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Taxpayer-Funded Reality TV

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Started 4 months ago by Walker
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Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Thought this article was interesting update on the topic of tax incentives for film production that has been discussed previously here:

http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/why-are-no-current-movies-filmed-in-columbus-yet-tons-filmed-in-pittsburgh

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Sarah Palin, 'Top Chef' And You: Taxpayer-Funded Reality TV
First Posted: 1/5/12 12:05 PM ET

"Sarah Palin's Alaska," last year's hit TLC reality show, featured the Palin family fishing in lakes alongside fun-loving bears, hiking picturesque cliffs, hunting deer, flying biplanes and snowshoeing and dog-sledding through snowy tundra. All overlooking stunning views of Alaskan wildlife and wilderness.

The first season cost TLC $3.6 million to produce, but was offset by a $1.2 million tax credit given to producers by the state of Alaska, meaning that Alaskan taxpayers and petroleum revenue essentially fronted a third of the show's production's costs. And though other Alaska-based shows like "Deadliest Catch" and "Ice Road Truckers" also received generous tax credits, Palin's program received the state's largest to date for a reality show.

READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/sarah-palin-top-chef-reality-tv_n_1185913.html

Posted 4 months ago #
groundrules

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alaskans made her, they deserve to pick up the tab.

Posted 4 months ago #
DavidF
Elysium Fields
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Sounds like a case of reaping what you sow. Maybe they'll be a little more careful about the next celebrity politician to come out of Alaska.

Posted 4 months ago #
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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groundrules said:
alaskans made her, they deserve to pick up the tab.

As the most federally subsidized state in the union...we all are.

Posted 4 months ago #
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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It's not just Alaska, though, right? I mean, we bitch (that's the collective "we") because not enough movies are being filmed in Ohio - well, maybe this is why. Maybe we haven't been willing, in a time when budgets are tight, to cough up umpteen hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sure, there is an amount of prosperity a movie/show might bring - folks hired, money spent with caterers and hotels and rentals, the potential for tourism spin - but does that outweigh the cost of getting them here in the first place?

AND, as the article mentioned - what is our trade-off? Arts endowments are being funded at incredibly low levels, through the state tax process; yet these same states are spending big bucks on movie/show productions. Is that really money better spent?

Posted 4 months ago #
rus

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Dunno about arts endowments, but as to trade off ( from TFA ):

The Tax Foundation has been following these state film and TV tax-incentive programs closely since 2010, releasing multiple reports which suggest that most have no direct benefit to state economies, and that the state's returns on their incentives pale in comparison to the amount of money the state spends offsetting production costs.

"It's just not entirely clear you're getting the bang for your buck," said Mark Robyn, an economist with the Tax Foundation. "It's good for the state's image, it potentially increases tourism or something like that ... but how much total benefit comes from that versus what the states lose? That's a big question mark."

Posted 4 months ago #
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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If the Jersey Shore is funded partially by the State of New Jersey, they should demand their money back.

Posted 4 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Coremodels said:
If the Jersey Shore is funded partially by the State of New Jersey, they should demand their money back.

Nope, they're not funded by the state:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/nyregion/christie-blocks-tax-credit-for-jersey-shore.html

Posted 4 months ago #