When the Good Morning America Whistle-Stop Tour came to Springfield, MA, the local paper quoted the mayor saying, “This is huge for the city of Springfield.” When they went to Gustavus, OH, the local paper wrote, “Most folks were pretty darned excited.”
But Steve Jones writes in the Rome Sentinel (NY), “Furious over the portrayal of Rome in Tuesday’s national broadcast of ‘Good Morning America,’ Mayor James F. Brown said he’ll never watch ABC — the television show’s network — again.”
What was Mayor Brown so mad about? The segment about the city, writes Jones, began with praise for the city’s welcome, but then, “went on to call Rome the ‘snow capital of the east,’ remind viewers that Griffiss Air Force Base closed 13 years ago and comment on a tough housing market, all with pre-shot video to match.”
Chamber of Commerce board chair Doug Bartell said, “We welcome ‘Good Morning America’ back to get the story right.”