That didn't take long.
Just a few months into its existence, the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp. is carrying on the proud local tradition of wasting time, energy and taxpayer dollars on petty personal beefs. In this case, the vendetta belongs to Tom Callahan, owner of Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride and chairman of the NTCC's board of directors.
First, a little background. After the Niagara County Tourism Department closed its doors, but before the NTCC finally got off the ground, radio giant Infinity Broadcasting stepped in to sponsor last summer's Pirate Fest in Olcott and the Fish Odyssey that took place in both Erie and Niagara counties.
Cyd Bennett, the former Niagara County deputy tourism director who now works in promotions for Infinity, convinced her new bosses to pump thousands of dollars into promoting the events. She got gigantic automotive dealer Billy Fuccillo to provide an SUV to be raffled off at the Pirate Fest, and secured the biggest name ever to perform at the Pirate Fest, country-western star Mark Wills.
When the tourism department transferred its Web address to the NTCC, Bennett saved the pages devoted to the two events and sent them to county Legislature Clerk Sean Smith to pass on to the NTCC.
"All I did was save the pages, send them to them and say, please put them back on," Bennett said.
And how does the NTCC say thank you to Infinity for stepping into the void created by its birth?
With a lawsuit, of course.
Bennett said she got a letter in August, authored by the NTCC's attorney at Callahan's behest, demanding that she remove a link from the Web sites owned by Infinity's radio stations to the NTCC site.
I understand this whole Internet thing is kind of new to a lot of local folks, so let me explain: It's good to have your site, especially if it's for an event to which you want people to come, linked on other sites. Especially when those other sites draw a combined 3.5 million visits per month, as do those for Infinity's stations.
But Bennett did as Callahan demanded and had the links removed after the events ended.
That apparently wasn't good enough. She got another letter last week, alleging that during all the linking and unlinking, Infinity had somehow obtained some manner of codes and software belonging to the NTCC.
"Our attorney drafted a letter saying that we didn't have any codes, and didn't know about any software, and that was it," she said.
Still not good enough. The NTCC then informed her that the agency planned to sue the company and press criminal charges against her for "violation of intellectual material laws."
Coming from anyone affiliated with a taxpayer-funded, yet accountable-to-no-one agency, just using the word "intellectual" is funny in any number of ways.
But not to Bennett, or Infinity.
"Infinity stepped up to the plate, did all this, and now they're facing a lawsuit and I'm facing criminal prosecution," Bennett said. "They don't have much money, and they're spending what they have to sue a Fortune 500 company that helped them out in the first place. You'd think a new tourism agency would love to link to their sites."
You'd think. Of course, you'd also think that new tourism agency's board of directors might be chaired by someone from the area's tourist magnet. Nothing against Callahan -- I'm sure his caves are very nice. But how many families from Pennsylvania, North Carolina or anyplace else decide, "Hey, let's pack up the kids and go to Lockport?"
Not that what potential tourists might actually give a crap about seems to matter. On the agency's Web site (I'd give its address here, but I don't want to get sued for infringing on its "intellectual material"), visitors clicking the "about Niagara" link find not information about the falls, city or area, but a 400-word mission statement and self-aggrandizing explanation of how the NTCC was founded. I'm pretty sure someone not on the board of directors must care, but it's probably not the people for whom the site is designed.
Poor David Rosenwasser. The NTCC's CEO seems a genial chap and has the background to guide the agency in the right direction. But merging agencies and authoring stultifying mission statements don't mean a whole lot if parochialism and personal grudges still fuel the engine. Bennett, who drew Callahan's ire when she worked for the county, said when she talked to Rosenwasser, he hadn't heard about the legal threats.
Like new county Manager Gregory Lewis, he's learning one of the basic principles that has made Niagara County what it is today -- it's not what you do, or how you do it, but who you make happy that matters.
"Infinity Broadcasting reached out to the NTCC and, instead of welcoming them, they slap them with a lawsuit," Bennett said. "Our attorney said this is crazy. Now I see why people don't do stuff in Niagara County."
Another Buffalo media entity is doing stuff in Niagara County, or at least did for one day.
Channel 7 sent reporter Ken Houston -- sorry, football fans, not the Hall-of-Fame safety who played for Washington in the 1970s -- to town last week for a series of stories.
About half of the station's 5:30 p.m. newscast on Friday centered on goings-on in the Cataract City, as television reporters can't resist calling Niagara Falls, with segments on the Third Street revitalization discussed here a few weeks back and ongoing work at the Falls Street Faire.
Houston told viewers that he'd never been to Niagara Falls before last week. That showed through in a very rookie move -- asking for Niagara USA Chamber President Bobby Newman's two cents on anything.
Newman was interviewed for the Third Street story, even though his agency has done squat in the neighborhood (or anywhere else in Niagara Falls, for that matter).
The station's producers apparently didn't have a whole lot of time, since Newman was also interviewed for the Falls Street Faire piece -- again, despite any sort of actual connection between Niagara USA and the project.
Even though the stories were a bit Newman-centric, the coverage was generally positive, and the station gave nice plugs to Provenzo's on Buffalo Avenue, as well as Shadow and Third Street Liquors.
The segments looked like part of the no-longer-Eyewitness News' new format, so Houston will probably be broadcasting live from downtown Dunkirk or metropolitan Lyndonville next Friday.
But, Ken, when you do come back to Niagara Falls and want a perspective a tad more informed than Newman's, feel free to give us a call.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | November 18 2003 |