Cost to keep Miss America could nearly double

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Dale Gerhard

Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell is crowned Miss America 2016 by Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015 at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City.

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Posted: Friday, February 12, 2016 7:30 pm

CHRISTIAN HETRICK, Staff Writer

With video

Miss America could be staying in Atlantic City, but at nearly twice cost to the state.

The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is considering giving the pageant $4 million a year to keep it in Atlantic City, Sen. Jim Whelan said Friday.

The pageant and the CRDA have been negotiating a new contract since July. After an eight-year stint in Las Vegas, the Miss America Competition was lured back to its Atlantic City birthplace in 2013 with promises of a $7.3 million state subsidy package that expired in 2015.

THE CRDA is considering nearly doubling the amount it pays to keep Miss America in Atlantic City. Is about $4 million per year too much?

Yes. The pageant doesn't generate nearly that much for the area. 56%

No. Atlantic City can't risk losing Miss America again. 41%

Can casinos offer betting on the Misses? 3%

The CRDA’s funding has gone toward marketing and promotional expenses for the pageant, as well as preparation costs at Boardwalk Hall, where the event is held. Another agency, the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, provided $2.3 million for the pageant’s production costs. The CRDA and ACCVA have since been merged.

The $4 million per year subsidy would be nearly double the roughly $2.4 million the CRDA had been giving the pageant. Whelan, D-Atlantic, wasn’t happy about the higher price tag.

“Miss America isn’t worth $4 million to Atlantic City,” Whelan said. “I’m literally bewildered by this one.”

CRDA will discuss a contract extension at Tuesday’s board meeting, Acting Chairman Robert E. Mulcahy said in a statement.

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“After just completing extensive negotiations with Dick Clark Productions, this coming Tuesday the CRDA Board will discuss a new approach for a contract extension for Miss America. It will provide significantly expanded marketing benefits to Atlantic City across multiple platforms.” Mulcahy said in a statement.

His statement did not address the $4 million figure stated by Whelan.

Miss America Organization declined to comment.
 

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