Miss America looking at Nevada site

John Curran

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2001 | 11:06 a.m.

ATLANTIC CITY -- After 80 years here, the Miss America pageant says it will look for a new suitor unless it can get more money from the state to keep the event in Atlantic City.

Robert M. Renneisen Jr., the pageant's chief executive officer, told reporters the contest was losing as much as $600,000 a year by holding the event in state-owned Boardwalk Hall.

He said the pageant needed to cut costs by nearly $1 million if it stayed in the city. He called on state and city officials to "step up to the plate" with more concessions and money.

"We think we should stay, but we can't take that to the bank," Renneisen said Tuesday.

Four alternate venues -- undisclosed sites in Connecticut, Florida and Nevada -- have made offers to be host of the pageant. Renneisen said one offer would mean a $692,000 profit, instead of a projected $603,000 loss if it remains in Atlantic City.

It was unclear today if any organization or company in Las Vegas is trying to lure the pageant.

Two Indian casinos in Connecticut could be possible venues for the pageant. Mitchell Etess, a spokesman for the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville would neither confirm nor deny reports the casino made a pitch for the pageant. But Etess did admit the pageant would be an "attractive opportunity" for any venue. Officials at nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino denied the casino was a suitor for the contest.

The pageant has been synonymous with Atlantic City. It was begun in 1921 as a scheme to lengthen the tourist season by gathering a bevy of bathing beauties on the Boardwalk.

"We're kind of a national icon. No matter where I go, people ask me to move the show there," Renneisen said.

He said the decision on where to hold next year's pageant will likely be made within a few weeks.

Meantime, he's negotiating with the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, which runs the building formerly known as Convention Hall.

"We need a deal now," Renneisen said. "I need to know where to put next year's show."

Mark Juliano, chairman of the state authority, declined to comment on the negotiations. He said both sides had agreed to not discuss details publicly.

"The pageant is incredibly synonymous with Atlantic City, so it's very important to us," Juliano said. "We're confident that the negotiations will be successful."