I spit my mouthful of iced-tea halfway across the room today (figuratively) when I heard that Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan wanted to give $19,000 to Terry Bradshaw and a fake news outlet so they would produce a fake news segment promoting Fayetteville.  Here’s a link to the Northwest Arkansas Times story.  Here’s an excerpt:

“Fayetteville could gain national exposure when a production crew for the show “Today In America” arrives to showcase the area’s economic development possibilities and the good qualities of living here.

But it also comes with a price tag of more than $19,000.

“Today in America” is a nationally broadcast cable program moderated by NFL icon Terry Bradshaw. It features inspirational stories from across the country centering on a range of topics such as travel and lifestyle, business or medicine.

The Fayetteville spot will be about five minutes long and will include interviews with Fayetteville leaders, according to a memo Smith sent to the City Council. The project is not a typical news feature. Instead, it’s a collaborative project between the city and “Today In America.” The city will assist in script-writing by filling out a questionnaire, and gets final edit approval, according the participation agreement document.

In the case of the local segment, the producers contacted Fayetteville officials several weeks ago to inquire about shooting the piece, said Mayor Lioneld Jordan. The production company took interest in the Fayetteville Forward economic development initiative Jordan used to ask residents what sort of community they wanted Fayetteville to be.

Lindsley Smith, the city’s communication director, said the show’s producers are also interested in taking a closer look at what contributes to what many see as Fayetteville’s high quality of life. The segment will highlight why Fayetteville is a top environment for business.

“We really want to highlight the city, and I think this will put us on the national scene,” said Jordan.”

According to the city’s agreement with “Today in America,” Fayetteville will pay $19,800 for production. The money will come from the city’s economic development fund, Jordan said.”

Is it a scam? A lot of people certainly think so.  Read for yourself.  Here’s an article from CBS Moneywatch.  Here’s an article from ripoffreport.com.  Here’s a forum of others discussing that they think it is a scam.  And apparently, the group Bradshaw is with isn’t the only outfit soliciting anyone and everyone to pay for a fake news story to promote themselves.  There’s a little industry of these players.

Of course, one might argue that if  “Today in America” actually buys some time at 3 a.m. on some lame cable channel and mentions Fayetteville a few times, then the 19k is well-spent.  Scam or no scam, our name would get out there.

Then again, is that really the demographic we should be going for?  Folks watching fake-news infomercials at 3 a.m.?  I’d rather send the money to this guy.  He says he can guarantee prosperity.

UPDATE: The Fayetteville City Council approved the infomercial.  I have a new post about this topic here.
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