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Old 05-19-2016, 11:50 AM
 
73 posts, read 92,852 times
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ABC’s ‘Nashville’ Has Become A Boon For Its Namesake City
WPLN News Archive | ABC’s ‘Nashville’ Has Become A Boon For Its Namesake City

Quote:
Glamorous country music queens, tempestuous young divas, struggling up-and-comers — these are the fictional characters in the TV drama Nashville. In real life, about 20 tourists filed onto a bus in Nashville in hopes of catching a glimpse of where the characters were filmed.
Barry Balthrop, the driver, He introduces himself over the bus’s tinny speakers.
“Just so we’re all clear, everybody does watch the TV show, right?”
“Yes!” the rest of the bus responds.
“OK,” he says. “Anybody that doesn’t, let me know, so you can get off right now.”
Balthrop drives past houses and bars that are shown in the series and puts on original music featured on the show. His passengers are mostly from around the U.S. — Louisiana, California, Missouri — but one woman, 24-year-old Mira Andreeva, is from Bulgaria.
“I’m extremely fond of American culture,” she says from her window seat in the back row. “That’s not very typical for Bulgarian people, but I like country music. I grew up listening to Johnny Cash.”
The bus passes by obscure places — the café where country music upstart Juliette Barnes went on a date in season one — and sites of more dramatic moments, like the marriage proposal between two main characters at the end of season two.
“It was right up there on that field that Luke proposed to Rayna,” Balthrop points out. “Now, is everybody happy with her decision?”
“No!” the rest of the bus responds.

Boosting Tourism
Many people on the bus say they’re visiting Nashville at least partly because of the TV show, including Ohio natives Herb and Jana Cassidy.
“I started talking about this because of the show about a year or so ago,” Herb says.
“It piqued my curiosity about the city because I love country music,” Jana says. “And then, you know, you start seeing the drama and everything unfold.”
There aren’t hard numbers on how much the show is boosting tourism. But Deana Ivey with the Nashville Convention and Visitors’ Corporation calls it a weekly “international commercial. About half the tourists the CVC surveyed last winter had seen the series, she says. Those who did tended to stay a little longer and spend a little more.
The Bluebird Cafe has noticed an increase in tourists. The Bluebird is a music venue where famous singers have been discovered, both on the TV show (Scarlett O’Connor) and in real life (Taylor Swift). Manager Elliott Duke says popularity has skyrocketed since the show began.
“It’s like being in a fishbowl when you’re working in here,” he says. “You know, people are tapping on the window or knocking, wanting to buy a T-shirt or just trying to peek in.”

The Inevitable End
The relationship between the city and the show isn’t always so dewy-eyed. At the end of seasons one and two, show executives reportedly threatened to take production elsewhere. For season three, the city and state ended up giving the show $8 million in cash to keep it in Nashville.
And there’s another threat: TV shows end. The show generally has average ratings. Viewership has gone down with each season premiere. If it went off the air, that would hurt, says Kate Kleinrock.
“It would dramatically impact tourism here in Nashville and in Tennessee, truly,” says Kleinrock, marketing director of Gray Line of Tennessee, which puts on the bus tours. “A lot of our tourists are drive-in tourists and so they drive across state.”
Balthrop, the bus driver gets nervous just thinking about the show ending.
“Oh, I would hate that,” he says. “I tell people on the bus they can’t do that because I can’t afford the therapy that I’d have to go through if they did that, because I got caught up in the show too.”
Ivey, with the Convention and Visitors’ Corporation, is hoping for syndications so the series continues to air even if it’s canceled.
And Disney just created a vacation package in Nashville that it says is inspired by the TV drama. Weekends in September 2015 are already almost sold out, which means that tourists will be in Nashville next fall — even if the show isn’t.
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Old 05-27-2016, 01:30 PM
 
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Another article from the Washington Post about the local benefits of the TV show

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...nts-it-to-end/
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Old 05-27-2016, 04:47 PM
 
12,003 posts, read 11,806,312 times
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^^^Nice articles. Thanks for posting the links.

The change.org petition has passed the 131,000 mark and continues to grow at an amazing rate. Hope potential purchasers of the series are taking note.
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Old 05-27-2016, 06:52 PM
 
Location: Franklin, TN
3,760 posts, read 7,054,895 times
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Here's the petition if there are any "Nashville" fans left on the board:

https://www.change.org/p/abc-renew-n...m_medium=email

Lionsgate is pretty optimistic.
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Old 06-07-2016, 06:47 PM
 
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Reliable media reports are burgeoning online this afternoon, indicating that a major announcement is likely to be made at tomorrow's CMT Awards regarding CMT's acquisition of "Nashville" for a fifth season, with Hulu also playing a part.

Thanks for working hard for "Nashville", Lionsgate, cast, fans, and other Nashies. Looks as if all that hard work is about to pay off!
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Old 06-08-2016, 01:38 AM
 
932 posts, read 891,747 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigCreek View Post
Reliable media reports are burgeoning online this afternoon, indicating that a major announcement is likely to be made at tomorrow's CMT Awards regarding CMT's acquisition of "Nashville" for a fifth season, with Hulu also playing a part.

Thanks for working hard for "Nashville", Lionsgate, cast, fans, and other Nashies. Looks as if all that hard work is about to pay off!

Geez I hope this is NOT true!
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Old 06-08-2016, 10:06 AM
 
12,003 posts, read 11,806,312 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by key2success View Post
Geez I hope this is NOT true!
Why?? Even if you're not a fan of the show, it has poured millions into Nashville's economy and has brought wonderful music, a very talented cast, and good entertainment (well, sometimes good entertainment, but hey, look at all that potential) to its viewers.

Did filming put you in a traffic jam or something? What's not to like about the likely continuation of "Nashville"? Or are you at odds with the inclusive nature of the dramas featured on this popular show?

You do have the option of not watching, of course.
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Old 06-08-2016, 10:24 AM
 
456 posts, read 582,968 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigCreek View Post
Why?? Even if you're not a fan of the show, it has poured millions into Nashville's economy and has brought wonderful music, a very talented cast, and good entertainment (well, sometimes good entertainment, but hey, look at all that potential) to its viewers.

Did filming put you in a traffic jam or something? What's not to like about the likely continuation of "Nashville"? Or are you at odds with the inclusive nature of the dramas featured on this popular show?

You do have the option of not watching, of course.
I could care less. The show sucked. I saw no personal benefit to more tourists. If you want to bring back a show....bring back Friday Night Lights or The Office....something people want to watch.
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Old 06-08-2016, 11:54 AM
 
12,003 posts, read 11,806,312 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by titanspreds_04 View Post
I could care less. The show sucked. I saw no personal benefit to more tourists. If you want to bring back a show....bring back Friday Night Lights or The Office....something people want to watch.
So because you personally did not care for "Nashville", you denigrate the millions who DID watch it faithfully, discount economic benefits to your city, and raised its profile in the awareness of many others. Good job there.

I disliked "The Office" but have no problem with those who enjoyed it. I agree that "Friday Night Lights" was very good. If you want to see them return, however, why not follow the example of "Nashville" fans and advocate for them?? That change.org "Renew Nashville for season five" petition has 173,256 signatures right now, and it's gaining signers at the rate of close to 1,000 per day.

Seems to me that indicates that "Nashville" IS "something that people want to watch". No, this last season was not great, given the poor writing and unlikely plot scenarios, but the new showrunners should easily take care of that, while the outstandingly talented regular cast members and gorgeous city - and of course, the music, the wonderful music - remain the series' strongest assets.

Sorry you didn't appreciate them.
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Old 06-08-2016, 11:55 AM
 
4,336 posts, read 4,684,937 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by titanspreds_04 View Post
I could care less. The show sucked. I saw no personal benefit to more tourists. If you want to bring back a show....bring back Friday Night Lights or The Office....something people want to watch.


So you need a personal benefit? Right.


The Office? Jumped the shark after the first two seasons.


FNL? Never saw it, never wanted to (and still don't).


Different strokes.
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