The campaign to sell 11,000 Whalers season tickets seems to
be "gaining momentum," according to the HARTFORD COURANT. Many
of city's insurance companies and other large employers have
completed plans to underwrite season tickets for their employees.
Aetna Life & Casualty Co. decided yesterday to pick up the price
of a second season ticket for employees who buy one at full
price. The Aetna subsidy will also allow employees who buy a
single season ticket to convert it to a "Family Pack" of four
seats at 20 games. An Aetna spokesperson would not say how much
Aetna expects to spend on the subsidy or "how many subsidized
tickets will be made available to employees." The "Save the
Whale" campaign is also on the Internet with Web sites accepting
petition signatures and "helping fans buddy-up to share the cost
of season tickets." This week, the Hartford Downtown Council's
Whalers task force will telephone 1,100 companies in an effort to
sell tickets. The team's Booster Club is also setting up a
"Ticket Match" program, sponsored by a local radio station, which
pairs people interested in sharing season tickets. Hartford's
Equity Bank also is offering loans to help Whalers season-ticket
holders buy seats next season (Swift, Pukalo, & Moran, HARTFORD
COURANT, 4/10).
