CNN Features Montgomery as Prime Example of American City Battling Recession

March 17, 2010

Montgomery, Ala. – CNN Reporter Tom Foreman was in Montgomery, Alabama March 15-17 featuring the city’s resilience during tough economic struggles.

Foreman’s traveling story “Building up America” brought him and his crew to Montgomery on a tour of seven American cities focusing on several aspects of the capital city and how the community is joining together to battle the national recession.

Foreman said he chose Montgomery because of the state’s high unemployment rate but wanted to highlight the people that are taking action to excel despite the hurdles.

The first installment of the story recognizes downtown development and the changes that have been made to improve the city’s center:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8dsKFiWx3Q

Secondly, Foreman features the young professionals group, EMERGE Montgomery, and what local businesses in Montgomery are doing to keep young workers at home:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20rss/cnn_freevideo%20(RSS:%20Video)#/video/us/2010/03/16/foreman.bua.young.workers.cnn

He also praises Montgomery’s gleaming Hyundai plant and the affect it has on the local economy:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/03/17/foreman.bua.plant.cnn?iref=allsearch

And, the final episode marks the success of Dr. David Bronner’s Retirement Systems of Alabama:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/03/19/foreman.bua.alabama.retirement.cnn?iref=allsearch

As a part of Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange’s interview, he mentioned that even though the stories do not gloss over the negative aspects of the local economy, the exposure ultimately will have a positive effect on the city’s image.

For more details on CNN’s visit to Montgomery, Alabama, please contact Dawn Hathcock at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor Bureau at 334-261-1100.