Sovereign Center To Receive Larger Share Of Parking Funds

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The Sovereign Center will get an extra $45,000 a year, thanks to the Reading Parking Authority’s agreement Wednesday to change the split of parking revenue coming from civic center events.

Since 2006, the authority has taken 75 percent of the revenue after expenses, giving the civic center 25 percent.

However, P. Michael Ehlerman, chairman of the Berks County Convention Center Authority that oversees the civic center, has asked that the parking board go back to the original split – the two sides each get 50 percent of the revenue after expenses.

The request came during a meeting of the authorities requested by Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer, said parking board member Lawrence P. Murin, who also is a special assistant to Spencer.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=505048

Red Ink Intensifies For 2 Reading Civic Centers

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The numbers aren’t final, but Reading’s two civic center venues likely will take another operating loss of about $800,000, as paid attendance continues to dwindle.

The Berks County Convention Center Authority said Thursday that the anticipated loss from the season that ended June 30 is similar to the $786,000 loss posted the prior season.

“The unaudited numbers are no better this year than last year,” Treasurer Carl D. Herbein said.

Paid attendance has fallen 16 percent over the past five years for the Sovereign Center arena and Sovereign Performing Arts Center theater, said Chairman P. Michael Ehlerman.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=502751

Agency Letter To Sovereign Center Says Water Could Be Shut Off

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Editor’s note:  We think Mr. Miller needs some customer service training if he thinks the wording of the letter sent by his agency isn’t threatening.  Just sayin…

The Reading Area Water Authority recently sent the operators of the Sovereign Center a surprise: a letter demanding that the arena replace its big water meter within 30 days or risk the authority shutting off its water.

If the arena shuts down the system to replace the meter, or if the authority does, the arena can’t make ice, center general manager Zane Collings told the Berks County Convention Center Authority at its Thursday meeting.

The Reading Royals were in the middle of the hockey season when the Feb. 28 letter arrived and now they’re in the playoffs.  The team starts the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight.

City Council adopted the ordinance requiring the new meters 10 years ago.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=470867

Sovereign Center Concert Ticket Sales Rise

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Among the world’s top 200 arenas, the Sovereign Center ranked 160th for concert ticket sales in 2012, beating larger arenas such as the Giant Center in Hershey and the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, according to Pollstar, the concert tour industry’s leading trade publication.

The Sovereign Center also beat itself, moving up 30 places from its 190th ranking in 2011, general manager Zane Collings told the Berks County Convention Center Authority on Thursday.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=454240

$254 Million Economic Impact From 2 Reading Venues, Study Finds

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Berks County received more than $254 million in direct economic impact from the Sovereign Center and Sovereign Performing Arts Center since those facilities opened in 2001, according to an independent study released Wednesday.

The figure represents the total that the arena, the theater and their 4.5 million visitors spent in Berks, said Dr. Lolita A. Paff, a Penn State Berks associate professor of business and economics.

The Berks County Convention Center Authority, which runs the facilities, paid $2,500 for the study.

The authority hopes it will help with marketing, grants and sponsorship of the facilities, and solidify their importance in the community, said Zane Collings, general manger.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=412850

Losses At Reading Civic Centers Likely To Hit $700,000

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Echoing their projections of two months ago, members of the Berks County Convention Center Authority said Thursday that the two venues likely will show an operating loss of $700,000 by the end of the season June 30.

They also voted to let the Jehovah’s Witnesses pay the rent for their upcoming summer conventions by replacing, for $29,000, an outdated processer in what the board acknowledged is the arena’s terrible sound system.

Board members said they are making plans to head off losses the next season.

“We can’t and won’t have a replication of that in the next year,” said Carl E. Herbein, board treasurer.

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