AC Primetime w/ Mel Taylor. Atlantic City News, Info, Events.

Listen to our behind the scenes look at the Miss America Organization. We talk with Sam Haskell, CEO and Chairman of the Miss America Organization.

Miss America and Atlantic City. 2 classics on the rebound….and after a brief separation… 2 iconic brands that have been joined together once again. How are things working out so far?

How do we track ROI.. RETURN ON INVESTMENT?

Is the Miss America Pageant helping to RE-INVENT Atlantic City? Yes.

Atlantic City may soon WEBCAST it's council meetings. Atlantic City Councilman Jesse Kurtz introduced that no-brainer idea, part of his so-called Transparency Act on Wednesday night. It quickly passed the 'first reading'. LISTEN TO PODCAST.

Background: In 2013, next door in Brigantine; the island just north of Atlantic City, began Internet broadcasting....and archiving... video of their City Council meetings. It was great & cheap way for MORE people to watch city government at work....either live or later on-demand.

Councilman Jesse Kurtz

The Brigantine City Manager said the plan was to create an archive of recordings for residents to peruse on demand. This archive would live on Youtube.

Much like Atlantic City, Brigantine Taxpayers had been asking for this for a long time....for greater transparency, and better accessibility for second home-owners and those who can't attend 5pm meetings at City Hall.

Some on council initially balk at being recorded. Some suggest they're just fearful more taxpayers will see how they vote and spend taxpayer dollars.

At one time, it was too expensive to WEBCAST.....and ARCHIVE city council & commissioner meetings. But Brigantine Police Chief and tech-guru; Jim Bennett, set up the webcast for Brigantine in 2013. It only cost the town $199 for a digital encoder that sends the live video to the Internet. UStream.tv, is the third-party website that processes the video. That costs about $99 per month.

These fees could be underwritten by local advertisers if so desired. To long-term archive these 'webcasts', most use Youtube, which is free.

Costs involved:

* Camera: $200.

* Digital Encoder: $199.

* Monthly U-STREAM Fee: $99

* Youtube Channel for Archiving Meetings: FREE

“The more transparency, the better,” said the Brigantine Taxpayers Association. “The more access people have to public information, the better they can evaluate the way their government’s working.”

Listen to ACprimetime Radio for AUG 16, 2016. We cover the re-invention of Atlantic City, and we celebrate the awesomeness that is Brigantine, Ventnor, Margate and Ocean City.

Atlantic City Primetime Radio SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, we talk about so-called 'road diets' in Margate and Ventnor, which will slow speeding traffic  and create a more pedestrian and bike friendly Downbeach. Could Margate re-build it's Boardwalk?

We head to Ocean City for an examination of feeding the seagulls could get you fined, or thrown in jail.

The owner of the Press of Atlantic City admits papers are losing advertisers and readers. Even Radio is hiding the fact that their advertisers are ditching AM & FM for the fertile fields of Internet marketing.

Over on THE ROCK, better known as the beautiful island of Brigantine, we dive into another brazen example of Greenhead Politics in action. Mayor Phil Guenther defends re-hire of Doran Engineering, a firm well-known for illegal billing and invoicing.

In this episode of ACprimetime Radio, we talk Bader Field and the lowball offers that were submitted.

Beach concerts. Do’s and don’t.

New digital parking meters rake in $15,000 in the first weekend.

Taj Mahal strikers still striking. Beach concert set-up is exciting.

Where to park cheap for beach concerts & special events.

The benefit of Boutique casinos. Bart Blatstein buying too much? Who really owns the pier in front of Caesars?

Rumor mill: Who is considering a deal with REVEL?

From the archives: The Gary Hill Interview. Miss’d America.

ACprimetime Radio News. Show Notes.

What we're talking about.... on this episode of ACprimetime Radio for the week of AUG 1, 2016:

Can the Mayor of Atlantic City trust a '60 year old white guy' to revive AC?

Bart Blatstein and Tower Investments buying too much Boardwalk in Atlantic City?

$74 million bridge loan is coming. But the City has to dissolve the MUA.

Boardwalk Bike riding til noon, woo-hoo. Bike vending at Claridge too.

Does Atlantic City have clear title for all the land that's being sold & auctioned off?

Taj Mahal strike update. 4 weeks and counting.

Councilman Marty Small money ideas. Marty asked for a rescue plan extension. Guv & Senator Sweeney says no.

CRDA providing reduced parking rates for major events.

Why is Mayor Guardian down on Miss America?

Atlantic City - AC Primetime Radio News. Show Notes for JULY 15, 2016. Sponsored by Lacey Cleaning & Get Smart Digital.

Blatstein held a party on Garden Pier. Many question that event. Dust-up at Council meeting over that.

* WAV club, Showboat, Party on pier. WavAC.com site is dead.

* Liens on AC property? No permits. Wants to buy it. Vague as to his plans

Council approved selling Garden Pier to developer Bart Blatstein.... for $1.5 million. Attorney for Glenn Straub, describes deal as risky for the city.

The Bader Field auction was postponed. The new deadline for bids is now Aug. 4. Straub says there were no bids. He didn’t put one in.

Taj Mahal AC looking for replacement workers? Strikers have til Monday to accept offer from Tony Rodio.

SEE AD > http://www.trumpemployment.com/

Atlantic City Gaming Revenue was down a bit for JUNE 2016, year over year. (yoy)

Resorts is UP 10% yoy    Trump Taj was UP 13% yoy

* Will there be any shows at the Pinky Pavilion this summer ?

* A suggestion was made instead of 6 beach concerts use some of that money for things that have been eliminated like International Night, Broadway on the Boards,  etc. These things brought people to the boardwalk and are being missed

* New Bike ordinance -12 noon.  Needs to be enforced .  BIKE vending machines in front of Claridge.

* Concerns raised about the proposed Open Container Law. Where does it stand?

* Tick tock. Nov 3 deadline. City needs plan to have balanced budget for 2017

* They can cut, downsize, shared services, outsource. Water company? Outsource Towing? Trash?

* They can also consider new MONEY MAKERS

* 4x4’s on beach

* Food trucks on beach

* More concerts on the beach

* Beach tags

* Councilman Marty Small wants to put wage tax on those who work here…but live elsewhere.

* Council wants $10 dollar room fee too?

* Council approved awarding a contract to a company to sell ads on the exterior of some city vehicles.

* GREAT IDEA New parking meters - When does installation begin ?  Will it be in papers and other sources so residents and visitors will know about the upgrade

* Marijuana Laws. See Denver. Strict. Highly controlled. Much needed tax dollars. Stigma? Yes. So was gaming, alcohol, cigarettes, adult shops, go-go and strip clubs…

Good News.

* Clean & Safe….2 critical components of an AC turnaround…..

* Beaches streets dunes dramatically cleaner.

* Boardwalk lighting, security cameras almost completely installed

* Central monitor

* Impactivate screens, wifi, smart phone chargers

Downbeach Jitney FAIL

* 45 day trial completed. Not renewed.

* Bad marketing. No appropriate advertising.

* RIDE SHORE SHUTTLE & Uber

Our favorite FOODIE PLACES…… in AC, and Downbeach area

* Wings….Ducktown tavern….. Honorable mention to Piccalli in AC…..and Roberts in Margate

* Ribs….. Kelseys in AC & BACK BAY BBQ causeway between Somers point & Longport.

* Best breakfast - Gilchrist

* Best seafood dinner - Crab Trap Somers point, Best take-out…and best 5 dollar fish sandwich - BARBERA Seafood.

* Best subs: tie--  Saccos & White House

Short Life for Dance Club

The WAV nightclub is no more. The barely broken-in club on Atlantic City's Playground Pier has reportedly closed it's doors. The WAVac website is also offline.

Opened with much fanfare in April 2016, WAV was supposed to be a magnet for 20-somethings. The slow-growing Playground Pier in front of Caesars Casino on the Boardwalk really needed that kind of traffic boost. The many bars, retailers and eateries inside the Playground would supposedly benefit from the hundreds that would shop, eat & drink before heading into the WAV for a night of dancing.

LISTEN> ACprimetime Radio 7.6.2016

Playground Pier is the brainchild of Bart Blatstein and Tower Investments. Blatstein purchased the struggling 'Pier Shops' at Caesars for $2.7 mil in November of 2014. The deal was not a friendly one, which may explain why Caesars does nothing to encourage their guests to walk across the Boardwalk to enjoy Playground offerings.

This bad Playground news dampens the excitement of Blatstein's new Showboat Hotel, opening on July 8.

Observers noted: if Playground would clone Tropicana's 'The Quarter', they could have winner on that side of Atlantic City Boardwalk.

ALSO CONFIRMED: the GUESS retail store has exited their Playground location. ( is Starbucks next?)

Blatstein and Tower Investments is well known for the Piazza at Schmidt's project in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties section. After an exciting debut, The Piazza faltered and Bart sold out.

According to Philly.com, Caesars and Blatstein had quite the legal tussle with this prime piece of Boardwalk Real Estate.

Our 2 Cents: Dance clubs might be maxed out in Atlantic City. Plenty of competition in this space. Also, it's well known that poorly named 'Playground' was poorly marketed too. PR / advertising campaigns never connected with fun-seekers, and at times seemed non-existent. Still, that pier in front of Caesars is spectacular... it just needs proper management / creative leadership.

Is Blatstein over-leveraged? That's what some are asking. With Bart on a buying spree in AC, does the Philly developer have the cash to properly manage his acquisitions? Will Blatstein have the time and resources to properly develop the volleyball court and Garden Pier parcels if those deals close? We look forward to Glenn Straub's next move with this situation. What do YOU think? Leave a comment below.

 

 

On Tuesday June 28, Atlantic City residents got an update on the Rescue Plan being developed by Mayor Guardian & Team. Listen to PODCAST >

Cut costs? Drive new revenue? Sell assets? LISTEN: Atlantic City Recovery Plan UPDATE.

PLAN DUE DATE is NOV 3, 2016

Striped Bass seem to like the 50 degree waters off of Atlantic City and South Jersey.

According to Captain Dave of the Absecon Sportsman Center, he says it's the best striper fishing he's ever seen in the Atlantic City area.

One caveat though, most of the fish are being caught one to two miles off shore. The action in the surf is spotty.

Click to listen. Captain Dave Showell talks about  Striper fishing, quotas, draggers, and other fishy facts....with Mel Taylor on WPG Talk Radio 1450.

The big stories we’re following on ACprimetime.com & talking about on ACprimetime RADIO…

Britain voted to exit the European Union….should the AC tourism district exit the City of Atlantic City?

Is AC finally rightsized with casinos? THE LAST person you should ask is a competing casino manager or long-distance financial analyst that thinks gambling must stay dominant part of AC economy. Is the PRESS OF AC picking winners & losers in AC? Is local MEDIA ….BAD for AC?

$1.7 million…..The most recent AC auction raised selling off vacant land.  Up next….the closed bid auction for Bader Field. But the question remains…. Why didn’t city auction off Garden Pier and the old volley ball court between REVEL & Showboat?

Guv Christie is NOT confident in Mayor Don Guardian coming up with a financial rescue plan for Atlantic City.

Pot is legal in philly, Arizona, wash DC….and soon vegas & Nevada…..but why not AC? Councilman Marty Small is NOT in favor of this smart money raising idea

Security cams being installed on boardwalk. Bad guys beware. Your every move is being monitored & recorded. You have been warned.

The pop-punk band BLINK 182 has been announced as ANOTHER summer beach concert

Atlantic county exec Denny Levinson still looking for someone to lead the charge….in fixing atlantic county…..

Marketing & PR of Atlantic City sucks. How do we fix it?

UBER is the #1 choice for getting around AC, brigantine, margate ventnor….buses, taxis, jitneys not happy….

All that and more on ACprimetime radio

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