Take that, Cincinnati: Newport gets indoor-outdoor concert venue

PromoWest CEO Scott Stienecker tried for six years to build an indoor-outdoor concert venue at The Banks, only to be rejected by Cincinnati and Hamilton County leaders last year. On Thursday, Stienecker announced that he would break ground on his $40 million concert venue across the river in Newport to open in late 2020. This sets up a potential competition for young music lovers between PromoWest, which was bought last year by AEG Presents — one of the world’s largest concert promoters — and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which won the bid to build a concert venue at The Banks but faces a stalled timeline for groundbreaking. “It’s been a huge breath of fresh air … dealing with the city of Newport,” Stienecker said. “This facility will be the nicest facility in the country.”