New Orleans in National TV Spotlight, Not Atlantic City for New Years Eve

When 2017 arrives in Atlantic City, 59 million national TV viewers will not see Atlantic City. Instead, they’ll see New Orleans, thanks to the CRDA and Mayor Don Guardian.

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017” will expand their iconic annual New Year’s Eve tradition with coverage from New Orleans, not Atlantic City. The live segments will include exclusive performances where New Orleans locals and tourists gather annually to celebrate the New Year. Ryan Seacrest will lead the traditional countdown to midnight live from New York City….with cut-ins from New Orleans….not Atlantic City….. joining the largest celebration of the year, airing on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31 beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the ABC Television Network.

“New Orleans is a great match for ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest’,” said NOLA Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “We know how to celebrate, and we offer the world one of the most authentic cultural experiences anywhere! We are proud to help our country bring in the New Year.”

Indeed, another WTF moment for Atlantic City, a town in desperate need of new leadership.

Our big concert at Boardwalk Hall was to be featured on ABC’s national New Year’s Eve broadcast. But we allowed the CRDA Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to say the A-list bands it wanted weren’t available. That’s funny. They weren’t available for the beach concerts this past summer, either.

Live Nation, the lone concert promoter couldn’t get the deal done, said Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian. It’s unknown if the CRDA talked with the other big promoter… AEG. We doubt it.

Earlier this year, the CRDA signed a 3 year deal to keep Miss America in Atlantic City. As part of the deal, producer of the Miss A TV broadcast; Dick Clark Productions, was going to feature Atlantic City on its “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” TV broadcast live from Times Square in NYC.

But with no big-name bands…..they cancelled the TV appearance. Neither the CRDA, or the Mayor of Atlantic City, Don Guardian, opted for the better PLAN B – feature the sights & sounds within one of AC’s popular nightclubs. ‘Casino DJ’s are the rock stars of today‘, says Mel Taylor of ACprimetime Radio. ‘For the CRDA & the City of Atlantic City to only use Live Nation for rock band entertainment was terribly short-sighted’ said Taylor, a local Philly / Atlantic City marketing consultant.