Monday, June 03, 2019

Shark Week bigger than ever after Montgomery County loses Discovery

Shark Week 2019 merchandise
arrives in Montgomery County

Discovery Communications is pulling out all the stops for Shark Week 2019, which is scheduled to begin on July 28. A special line of Shark Week merchandise has just arrived in CVS Pharmacy stores in Montgomery County. The annual shark celebration was once a point of pride for the County, when Discovery's corporate headquarters was located in Silver Spring. This year's event will be the first Shark Week since Discovery fled moribund, anti-business Montgomery County for business-friendly Knoxville, Tennessee, and it's a painful reminder of one of the Montgomery County cartel's most humiliating defeats.

Among the great items you will find at CVS are a realistic Shark Week Deep Sea Diver playset, with everything kids need to recreate their favorite Shark Week scenes. The Shark Week Isle of Jaws Collectible Shark Set includes 10 sharks.  There are big Shark Week stuffed sharks hiding in the coral reefs, er, shelves of the display, including a hammerhead.

Pack official Shark Week beach towels for Ocean City, and try to forget a great white surfaced off the shore of Maryland last week. Or play it safe, and watch Shark Week at home on the couch with official Shark Week throws and blankets, including a Shark Week Leopard Shark blanket with "glow in the dark eyes."

Speaking of glowing in the dark, the old Discovery headquarters has become a massive monument to Montgomery moribundity in downtown Silver Spring. The tower looms high above, with the missing Discovery corporate logo giving a ghoulish, haunted vibe. I've captured here some of the final traces of Discovery still left at the building before they are removed.

The Montgomery County Council and expensive economic development entity should have recognized Discovery needed attention when the famous Chompie Shark Week mascot no longer appeared on the facade of the building during Shark Week. Instead, Tennessee actively courted Discovery, ultimately providing the winning site with low taxes, and a campus with direct interstate and airport access in Knoxville. Horrifyingly, we later learned that over the same weeks that Tennessee was sealing the deal in negotiations with Discovery, the Montgomery County Council was taking up all of its time debating whether or not to ban circus animals.

Heckuva job, Brownie!












15 comments:

Anna said...

So I haven't read the story yet, let me guess what's in it...

Moribund
Criminal county council purposely let them leave
Hans Riemer to blame (probably signed something that everyone else signed too)
Tennessee will become the gold standard place while MoCo loses everything
Dyer reported it first.

Ok, folks, how did I do?

Anonymous said...

"Discovery fled moribund, anti-business Montgomery County for business-friendly Knoxville, Tennessee"

Discovery's international headquarters moved to high-tax New York City.

The facility in Knoxville is the operational headquarters. Back-office functions, no C-suites there. Lots of jobs were lost there too, due to the merger.

Anna said...

Whoa...8:07 GMTAing again.

Anonymous said...

We are a wonderful tag-team. Though Dyer thinks we're one and the same. :)

Woodmont said...

Discovery fled MoCo and all we're left with are Shark Week toys :(

Woodmont said...

8:13 AM More votes than you'll ever get in your life, my friend. Don't be a hater.

Robert Dyer said...

8:07: Wrong! Virtually all of the Silver Spring HQ jobs went to Knoxville.

A handful of executives joined other Discovery execs who had already moved to New York.

Again, you apparently believe that the Discovery programs were filmed in the building at Silver Spring. Silver Spring WAS operational, not content. 99.9% of the Discovery jobs in Silver Spring WENT TO KNOXVILLE.

Anonymous said...

Bobby Goes to CVS

Anonymous said...

8:26 AM Mallwalker goes to mall

Anonymous said...

"the Montgomery County Council was taking up all of its time debating whether or not to ban circus animals."

No, it wasn't. You really don't understand multitasking, do you?

Robert Dyer said...

8:57: If they weren't negotiating with Discovery while debating the circus animal ban, then it's not multitasking - you have to actually being doing the other thing for it to count, old sport.

Anonymous said...

"moribundity" -- makes me laugh every time

Anna said...

3:44 PM It sounds like a Dr Seuss word. :)

Roald said...

Looking forward to it!!!! How many sharks toys do you think we can get inside you with the new loub we tried the other night Bobby Big Nuts!! I am gonna clap those cheeks with the sharks in you!!!!! See you tonight sugar nuts!!!! Tell Dorris I appoligioze for the stains on the wall you know Roald has hard time controlling his love juice with my favorite Retarded Bethesda Blogger!!! The over is 3 sharks under 1.5 Ropald is gonna Buss those Retard Booty Cheeks!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

That Hans I Am!

That Hans I Am!

I cannot stand

that Hans I Am!