
What an opportunity for the so-called “growthophobes” to spread the word to United Airlines readers! With what must be tens of thousands of such residents out there in the Treasure Valley, why not collect a buck from each and buy one of the pages in the magazine to tell the Guardian’s side of the story? If the corporations and Chamber can put their money where their mouth is, why not the Guardian and its followers? You think that’s not going to get attention?! (I wouldn’t be surprised to see just that one page advertisement bring growth to the immediate halt apparently sought by so many people today).
May 21, 2007, 10:08 pm
C’mon folks! Did anyone really believe that these guys were coming to Little Boise Idaho to do a 36 page insert because they like us?
If anyone hasn’t noticed, we can’t fly anywhere without going somewhere! We aren’t a fly on a flight schedule’s rear end. The ONLY reason they came to town is to extract cash. And the chamber, the mayor and all the rest just lined right up and shouted in chorus,” Do Us! We are Willing to be Had”!!! Are we all really that stupid?? Because that is exactly how we are being treated!
May 22, 2007, 1:18 pm
$700K, I bet it is less, I would think we would get a Walmart volume discount for that many pages.
EDITOR NOTE–We based the figure on the Daily Paper story. They said the normal rate is $40,000 per page, but for this deal they would let a page go for half that rate.
May 22, 2007, 3:08 pm
“EDITOR NOTE–We based the figure on the Daily Paper story. They said the normal rate is $40,000 per page, but for this deal they would let a page go for half that rate.”
Mr Guardian
And when did YOU of all folks start believing the Statesman????
EDITOR NOTE–sorry about that. How about you take some time to do research for the GUARDIAN and give us some good figures.
May 22, 2007, 3:47 pm
Wow. Is this the height of stupidity, or what?
They claim to be advertising to people who will bring high paying jobs to town. But, does anyone even remember when air travel was glamorous? And, how long has it been since air travel was the exclusive realm of the rich and influential?
Catch a clue Boise. CEO’s travel in private Lears and Falcons, and United’s marketing rag is not carried in those sleds.
The truth is that if the adverts are seen at all, it will be by the yahoos in the cattle crush of coach, recoiling from the insults of the security checks, grumbling about the lack of shoulder, leg, and butt room, with stomachs growling from the foul food (or lack of same), and wondering if they will ever get to the gate, or see their bags again. Hoo Ha, what a target market!
Boise – Proving one more time that fools and their money are soon parted.
May 22, 2007, 7:33 pm
Mr Guardian
EDITOR NOTE–sorry about that. How about you take some time to do research for the GUARDIAN and give us some good figures.
Hey your the one making the big bucks… the rest of us are just little retired folks laughing at the NIMBYS….
See ya in the funny papers