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The organization that
promotes downtown
activities said it is disappointed this year’s popular Labor Day fireworks
program will not be held and is unsure whether another sponsor can be found.
Indianapolis-based Emmis
Communications Corp. has hosted SkyConcert for the past 26 years, but said
Friday it has been unable to gather the financial partners necessary to fund
the event.
SkyConcert typically lures
an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people to the downtown area.
“This is not news that we
want, obviously,” said Julia Watson, spokeswoman for Indianapolis Downtown Inc.
“We’re saddened first and foremost for Emmis Communications. For them to have
to come to this point, we know it’s not a point that they wanted to reach at
all.”
The radio
broadcasting and magazine publishing company has been struggling lately
financially. Earlier this month, Emmis
reported a fiscal-year loss of $283.9 million compared with a loss of $10.3
million the previous year.
“In better times, Emmis was
able to view this event as a demonstration of the gratitude we felt for our
audiences,” the company said in a written statement.
Emmis did not say how much
it spends on the annual event. Emmis station WLHK-FM 97.1 and Advantage Health last
year co-sponsored the fireworks display, which is set to music.
Officials for the
Indianapolis Convention & Visitor’s Association, which promotes SkyConcert
on its Web site, declined to comment on the event’s cancellation.
Labor Day this year is Sept.
7.
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