Marine Midland Bank, in cooperation with the Bills, is
offering a preferred personal loan rate of 8.95% on a 12-
month loan for fans interested in purchasing new sideline
club seats for the '99 season. Club seats range in price
from $860 to $1,260 per year for a five-year commitment.
The loan is available throughout Western N.Y. and Rochester
(Bills). In Rochester, Leo Roth writes that the Bills have
"reached approximately" $8.6M toward the goal of $11M in
luxury seat sales, and all but seven of the 164 luxury
suites have been sold. Marine Midland Bank's Western Region
President Brian Keating: "We hope that this financing
agreement will allow those considering such a purchase to
now move forward" (Rochester DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 10/23).
CLUB SEATS OR CLUB SPORTS? In Buffalo, columnist Alan
Pergament challenges local media outlets and execs to
purchase or else, it's back to "the scary prospect of
focusing on ... high school sports issues weekly to fill air
time." Part of his plan includes having WIVB-CBS and RSN
Empire Sports Net each buying 100 club seats, ESPN's Paul
Maguire buying 100, Bills radio voice Van Miller buying 10,
and other media outlets and business execs buying 275.
Pergament: "If the media put their money where their mouths
and revenues are, my modest proposal will add up to the sale
of 625 club seats, which may be enough to put the campaign
over the top" (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/22).
