THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

Reverend Everett Parker, longtime White Plains resident, Staunch Defender of broadcast and cable freedom, Equality dies at 102

Posted on September 18, 2015 by John Bailey

Reverend Dr. Everett C. Parker

1913-2015

Rev. Dr. Everett C. Parker, longtime resident of White Plains, passed away Thursday at the age of 102. He was the first director of Communications in 1957 for the newly-formed United Church of Christ, and instrumental in fighting for fairness and equality in radio and television.

For a complete and enlightening account of Dr. Parker’s achievements go to the New York Times account of his life at

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/us/everett-parker-obituary.html?_r=0

Reverend Parker worked with George Tomie to develop White Plains Cable TV in the late 1980s and later was appointed to the White Plains Cable TV Commission, holding many meetings in his home and very fond and admiring of the local producers who create original programs for White Plains Television.

Reverend Parker, a friend remembers, was still driving to Fordham to teach when he was 91 years of age.He was a staunch supporter of locally produced television programs, produced by residents, free to broadcast what they wanted, and was stubborn on issues of competant and modern broadcast standards at the station.

In his position as First Director of Communications for the United Church of Christ, he founded the United Church of Christ, Office of Communication, Inc., a media reform and accountability ministry with a civil rights agenda, that worked to improve the coverage and employment of women and people of color in broadcasting and other media.

Dr. Parker was named one of the most influential men in broadcasting by the trade publication Broadcasting Magazine and is featured in Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television.

“My heart is broken today. I had the chance to work with Everett at the start of my career and visit with him many times after that. Everett was such a strong leader: his standards were always high, he was always thinking three moves ahead and was prepared for any contingency,” said Cheryl Leanza, the current policy advisor for UCC OC Inc.

“We will always be grateful for Dr. Parker’s role in bringing community voices to federal agencies. Much of the successful activism today related to Internet openness and media consolidation traces back to Dr. Parker’s work in the 1950s and 1960s,” noted Earl Williams, chair of UCC OC Inc. Before the litigation brought by UCC OC Inc. against the Federal Communications Commission in a famous duo of cases known as UCC v. FCC, ordinary people had no right to file comments or register their views at the FCC. Mr. Williams explained, “the millions of people who asked the FCC to protect net neutrality last year can credit Dr. Parker and his work at UCC OC Inc. for their right to do so.”

Dr. Parker’s work and career are commemorated every year in the Annual Parker Lecture and Award Ceremony. The next lecture will be held in Washington DC on October 20, 2015 and will feature a lecture by danah boyd and will honor activists Joseph Torres and Wally Bowen. Tickets and information are available on the UCC OC Inc. web site at www.uccmediajustice.org.

Dr. Parker’s family has graciously asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to UCC OC Inc.

WHITE PLAINS WEEK TONIGHT: THE DEBATE, THE PLAYLAND BONANZA SUMMER, NEW BRIDGES UPDATE, AND MORE. PLUS PEOPLE TO BE HEARD DOUBLEHEADER

Posted on September 18, 2015 by John Bailey

PETER KATZ, JOHN BAILEY, JIM BENEROFE ON

THE NEW AIRLINE TO BOSTON FROM WESTCHESTER AIRPORT

COUNTY DEFICIT BALOONS TO $25 MILLION FROM APRIL

PLAYLAND HAS BOOM SUMMER–ATTENDANCE UP, REVENUES UP

NEW NEW YORK BRIDGE IS BUILDING BOTH BRIDGES AT THE SAME TIME– INSTALLING PILINGS FOR WESTCHESTER ROCKLAND SHORES THE KEY FACTOR IN FINISHING THE BRIDGE ON TIME.

TONIGHT ON FIOS CH. 45 AND IN WHITE PLAINS, CABLEVISION CH. 76 AT 7:30 PM

and on the internet at

www.whiteplainsweek.com

Activist: Fly the MIA/POW Flag Again in Renaissance Square

Posted on September 17, 2015 by John Bailey

WPCNR LETTER TICKER. SEPTEMBER 17, 2015:

Dear Nadine Hunt-Robinson (Common Council Member)

I bring to your attention an issue that I would like you to personally take an action on. Immediately resolve in the City of White Plains. Respecting and honoring our nations POW/MIA fallen veterans and acknowledge their sacrifices to our county and freedoms.

September 18^th Friday 2015 is National POW/MIA Recognition Day across America. In which America in every city municipality in our nation proudly flies the POW/MIA flag honoring our fallen POW/MIA veterans. Veterans “Missing In Action and our Prisoners of War”.

Unfortunately with the exception in the City of White Plains at Renaissance Plaza fountain for nearly a year the American flag and the POW/MIA flags have been removed from the city flagpole. I have exhausted my attempt to reach out to Mayor Roach and all other city council members to address this inexcusable disgrace bring awareness to it correct it. My attempts have fallen on deaf ears and eyes for almost a year now with the city council.

Mayor Roach stated back in March 2015 the flagpole lines would be restored and the American flag and POW/MIA flag would be flying again. Please let me know what it will take to immediately repair the flagpole lines at Renaissance Plaza.

Surly this expense is minimal and if the city is short on public veteran funds I assure you I can raise the necessary funds within our veterans and neighborhood communities in one month. In addition, I can provide the city council with an estimate or contractor to move on this issue ASAP.

I request by September 18^th Friday that our nations American flag and the POW/MIA flag once again be flying in honor and recognition of National POW/MIA day at Renaissance Plaza.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Carl Albanese,

White Plains

Playland is in the Money AGAIN after a great 2015 season–PARKING UP 26% ATTENDANCE UP 13.3% TO 530,000; REVENUE UP 30%, POOL/BEACH REV UP 15% GROSS REVENUE UP $1.2 MILLION(15%) Friends of Playland say

Posted on September 16, 2015 by John Bailey

WPCNR PLAYLAND GO ROUND. From Friends of Playland website. September 16, 2015:

The 2015 Playland numbers are in, and we have the reports. Please note: These are UN-ADJUSTED numbers and will go through more detailed processing over the next month or two as they sort out concessions agreements etc.

Suffice it to say though, that ALL numbers for Beach & Pool, Parking, Mini-Golf and the Amusement Park itself are UP SIGNIFICANTLY over the 2014 season (which was up significantly over the 2013 season).

Before anyone starts chiming in that “It was the weather” remember this: the weather LAST year was almost a carbon copy of this summer, excellent, not too hot, almost no rain. If the weather was the only factor driving up attendance and revenue, it would have been on a par with last year. Same great weather, ,significant increases in attendance and revenue.

CLEARLY the added marketing budget and the reduced price admission on T-W-Th were excellent moves by the Parks Dept. to bring in more customers – AND THEY WORKED.

Imagine how much better a season the Park could have had with just a few other minor changes that would have cost nothing and brought in more revenue (opening all the foods and games concession stands rather than letting 50% of them sit shuttered and boarded up all season would have helped tremendously also).

We won’t know for sure until the final numbers have shaken out more towards the end of the year, but all signs point to it being very likely that Playland not only covered its entire operating budget for 2015….it is safe to say it very likely MADE A PROFIT.

These numbers do not denote a “failing” Park –

Parking:
2014: $767,574
2015: $969,265 (UP $201,692)

Beach & Pool:
Attendance –
2014: 57,085
2015: 74,239 (UP 17,154)

Beach & Pool Gross Revenue:
2014: $319,100
2015: $368,384 (UP $49,284)

Mini Golf:
2014: $30,567
2015: $33,375 (UP $2,808)

AMUSEMENT PARK-
Attendance:
2014: 467,948
2015: 529,985 (UP 62,037)

Amusement Park Gross Revenue:
2014: $8,782,138.50
2015: $10,055,625 (UP $1,273,486.50)

IMPORTANT NOTE: The ‘Gross Revenue’ number for the Amusement Park does not yet accurately reflect what the final number will be, and that will likely decrease somewhat. This number is not factoring in the discounted pricing on T-W-Th nights. Those revenues were, for some reason, calculated on full admission pricing all the time.

With total revenue up $1,527,270, the numbers still indicate that even with that adjustment there is a good chance the Park may have turned a profit. These numbers have not factored in revenue from various concessions.

We are also not factoring in Debt Service for the simple reason that every Park in the County Parks system carries Debt Service and the only Park that it is ever applied to when discussing the budget, numbers, profits and losses is Playland.

The Debt Service is currently around or below $2.5 million, if we are recalling correctly what was said at an LPPH meeting last Spring.

WHY are we allowing the CE (County Executive) & the BOL to hand management of this public park over to a hedge fund for private management?

CLEARLY the County CAN run this park. They could do an even better job than they did this year if the CE’s office and the BOL would give the Parks Dept. the support that they need to do their jobs. Nobody knows how to run Playland better than the people actually doing it right now. What do we need Standard Amusements for?