CCE Falls Short Of Crown

For the fourth year running, Clear Channel Entertainment will be fined by Cumberland County, N.C., for failing to book at least 15 concerts and other shows at the Crown Coliseum complex in Fayetteville.

According to the Fayetteville Observer, the concert promotion giant brought in three events during the fiscal year ended September 30th, including a “Harlem Globetrotters” basketball game and a motocross event.

For that, the company is being fined $105,000 – up from last year’s hit of about $61,000. In the previous three years, CCE brought in fewer than half the shows promised, according to venue officials.

“Obviously, we are disappointed that it has not proven to be feasible for Clear Channel to successfully book shows,” Crown Center CEO Rick Reno told the paper.

Cumberland County officials approved a deal five years ago that brought Clear Channel to Crown Coliseum as a partner in the National Basketball Development League through its subsidiary Arena Ventures.

The Fayetteville Patriots continue to play at the Crown, but concerts that were reportedly promised as part of the package didn’t quite pan out as hoped in a tertiary market.

The county paid a $250,000 buyout to end one agreement with Clear Channel and renegotiated the booking deal to include penalties, according to the Observer. That deal expires next year.

CCE, which is in a silent period during its reorganization and spinoff from parent Clear Channel Communications, declined to comment.