economic downturn

Memphis Called Third "Emptiest" City in America

Mike Osborne — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:30:55 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Memphis is being called one of the "emptiest" cities in America.

CNBC reporter Paul Toscano compiled a list of the cities suffering the worst problem with empty houses. Toscano created the list using information from the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2011 data includes empty rental properties as well as empty homes for sale.

The reporter ranked Memphis as the third emptiest city in the nation. Fifteen percent of all rental properties in Memphis are unoccupied. Just over three percent of homes for sale are empty.

Tennessee Works: The Non-Profit Sector

Mike Osborne — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:12:57 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- WMOT News continues to look for those few thin slices of the Tennessee economy that prospered during the economic downturn. It’s part of series of stories we’re calling Tennessee Works.

Today, a look at the state’s non-profit sector with Lewis Lavine, President of the Center for Non-Profit Management in Nashville.

Levine says Tennessee non-profits did surprisingly well in the downturn. He says, for example, that more restaurants went out of business than did non-profit agencies.

Tennessee Works: Discount Retailers

Mike Osborne — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:36:10 +0000

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- WMOT News continues to search out those thin slices of the Tennessee economy that prospered during the economic downturn.

One sector that did reasonably well was what might be called low-end, or discount retailers. Chains like Walmart saw sales remain steady or even increase during the downturn as jittery shoppers looked to discount stores to help them stretch every dollar.