Media ecosystem ‘tollbooths’ are hurting small theaters

There’s a version of the Twin Cities theater crisis where the villain is money. Vanished corporate giving. Gutted National Education Association grants. A building that costs more than the art inside it. It’s a compelling story, and a true one. There’s another version where the villain is… let’s call it, the weather. A pandemic, riots and federal agents in the streets. Also true. 

Both versions skip the first act: discovery.

Before a theater loses a single donor, it loses something quieter and more fatal — the person who would have loved the show and never knew it was running. For a theater company, the undiscovered country is an audience it can’t reach. That is death.

I chair the board of a small theater company, so I know what fighting that looks like: emailing the same people year after year, posting and boosting your heart out on Instagram, handing your grant money to Facebook in the hope of reaching the people who already follow you. In Meta, we are beholden to a monopoly whose moral track record should disqualify it from custody of anything we love.

We keep lamenting the end of free money while tolerating a media ecosystem that makes being found a luxury good. Look at the tools a theater has, and notice they all charge a toll, demand endless labor, or both.

The listing platforms are the tollbooths. Eventbrite charges to list once you sell any real volume, then sells “sponsored” placement it claims delivers nine times the visibility — a polite way of saying that without paying, you’re invisible. Even local calendars will let you post a show for free, then charge for the featured placement that actually gets seen — and still make you do the posting. The pattern never breaks: listing is cheap; being found costs money and time. Call it the Discovery Tax. And the company with the biggest budget wins the top of the page.

The press can’t fill the gap, either. In 2019, the Minnesota Star Tribune published reviews of more than 40 productions across a wide range of theater company sizes. So far this year, seven from the paper’s one remaining critic. And five of those were staged in just two buildings: the Orpheum and the Guthrie. That’s not the critic’s fault; writers like MinnPost’s Sheila Regan are still chronicling the scene for outlets that will have them. But you can understand why people talk about this as an editorial decision at the Star Tribune: institutions and big rooms only.

That’s backwards. The theater that most needs to be found is the one that can least afford to buy its way there.

So I built the thing I couldn’t find: 79 Seconds On Stage, a website where people and plays find each other. Every local company gets the same chronological billing — 35 companies and counting. No listing fee. No paid tier. No pay-to-play. Not even ads. Just the plays. It asks nothing of the theater companies. Not a thing. The shows are pulled in automatically. Nobody submits a listing, nobody maintains a profile, nobody has to remember to post. You just get found. It’s supported by patrons who chip in a dollar a month to keep it free for artists.

It might not work. But the alternative is what we’re living right now: every company alone at the for-profit tollbooth, feeding the same algorithms, staring at a half-empty house and calling it a funding problem. It isn’t only a funding problem. It’s a Discovery Tax we’ve decided to keep paying.

There’s a new audience out there — younger, hungry for something real — living somewhere Facebook can’t reach. The undiscovered country doesn’t have to be where theaters die; it can be where we find each other. Let’s go there.

Ross Phernetton chairs the board of Combustible Company and is the founder of 79 Seconds On Stage (79seconds.org).

It’s time to recognize the value of license plate readers

As someone who has been affected by auto theft, I understand the benefits of license plate readers (LPRs). Years ago, I left my car running in my driveway while I stepped inside for mere seconds. When I returned, it was gone. Thankfully, it was recovered after a few days, but it was found cities away. Cases like mine demonstrate why LPR cameras can be important tools to ensure public safety.

LPR cameras allow for law enforcement to identify stolen vehicles, generate leads and coordinate across jurisdictions to catch criminals. The camera only has one objective: find vehicles involved in criminal activity. As vehicle theft and related crimes continuously affect Minnesota neighborhoods and communities, technology such as LPR cameras can improve the chances of law enforcement finding your stolen property and holding offenders accountable for their crimes.

Cities across Minnesota have begun to implement this technology. However there is some debate among suburban metro cities due to privacy concerns. The concerns deserve consideration along with strict clear policies on the use of the gathered information. Except, the discussion needs to also recognize that there are benefits that the systems such as LPR cameras provide to victims of crimes.

LPR cameras are a modern solution to keeping our streets safe and crime free. In a case like mine, law enforcement can alert LPRs to specifically identify a license plate. The expanding network and coordination of these cameras across the state only provides more assurance that a stolen car would be recovered, no matter what part of the state it is driven to. 

My experience changed the way I think about security of my personal belongings. When implemented responsibly, the LPR cameras can be effective tools in assisting investigations, deterring crime, and helping to foster safe communities and neighborhoods. I am encouraged by the continued adoption of LPR cameras across the state and would encourage local governments to consider cases like mine. 

Deveny McCarthy is a teacher and public safety advocate from Woodbury.

Minnesota’s economy needs what AI offers

As the Minnesota Vikings prepare to open training camp right here in Eagan, one thing is certain: No team wins by staying on the sidelines.

The same is true for Minnesota’s economy.

For generations, our state has competed by embracing innovation. From agriculture and food production to medical technology, manufacturing and financial services, Minnesota has earned its reputation not because we feared change, but because we adapted to it.

Today, artificial intelligence (AI) presents another defining moment.

AI is already part of our daily lives. It helps physicians detect diseases earlier, enables manufacturers to reduce waste and downtime, assists farmers in maximizing crop yields and allows small businesses to serve customers more efficiently. From local retailers to Fortune 500 companies with headquarters here, AI is becoming as essential to competitiveness as the internet was a generation ago.

Minnesota businesses understand this. According to recent surveys, 87% of Minnesota small businesses are optimistic about the role technology will play in their future growth. They recognize what history has repeatedly shown: The businesses that embrace innovation are the ones that survive and prosper.

The same is true for states (and foreign countries, too).

Across our great country, governors and legislatures are competing aggressively for AI investment, advanced manufacturing, research facilities and the data centers that power them. These projects bring billions of dollars in private investment, local school and nonprofit grants, strengthen local tax bases, support construction and skilled trades, and create opportunities for suppliers ranging from electricians and engineering firms to restaurants, trucking companies and local service businesses.

Some point out that data centers employ fewer permanent workers than traditional manufacturing facilities. That observation is accurate — but incomplete.

A modern airport doesn’t employ everyone who benefits from it. Neither does a highway, an electric grid or a port. Infrastructure exists because it enables thousands of other businesses to succeed.

Data centers are becoming the digital infrastructure of the AI economy. They provide the computing power that hospitals use to improve patient care, manufacturers rely on to optimize production, financial institutions depend upon to detect fraud and entrepreneurs need to build tomorrow’s companies.

The question isn’t whether Minnesota will use AI. The question is whether we’ll build the infrastructure, attract the investment and prepare the workforce here — or whether we’ll rely on other states that chose to move first.

That doesn’t mean abandoning thoughtful planning. Communities deserve responsible development, reliable electric service, environmental stewardship and transparent local decision-making. Those are reasonable expectations. But responsible regulation is very different from creating uncertainty that sends investment elsewhere.

The window of opportunity is open — but it won’t stay open forever.

Minnesota already has the ingredients for success: world-class universities, an exceptional workforce, globally recognized companies, thriving entrepreneurs, and communities that know how to solve hard problems. What we need now is public policy that matches that ambition by investing in workforce development, encouraging innovation, supporting modern infrastructure, and providing businesses with the confidence to invest here. I am proud that the Dakota County Region is becoming a hub in the state for support of AI infrastructure.

Championship teams don’t wait until the fourth quarter to decide whether they’re going to compete.

Neither should Minnesota.

Coach, put Minnesota in.

Let’s take the field, embrace the future, and show once again that Minnesota doesn’t fear change — we lead it.

SKOL.

Jon M. Althoff is president and chief mission officer of the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce.

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