Tucson Treasure

A few months ago I got a call that Tucson Treasures wanted to feature Perri Jewelers in one of their episodes. This is the local Fox channel (11). Gina Trunzo, the show's host, came down and got footage of the shop and spoke at length with Steve. The episode is set to air the first weekend of March. I am pleased that the store and Steve will get some much deserved recognition. It is an honor to work for such a long standing reputable local business.
A year ago (or maybe 2) the city run community channel 12 approached us. They produced a show then called The Beat that featured downtown area businesses. Steve gave them an interview and they got footage of him repairing some jewelry. The show aired and Steve put a link from our website to the clip. I was amazed at how many people (up to a year later) came into the store saying they saw us on channel 12! After the last time that happened I contacted channel 12 to inquire about advertising through a sponsorship or underwriting. Interestingly, the first response was they couldn't do that. Somehow my email found it's way to someone else who explained they could offer underwriting, it just wasn't something they'd done. Well, it seemed like a no-brainer to me. The business had gotten a lot of exposure from the episode it was featured on. Now, I wanted to give the city money to give the store more exposure.
Before we could cut a deal, I got an email from the woman I had been talking with saying the channel 12 programming was on the chopping block due to the city's budget shortfalls.
Of course I wrote immediately to each council member and the mayor in defense of The Beat (now called D-town).
Local business is the back bone of the local economy. The city's TV station was being used (very effectively) to promote local business. This seems like an essential part of our budgetary concerns to support local business.
Two council members replied to my email which I was very appreciative of. The bottom line is, in this economy everything in the budget, every item has to be looked at an analyzed for it's cost benefit ratio. I know that. The city government should do that very thoroughly quite often, not just in times of crisis. I wanted to say my piece. I hope the city council continues the hard work ahead of them with clarity and wisdom. And, I'll keep advocating for local business whenever I can.