News Post #7

Tonight, on the ten o'clock news cast, Mike Royer reported on the latest Census reports regarding the Birmingham area. Royer starts by stating that Birmingham itself has not changed, but the population definitely has. The city has lost almost thirty thousand inhabitants over the past decade.

The story was reported in a very melodramatic tone. After Royer opens, slow and dramatic music starts playing to set the mood. Images of the busy city during the day are shown until the streets are eventually clear- almost as if it is deserted.

The bulk of the story was an interview with Barry Copeland, a leader in the Birmingham Business Alliance. Royer and Copeland are shown walking down the street conversing, which added to the already set tone. All the different parts of Birmingham are discussed along with their percents of decline, showing that the population has decreased to 212,000.

For a visual example of the decline, Royer shows Ensley High School. The high school is completely vacant with all the windows boarded up and doors welded shut. "People leave, the student numbers go down, and the tax dollars go down as well," says Royer. Dr. Phil Hammond, superintendent, explains what this means for the schools and how it effects the second largest school system in the state.

Copeland further states that there must be an improvement in the school system in order for the city to "grow in a positive way." With all the focus of the story on the schools, I feel like the school system and its leaders are being blamed. I do agree that the quality of school systems is a major deciding factor for families moving in or out of an area, but that cannot be the only reason people leave Birmingham. I recently heard that Birmingham is now the third most violent city in the nation. Statistics such as this were completely overlooked in the story, which could have better explained the recent Census.

In closing of the interview, Copeland shares that the Birmingham Barons baseball team's new facilities, growth of UAB, development of the new Railroad Park, increase of condominiums and lofts, and expansion of the entrepreneurial district have all added to Birmingham's presence. Copeland very optimistically states that we should see a change in five years if the right decisions are made.