The advertisement Dale Robbins wanted to place in The Tampa Tribune didn't contain foul language or sexual innuendo. It didn't promote illegal behavior or products. Heck, it wasn't even naughty enough for Weekly Planet's back pages.

Robbins, general manager of Boating Expositions in Tampa, just wanted to publicize a family event: the 2002 Tampa Bay Boat & Yacht Expo at Tropicana Field. Yet the Trib refused the ad because it contained something even more taboo than nudity and four-letter words. At the bottom of the ad rested the logo of the Trib's primary competitor, the St. Petersburg Times.

"We appealed and went all the way to the publisher. He said, "Look, we decided to draw the line in the sand and we're not going to run our competitor's logo,'" recalls Robbins, whose company's sponsorship agreement with the Times required it to run the logo in all print advertising.

Robbins' advertisement was one of many that have been rejected since the Trib instituted a policy of refusing advertising that features a competitor's logo. Because of the policy, Times-sponsored community organizations, including nonprofits, find it more difficult to get the word out.

One organization shut out of the Trib is Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall. According to Lex Poppens, the theater's director of marketing and communications, the Times sponsors approximately 15 shows per year for which he can't place ads in the Trib — ads that would amount to about $50,000 annually. "It's annoying," said Poppens. "I don't appreciate being caught in the middle of their battles."

Mahaffey Theater's money isn't any good at the Trib, either, thanks to a Times sponsorship. Marketing coordinator Sarah Woosley said she's been forced to yank approximately $30,000 to $50,000 in Trib advertising.

"We have to find ways to skirt the issue because we need to promote these events. It's a difficult position," said Woosley, who would not elaborate for fear of soiling her relationship with the dailies.

Times marketing director Ed Cassidy said this is the first time in his newspaper career that he's heard of anything like the Trib's policy. "I don't think anyone has license to tamper with someone's paid advertising," said Cassidy. "I think they should focus on more important matters, such as their declining circulation and quality of newsprint."

Cassidy added that he believes the Trib's policy applies only to the Times since he has noticed advertising carrying Weekly Planet's logo.

The Times sponsors about 100 events annually by providing cash and advertising. Part of what puts organizations in a difficult position is the newspaper's requirement to be the sole print sponsor, which Cassidy maintains is common among newspaper sponsorships nationwide.

But the area's dominant newspaper is known for being heavy-handed. In 2000, the Times strong-armed the Planet out of the Tampa Bay Blues Fest, according to Eric Snider, associate editor of this newspaper. Although the Planet — which allows ads featuring competitors' logos — fulfilled its sponsorship agreement, festival representatives did not mention the newspaper as a sponsor and reneged on the promise to provide banner space. When Snider asked why the Planet was stiffed, he was told the Times made last-minute demands to be the only print media represented. Chuck Ross, director of the Tampa Bay Blues Fest, had no comment on the issue, saying only that his organization values the Times' sponsorship.

Speculation abounds as to why the Clearwater Jazz Holiday parted ways with the Times after 17 years of marriage. Due to a confidentiality agreement, Clearwater Jazz Holiday chairman Wayne Garcia wouldn't comment on the end of his festival's long-term relationship the Times. The Planet and the Trib co-sponsored last year's Clearwater Jazz Holiday.

While the Times may play a little rough to guarantee sponsorship agreements, the Trib is the only newspaper in the area denying advertising because of logos. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, which is tight with the Trib's marketing department, frequently runs ads in the Times that feature the Trib's logo.

Trib president and publisher Steven M. Weaver did not respond to the Planet's interview requests. However, in an article published in the media trade magazine Editor & Publisher, Weaver stated: "We don't run promotions for competing media. That's reasonably common."

The Trib's hostility toward the Times should come as no surprise. The Tampa Bay area is one of few media markets in the nation where two daily newspapers exist without a Joint Operating Agreement. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the Trib has a daily circulation of 224,921 and Sunday circulation of 298,623 compared to the Times' 352,777 daily and 440,059 on Sunday.

The declining numbers at the Trib could be taking their toll on parent company Media General. According to an April 18 company press release announcing first-quarter earnings, Media General's print properties — which also include the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch and about two dozen smaller publications — failed to match last year's figures. First-quarter publishing revenues were down $8.l-million, from $137-million to $128.9-million.

"I certainly would like to know what the (Media General) shareholders think about this," the Times' Cassidy said of the advertising revenue his competitor declines.

Robbins of Boating Expositions also can't understand why the Trib won't accept his money. "Considering the hit newspapers have taken since Sept. 11, I can't believe they're actually turning money away," he said. "But you have a newspaper war going on and the St. Pete Times is forging ahead."

Freelance writer Trevor Aaronson can be reached at trevoraaronson@yahoo.com.

This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2002.