Was A National TV Show Rude To This Local NY Mayor?

It’s true that New York is preparing for an enormous influx of out-of-state travelers to view the solar eclipse on April 8th. However, one huge national morning program seemed to imply that a local mayor’s thoughts about the impact of the event on his city were delusional. 

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Cities in the eclipse path of totality, like Plattsburgh, Lake Placid, Old Forge, Watertown, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Jamestown are bracing for millions to arrive over the weekend. Although plenty of warnings have been sent out from these areas about traffic and cell service (among other things), many New York cities are excited about the massive amount of money these travelers will spend. 

READ MORE: Warning: Disaster Expected After Eclipse In Parts Of New York

According to a recent report on CBS Mornings, the solar eclipse is expected to bring in an estimated $1 billion to local economies in the eclipse path. One of these cities, Rochester, New York, was featured in the CBS segment discussing the financial boom.  

Rochester, New York Mayor Featured On CBS Mornings

CBS’s Nancy Chen traveled to Rochester to report on the incoming “Eclipse Tourism,” sitting down with Rohrbach Brewing owner John Urlaub to discuss their eclipse-themed beer, Dan Schneiderman of the Rochester Museum and Science Center on the various events they’ll be throwing for the eclipse, and mayor Malik Evans on the opportunities these visitors could bring to the city.

When asked how it felt to be the mayor of Rochester during this time, Evans described it as “humbling,” and expressed his hope that it will impact generations to come.

“(The eclipse) is a great opportunity to market our city from an economic development standpoint, but also as a place where people may want to live one day. I’m hoping that someone can say, ‘I chose to live in Rochester because I was there during that eclipse, and I decided to never go home.’”

The segment immediately transitioned to Chen back in the CBS studios, surrounded by the morning hosts hysterically laughing. 

Chen shrugs while also giggling and says, “You never know,” with one of the hosts quipping, “We’re a little skeptical about that!”

Gayle King tried to diffuse the situation a few seconds later, adding “But I do love that the mayor is a big cheerleader for it.”

Was CBS Mornings Rude To Rochester?

Frankly, as someone who lived in Rochester for many years and spends a lot of time there, I’m a little miffed at CBS Mornings’ flippant attitude toward living there. 

Just like Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, and even their precious New York City, Rochester definitely has their share of problems they need to work on. And yes, admittingly, people deciding to uproot and move to the area just because they visited the area during the eclipse seems like a stretch. 

But their blatant laughter at the thought of people wanting to live there seems pretty disrespectful, not just of Rochester, but other cities in Upstate New York and their citizens. It’s kind of an unspoken rule, after all: We can say bad things about our cities all we want, but if someone who doesn’t live here does, watch out. 

Watch the awkward moment below (around the 2:50 mark) and decide for yourself: