The Project (cont'd)

Later, this assertion was tempered, and articles in the Providence Journal refer to an area that is "twice," "roughly twice," or "more than twice" the size of the Rockefeller Center ice rink. Interestingly enough, however, the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau continue the myth of thrice the size in one of their 2003 brochures: "Three times larger than New York's Rockefeller Center, this outdoor skating center in the heart of downtown Providence offers ice skating in the cooler months and inline skating in the warmer months."

The idea that the Fleet Skating Rink have a television station on the spot seems indebted to the "Live from Rockefeller Center" Today show. In 1998 the city of Providence partnered with Channel 10, which was to broadcast from the skating center with the rink as a backdrop. Nancy Derrig, Parks Superintendent and the one who supervised the project until it was transferred to the Civic Center Authority, stated that "What the station gets is to partner with the biggest news of the year."

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