Time Running Out for ‘Pure Michigan’ to Hit the Airwaves

The Michigan legislature came up with a final funding plan for the state’s summer tourism campaign late last week.

But the tourism industry is worried that the lawmakers may have taken too long to make up their minds.

On Thursday, the state House and Senate agreed to raise the advertising budget for the ‘Pure Michigan’ campaign to $15 million.

That’s half of what was spent last year.

Tourism officials say they’re pleased to receive any funding at all, but they would have preferred an earlier resolution to get a head start on promoting Michigan attractions.

Denise Gurnack of the Marquette Country Convention and Visitors Bureau says advertising agencies usually make all of their buys of TV commercial time for the summer months by April.

That doesn’t give much time at all to get the ‘Pure Michigan’ ads on the air again.

Democrats hoped to support ‘Pure Michigan’ by adding a $2.50 charge onto every car rental.

But Senate Republicans rejected that proposal.

With less money to operate this season, Gurnack says the advertisements won’t make it onto nearly as many TV sets as last year, when the ads ran for weeks on some of cable TV’s most popular prime-time shows.

‘Pure Michigan’ supporters in both the House and Senate have vowed to find a long-term, stable funding source for the ad campaign.