Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chair Ted Leonsis yesterday told a DC Council committee that "his controversial plan to put high-definition flat screens outside the Verizon Center could help teams inside the downtown arena lift the Stanley Cup or don championship rings one day," according to Tom Howell Jr. of the WASHINGTON TIMES. Leonsis, whose company owns the arena and the city's Capitals, Wizards and Mystics, said that, "Pending legislation to help him obtain up to nine HD panels would fill city coffers with tax revenue and provide his company with the kind of advertising revenue needed to sign big-name athletes." Monumental wants to "replace massive vinyl banners and a pair of electronic signs marred by 'broken pixels' with the smaller, more energy-efficient signs, which would lie flat against the arena's exterior walls." Committee on Public Services & Community Affairs Chair Yvette Alexander said that she "hopes to mark up the bill for the full council's consideration before summer recess in mid-July." Leonsis said that, "Cash flow from the exterior screens would help Monumental break even and one day make a profit." The company projected that the signs "will generate $8 million to $10 million in tax revenue for the District over the next five years." Critics of the proposal "predict the screens will be a blight that could distract drivers, detract from the District's charm and spoil views." However, Howell noted the screens "would shut off at midnight and not emit sound, qualities that assuaged some local business owners' concerns." An advisory committee "has been established to vet any of the community's ongoing concerns." Monumental said that it "would like to have screens up by the fall sports season but would comply with the city's timetable" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 6/21).
