New Mexico to Give $100K to ‘The Bachelor’

SANTA FE, N.M. – There is now a state element to wooing “The Bachelor.”

The New Mexico Tourism Department is joining the Santa Fe City Council in the dating pool for the ABC reality TV series.

“We’re really excited,” said Rebecca Latham, communications director for the tourism department, who confirmed Monday the state agency will pay $50,000 to the show’s producers. In return, the producers agreed to tape a two-hour episode of the show at various locations in the state capital this fall.

The Santa Fe City Council originally committed up to $100,000 for the effort, but Randy Randall, director of the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau,told the Santa Fe New Mexican the city won’t pay more than $50,000.

All told, $100,000 in public money from New Mexico will be spent.

“A 30-second ad during ‘The Bachelor’ would run about $200,000, and we really feel it’s a steal to get it at $50,000 in front of a huge prime-time viewership for two hours,” Latham told New Mexico Watchdog.

The $50,000 purchase will not include any commercials promoting New Mexico tourism, but Latham said the exposure makes the expenditure of taxpayers dollars a good investment. The $50,000 will come out of the New Mexico Tourism Department’s $7 million annual advertising budget, Latham said.

The show, which debuted in 2002, features one bachelor choosing a potential wife from a pool of 25 women, and culminates with a choreographed ceremony with the husband-to-be offering his choice a red rose. “The Bachelor” is one of ABC’s highest-rated shows, drawing 14.3 million viewers last season.

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