Wednesday, February 22

Seattle NBA / NHL arena Special on KING-5 tomorrow



It looks like KING 5 is going full-blown WEATHERBLAST 2012 with the new Seattle sports arena story, dedicating an entire hour of prime-time to a special news report:

Seattle, WA – KING 5 is producing a one-hour 10:00 PM special airing Thursday, February 23rd, titled “Seattle Arena: Billion Dollar Hat Trick.” KING 5’s Jean Enersen and Sports Director Paul Silvi will report on the plans for a world class sports arena to be built in Seattle as home for professional basketball and hockey franchises. 
The three-part hat trick Jean and Paul explore:
  • the financing and building of a state-of-the-art sports arena to be built in Seattle’s Sodo district
  • what it’s going to take for this billion dollar arena to be the new home for an NBA team 
  • what it’s going to take to bring an NHL team to the Puget Sound. 
 KING 5 examines details of the arena plan including the private financing proposed and its potential impact on taxpayers as well as the future of Key Arena.   Jean and Paul will also report on the personalities involved, from Seattle and King County politicians to the Seattle native and self-made multi-millionaire Chris Hansen who’s behind the mega deal.   
KING 5’s Chris Daniels reports from Orlando, where the NBA All-Star game is taking place this weekend.  The NBA and Sacramento must make a decision soon about the future of the Sacramento Kings franchise.  The special will also feature reports from Phoenix and New Orleans, two areas where sports franchises face uncertain futures.    
“Seattle Arena: Billion Dollar Hat Trick” will also be simulcast on 710 ESPN Seattle radio.  It replays on NWCN on Friday, February 24th at 8:30 PM. 
Damn. If Jean Enersen is involved, you know Shit Just Got Real ™.

5 comments:

criminy. said...

ummmmmmm why is it 1 billion? i thought it was 480 million, WTF.

Anonymous said...

@ criminy

When they say $1 billion, they are talking about the combined value of an arena, NBA, and NHL franchise.

Paul said...

Well, in the press release it says "what it’s going to take for this billion dollar arena to be the new home for an NBA team"

KING-5 flat out got it wrong. Like most local news stations, they like to get a little HYSTERICAL and I guess BILLION DOLLAR HAT TRICK is easier to market than "privately funded stadium which may cost $480 million".

PN said...

Did some quick math, and here's what Seattle has spent on 4 sports arenas in the past 50 years (all money in 2012 dollars).

Kingdome: $274,000,000
Colisseum: $54,000,000
KeyArena: $106,000,000
SafeCo: $459,000,000

Note that those totals do not include interest and other related expenditures. Add it all up and you get a total of approximately $893,000,000. If Seattle spends $200 million on the new arena, it will put the total money outlaid by the City of Seattle and King County on sporting venues at more than $1 billion. Something to think about the next time somebody tells you that Seattle "doesn't support its teams."

pg said...

USED.

We were just used to extort a new stadium out of Sacramento.

David Stern, in Orlando, talked about how hard he was working to keep the team in Sacramento--do you EVER remember him saying any such thing about Seattle?

He even wants to work as hard as he can to keep a team WHO CAN'T EVEN FIND AN OWNER in New Orleans.

If...and I do think we have to admit that it IS an "if"...the NBA ever returns to Seattle, I'll support the team...but I will NEVER forgive David Stern for destroying something that I loved.