Newspaper provides scant details on website, tells readers to 'get full story in Wednesday's edition'
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NSBNEWS.net photo /DAYTONA BEACH -- The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported on its website this afternoon that former Daytona State College President Kent Sharples has been hired as president of CEO Business Alliance, described by the newspaper "as a newly formed group made of up top executives from several of Volusia County's most prominent businesses."
The story was posted at 2:04 p.m. on the newspaper's website, and informed readers they can "read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Daytona Beach News-Journal."
The story can be found by clicking the "button" on the News-Journal website's home page marked "Breaking News," which takes the reader to another page where the actual story can be accessed. Here is a direct link: http://www.news-journalonline.com/breakingnews/2011/01/ceo-business-alliance-hires-former-daytona-state-president.html
The News-Journal in its brief online story did not indicate when Sharples was hired for the new job or how much he would be paid.
The story did state that five prominent business leaders, including International Speedway CEO Lesa France Kennedy and NASCAR Vice Chairman Brian France have each committed at least $100,000 annually for three years to aid "efforts to recruit employers to the county."
NSBNEWS.net left a message with International Speedway spokesman Charles Talbert to reach out to Lesa France Kennedy for comment just before 5:30 p.m., but no calls were returned beyond the initial request.
Sharples was forced out in November in the wake of at last $1.5 million the college was shortchanged in fronting the money for a series of concerts put on by the Community Cultural Foundation headed by Manuel Bornia, who was part of the staff Sharples inherited when he agreed to have the college take over ownership of the $27 million News-Journal Center from the Davidson Family, led by patriarch Tippen Davidson.
It was a deal brokered by Glenn Ritchey, Daytona Beach mayor and chairman of the Lively Arts Center, the pre-cursor to the News-Journal Center.
It was Jonathan Kaney, Jr., general counsel to the News-Journal who advised Davidson to spend $13 million in naming rights for the creation of the center on Beach Street. Most of the other $14 million came primarily from taxpayer funds from the county through cultural grants and the city of Daytona Beach.
The News-Journal resorted to naming rights because private donations didn't materialize like the Davidsons had hoped.
This led to the federal lawsuit by Cox Enterprise, the minority partner out of Atlanta because it wasn't told of the naming rights expenditure up front.
US District Judge John Antoon sided with Cox and the newspaper was ordered sold in a court-supervised fire sale leading to Halifax Media $19 million purchase last year.
Sharples had agreed to have the college take on the News-Journal Center because the Davidsons couldn't keep it going and part of the deal was taking on the cultural committee that included the controversial promoter, Bornia.
Bornia promised acts like Justin Bieber, Janet Jackson, Carrie Underwood and Christine Aguilera. But the only current act he could find was hip-hop artist Usher, log with one of the teen Jonas Brothers, cand a few other acts long in the tooth in crrooner Tony Bennett and 80s pop band Huey Lewis & the News.
But June's American Music Festival was a complete flop with scant crowds at the Ocean Center resulting in scores of vendors having to wait for reimbrsement from the college, which absorbed most of he losses.