If the pageant's welfare was better served, you had to make a move. Today, it's exactly the situation they're in.

They have no allegiance to Atlantic City whatsoever, other than nostalgia, and that doesn't pay the bills, ... The Miss America pageant has to do what it thinks best serves its interests, and if moving out of Atlantic City does, that's what it should do.

They have no allegiance to Atlantic City whatsoever, other than nostalgia, and that doesn't pay the bills.

The seeds of today's problems were sown three or four decades ago,

It's always been true that the Miss America pageant has to do whatever is necessary for its prosperity and well-being. It's a bad thing, in that they find themselves in a situation where they can no longer afford to be in Atlantic City. But if that's what it takes, they're obligated to keep the program alive.

They wanted us badly. But every time I broached the subject, the board turned me down cold,