Banker tapped, retail magnet, plight of films

Troy L. Wilson, president and CEO of the Montgomery Bank in Sikeston, was elected chairman of the Missouri Bankers Association at the bankers' 114th annual convention earlier this month in Branson.

The Montgomery banks are located in numerous Southeast Missouri sites including Cape Girardeau and St. Louis.

The Missouri Bankers Association has more than 370 members representing over 35,000 employees of the Missouri banking community. With an annual budget of over $4.5 million and one of the highest levels of membership representation, over 93 percent, the MBA is recognized as one of the premier trade associations in the state.

Retail sales in Cape Girardeau County annually exceed $1.2 billion. This is one of the reasons we have been attracting large national retail stores to locate here.

Cape Girardeau County's population is about 68,000 and exceeds 70,000 when adjacent Scott City is added.

This includes about 36,000 people in the city of Cape Girardeau, 12,000 in Jackson and an approximate 22,000 in out-county areas (most of these in the large geographic area of the Jackson School district).

By the time this column is printed I will have seen Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11." There's plenty to read on the Internet about the content -- pro and con. I hope every viewer takes advantage of the more in-depth information that is available.

Whatever happened to the family film? Philip E. Anschutz is president of the Anschutz Corp. of Denver. The company's major business interests are in the fields of communications, transportation, natural resources, real estate and entertainment.

The following remarks were delivered in February at a Hillsdale National Leadership Seminar in Naples, Fla., by Anschutz.

"In today's world of mass media and instant communication, movies still have an enormous effect on younger Americans. Research shows that the average American child between the ages of two and 18 spends five hours and 45 minutes per day with media -- mostly electronic media. Think about that in the context of these figures: Since the year 2000, Hollywood has turned out more than five times as many R-rated films as it has films rated G or PG or soft PG-13. No less than 2,146 films released since 2000 received R ratings, compared to 137 films rated G and 252 films rated PG.

"Is this preponderance of R-rated films simply-as we hear so often-a response to the market? I would say not, considering that of the top 20 moneymaking films of all time, not a single one is rated R, and of the top 50, only five are rated R, with the remainder being G or PG. Don't these figures make you wonder what's wrong with Hollywood just from a business point of view? Why, in the face of these statistics, does Hollywood keep putting out so many non-family oriented movies?

"Let me mention the ideas that I've run across in Hollywood and that define a kind of Hollywood mindset. One of these is that the way to be successful is to be hip and edgy. A second is that to be noticed and therefore successful, you need to utilize shock value to gain attention. A third is that sex, language, violence and bad taste always seem to find a market. Another is that you have to grow up in the film business in order to understand it and have the right creative instincts for it. Another is that to earn respect from your peers within the Hollywood community, you have to make at least potential Academy Award films-which in recent history have predominantly been R-rated."

It was pointed out at a recent Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry meeting that the state chamber's political action committee raised $90,000 while the Missouri State Trial Attorney's donated $2.8 million to Democratic candidates in recent elections.

Thus it was not unanticipated that the Democratic primary candidates for lieutenant governor, attorneys Ken Jacob and Bekki Cook skipped the Southeast Missouri Press Association meeting last weekend for the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys convention.

Our associate and Republican lieutenant governor candidate, Peter Kinder, and Libertarian candidate Mike Ferguson spoke at the meeting and answered questions.

Secretary of state candidate Catherine Hanaway also spoke. The press association's meeting drew 71 newspaper representatives from Doniphan to Cape Girardeau to Festus to Kennett.

Congratulations to former KZIM radio news personality Carol Keeler Daniel, who recently had her KMOX radio contract extended for five years. KMOX is the big leagues in radio world, and Carol certainly worked hard at perfecting her trade during the years she spent in Cape Girardeau.

Carol is the mother of two and writes a positive weekly column in the St. Louis American, an award-winning weekly St. Louis newspaper.

Gary Rust is the chairman of Rust Communications.