Don't Mess With St. Louis

Today, KTRS radio General Manager Mark Dorsey announced that the station would not run commercials voiced by Texas Governor Rick Perry urging Missouri businesses to pick up and move to his state. In an announcement that ran all day on KTRS (and was picked up by media outlets nationwide), Mark explained:
Once we, the management of KTRS realized these commercials were focused on stealing locally owned companies away from St Louis, we suspended airing these commercials immediately. We understand people have different viewpoints on public policy and we welcome that debate everyday on our airways. But as one of the few remaining locally owned radio stations in the country, we feel the need to stand strong with other small locally owned business and defend our region. Governor Rick Perry, Don't Mess with Missouri, and don't mess with St Louis!
The Texas commercials airing in St. Louis seem akin to car dealer A going onto car dealer B's lot and using B's loudspeakers to tell customers that they'll find a better deal at A's dealership. You can imagine how B would feel about that, which gives you an idea what I heard this afternoon from Missouri Governor Jay Nixon when called my KTRS show to thank the station for its support -- and stayed on the air with me for an extended discussion, in which he did not hold back his contempt for Perry and the move-to-Texas message. He also called out the state Chamber of Commerce for inviting Perry to Missouri next week to promote his agenda. Nixon had a couple of suggestions for the Texan's visit:
When he comes, he should go to a store and buy something because he'll notice it's cheaper in Missouri because we have a lower sales tax rate. And when he's here, maybe he ought to look at buying a house, because our property taxes are way lower than they are in Texas. And he won't have any trouble getting somebody who can help him add up the numbers, because our kids' ACT scores are way higher than they are in Texas.
The other voices you'll hear in this audio are my colleagues Dan Strauss and Ian Geisz. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!

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