Hmm. So .. I wonder, does this cost the season ticket holders, or just walk-up fans?
http://www.jsonline.com/blog/index.aspx?id=92&month=06&year=2007&entry=39057Bradley Center imposes $1 ticket feeOfficials at the Bradley Center announced Friday morning that patrons attending sporting events will be assessed a $1 ticket fee beginning with the 2007-'08 season.
A $2 fee had already been in place for entertainment events at the Bradley Center.
Steve Costello, president and CEO of the Bradley Center, said the decision to add the $1 fee for sporting events would be used to extend the life of the building and create more fan amenities. The building opened in 1988.
The fee affects fans attending games involving the Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Admirals and the
Marquette Golden Eagles.The decision to impose a ticket fee comes after more than a year of deliberation among members of the Bradley Center board. With the fee, the Bradley Center will join many other arenas and convention centers around the country that impose a similar kind of fee.
A version of a ticket fee is already in place at the Marcus Amphitheater, the Pabst Theater, Riverside Theater, U.S. Cellular Arena and the Milwaukee Theater.
Costello said the new fee could bring in anywhere from $750,000 to $1 million a year, depending on the number of games scheduled and the number of tickets sold.
In 2006, the Bradley Center drew 1.5 million patrons, not all of whom attended sporting events.
The Bradley Center operates on a fiscal year from July 1 to June 30. Earlier this year, officials released financial information for the fiscal year ending last June 30.
In that report, the Bradley Center reported a net loss in fiscal 2006 of $2.6 million, which was $1.3 million lower than the previous fiscal year. The loss includes an annual depreciation expense of $2.5 million.
The arena's plant fund - a piggyback of sorts for future property and equipment replacement — stood at $4.8 million as of last June. In the previous fiscal year, the plant fund stood at $6.1 million.
The Bradley Center also has taken on debt to pay for improvements inside the arena, including the Cambria Club, which was opened two years ago, and the Courtside Club, which opened last year.
As of last June, the Bradley Center had debt of nearly $6 million. In the current year, the Bradley Center board also borrowed an additional $3.5 million, but that is a short-term loan that officials said they planned to pay off this spring.
The new Bradley Center fee will be in addition to a convenience fee charged by Ticketmaster and a processing fee for tickets that are purchased online or by telephone.