Re: "Making News: Savannah Style" premiere's tomorrow night 7PM TV Guide channel
upstate29651 said:
What kind of presence? Seems odd that a TV station would move to a mall, although there are at least two tv stations im aware of that do have mall studios. Plus, with Savannah Mall in a general state of decline, it just seems like an odd choice for real estate if they're in fact moving studios there.
G
All I know is the station(s) are supposed to have "a major presence" at Savannah Mall. What that entails I've no idea other than what I surmised in my earlier post. But I wholeheartedly agree - what'd be the point of doing this? If anything, it'd make more sense to do this at Oglethorpe Mall, where the foot and vehicle traffic supercedes Savannah Mall by a healthy margin. Unless Savannah Mall can right the ship, I don't know the thinking behind this.
And now if I may stray from the main point for just a moment...
The new owners (JSS Advisors, LLC, a division of Fremont Realty Capital), purchased the mall in May 2007. Their prospectus states that their mission statement is as follows...
http://www.fremontrealtycapital.com/investments/savannah_mall.html
"Our Savannah Mall investment is an opportunity to redevelop and reposition an enclosed regional shopping mall in Savannah, Georgia." Elsewhere on the site, they mention that they restore and renew businesses and establishments who've had waning sales in recent years to their former glory. Fremont is also, according to Savannah Morning News, putting in seating areas with Wi-Fi and flat screen televisions. They've already unveiled a new logo ( with new outdoor signage), they plan to add new handicapable access, they recently built a $250,000 soft play area for children, put in new foliage in the mall, and just finished a $1 million refurbishment of the roof. But again, all of this is moot if they're not actively and aggressively campaigning to bring in new tenants, which I hope begins to happen soon. We've had far too many former owners of that mall make big promises and fail to deliver. It's sad to walk around that mall and remember what once was - The Disney Store, 2 book stores, Blockbuster Music (remember that now nonexistent little endeavor?) - and now there's no real reason to wander around the mall as many tenants are Mom & Pop stores, though several chain stores still exist. I think Waldenbooks is one of the last original tenants from when the mall opened in July 1990. At the moment Target and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World seem to be the only thing keeping Savannah Mall afloat. I hope that changes, for the better, very soon.