Downtown Atlanta visitors will "be greeted by a 55-
foot-tall, 150-foot-wide mega-display for the new Philips
Arena," according to Julie Hairston of the ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION. With the "massive facade," Turner Sports is
"poised to create a new landmark for downtown Atlanta, which
has long lacked a central focal point to lure visitors."
The display will front a parking deck that is under
construction and feature "a giant video monitor and a clock
that will be larger than London's Big Ben. At the bottom
will be a 150-foot scrolling electronic ticker." Turner
Sports & Entertainment Marketing President Janet Marie Smith
said that the goal is to "fuse the arena with the [Olympic]
park" to give the downtown area a new identity. Smith: "Not
only are we camouflaging the parking structure, but it could
become a real icon for downtown and Centennial Olympic
Park." The 22-by-17-foot video screen will feature sports
and other entertainment programming. Smith: "We've made a
commitment to program it so it not only reflects what's
going on at Philips Arena, but also what's going on
downtown." A second panel of equal size just below the
video screen "will feature names or logos of Philips Arena
sponsors." Smith did not disclose the cost of the sign.
Hawks/Braves President Stan Kasten: "We haven't gone public
with these plans before" (ATL. CONSTITUTION, 8/17).
JANET MARIE SMITH'S LATEST JEWEL: Also in Atlanta,
Melissa Turner profiled Turner Sports' Smith, who is in
charge of the $213M Philips Arena and the surrounding 12-
acre retail, restaurant and parking development. Smith:
"Make no mistake, sports facilities do not fix the problems
of a city. They give people more reasons to come downtown.
They allow the hotels and restaurants and retail that are
already there [to] do better. All the things that are going
on downtown will make everything else downtown healthier and
more alive" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 8/15).
