IU down to final four?
As the NCAA hoops tournament heads down the home stretch, Indiana University appears to have its own final four—for its vacant men’s basketball coaching job. But there are a few Cinderellas that could…
Anthony Schoettle
Articles
Simons won’t discuss succession plans for Pacers ownership
Recently announced changes to the Indiana Pacers’ front office leave questions about the team’s long-term ownership unanswered.
While Larry Bird, Pacers director of basketball operations, is set to take over for CEO Donnie Walsh at season’s end, there
is no indication what succession strategy, if any, exists for replacing team owners Mel Simon, 81, and Herb Simon, 73.
NCAA, NBA forging youth hoops pact
Professional and collegiate basketball are on the brink of a landmark agreement that hoops insiders said will change the landscape
of the sport in this country. Proponents say it would be good for basketball, but others say it’s an attempt to further commercialize
the sport.
Oprah’s beau advises struggling Pacers on image management
Best-selling author Stedman Graham says professional athletes should think of themselves as “a corporation unto themselves.”
Graham–perhaps best known as television star Oprah Winfrey’s boyfriend–brought that message to the Indiana Pacers during
a three-hour private seminar in late January designed to get the players to rethink the importance of their individual images.
Borshoff is latest communications company to diversify: Firm known for public relations seeks creative growth
An Indianapolis-based firm long known for public relations and crisis communications work is now trying to make its mark as a full-service advertising agency. Borshoff, formerly Borshoff Johnson Matthews, last month hired Art Haynie, a veteran Los Angeles-based creative director, to bolster the effort. “Public relations has been our handle for a long time,” said company founder Myra Borshoff Cook. “Now, we have to get the word out that we’re just as strong in other areas. To grow we feel…
Open-wheel reunion creating more business opportunities
In the end, the catastrophic sponsorship shift from open-wheel racing to NASCAR became too much to ignore, driving the long-divided
sides of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League back into a unified series.
Sampson scandal may repel IU donors
Based on 50 conversations IU Foundation President Curt Simic had with donors the week after news broke of the potential firing
of men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson over alleged NCAA improprieties, the chief of Indiana University’s philanthropic
arm says he has little fear the latest athletic department controversy will affect financial support to the school.
Champ Car-IRL unification may be at hand
Champ Car teams this week began hustling to prepare for Indy Racing League’s first open test in Homestead, Fla., on Feb 27 and 28, three sources close to both series told IBJ. That can only mean one thing, they said: Unification of the two open-wheel series is at hand. Champ Car and IRL lawyers are […]
City getting new marathon
Organizers for a new Indianapolis marathon and half-marathon think the event will become a national draw, showcasing downtown
monuments and historic neighborhoods. The first Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, to be held Nov. 1, is the brainchild of
Carlton Ray, a former city engineer who worked in the Hudnut, Goldsmith and Peterson administrations.
Fishers’ hoops venue signs 2 franchise deals, plans more
A multi-court basketball fieldhouse is doing such brisk business in Fishers, its owners have decided to franchise the operation.
Scott Burton, CEO of The Fieldhouse, said deals have already been signed with franchisees in Merrillville and in Naperville,
Ill.
Speedway shows popular on Joost Web network
Shows provided by IMS Productions, the video production arm of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are among the top draws for Joost, a high-profile Internet provider of television content launched last October.
Guerrilla advertising might seem wacky, but often gets results
The 24 area Liberty Tax Service outlets are known for their human mascots dressed up as the Statue of Liberty or Uncle Sam,
standing on street corners and waving in traffic. Liberty’s approach is just one incarnation of one of the fastest-growing
trends in advertising: guerrilla marketing.
Pacers falls into last place in NBA home attendance
The Indiana Pacers
have hit rock bottom. This month, the team slipped into last place in average home attendance among the 30 National Basketball
Association teams, falling behind the New Orleans Hornets, a team that is selling tickets in an area still ravaged by Hurricane
Katrina.
Sports tenants ponder vacating Pan Am Plaza: Four national governing bodies could share office
The Pan Am Plaza building, constructed to provide office space for amateur sports organizations, may soon be losing three of its highest-profile tenants. USA Gymnastics, USA Diving and U.S. Synchronized Swimming are contemplating moving out of the building at 201 S. Capitol Ave., sources close to the organizations said. A fourth group, USA Track & Field, which is preparing to move from the RCA Dome, is considering joining the other three sports-governing bodies in shared office space-preferably downtown. USATF will…
New WTHR general manager: No budget cuts
WTHR-TV Channel 13’s new General Manager Jim Tellus promises to continue outspending the market’s other local stations when it comes to news gathering and hopes to help the station retain its title as the No. 1 local TV news channel. With WISH-TV Channel 8 coming up in the ratings, new anchors making their mark at […]
Colts land Meijer as stadium sponsor
A day after losing to San Diego in the National Football League playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts scored a victory off the field. The Colts announced another sponsorship deal for Lucas Oil Stadium – this time with retail chain Meijer. Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer has signed as a founding partner for the new stadium, set to […]
NY Times job helps ACS Sign gain attention
ACS Sign System’s unusual approach to sign-making–some are not strictly signs at all–has helped the company grow its revenue
and expand its footprint beyond Indiana. In recent years, sales outside its home state have grown from 20 percent of total
revenue to almost half.
Weaver pops up growth with overseas sales: Indiana company, one of world’s largest in the industry, innovates to stay ahead of foreign competition
What started on 10 acres of Indiana farmland in 1928 has turned into one of the biggest popcorn makers in the world. Weaver Popcorn Co. already produces more than 30 percent of the world’s popcorn, industry experts say, and an expanding export business means the company’s slice of the pie could grow.
Ohio firm takes over Print Communications
Print Communications Inc., one of central Indiana’s largest printers, has sold a controlling interest to Stonehenge Partners Inc., a Columbus, Ohio, private equity firm. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but PCI founder Randy Steenbergen said the staff will not be downsized and current management will be retained. The firm has been renamed PCI […]
UPDATE: Emmis stock drops after earnings report
Emmis Communications Corp. Chairman Jeff Smulyan suggested this morning that the radio industry has hit rock bottom, but that there is reason for optimism in 2008. Today, Emmis officials announced a $2.1 million loss on revenue of $91.7 million for the quarter ended Nov. 30. Though revenue was up slightly from $91.2 million for the […]