SEPTA’s University City Station to become Penn Medicine Station in $3.3 million deal

[Thirdrail7]

Naming rights continue for SEPTA.

https://www.inquirer.com/transporta...ty-station-penn-medicine-rename-20200127.html

Penn Medicine will pay $3.3 million over the five-year contract to keep the naming rights — but it’s no first. Penn Medicine Station is SEPTA’s fourth big rebrand in recent memory, with Pattison Station becoming AT&T Station for $5.44 million in 2010 before changing to NRG Station in 2018 for $5.25 million. The former Market East Station was rebranded to Jefferson Station in 2014 for $4 million.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I wish they would stop giving naming rights to hospitals--I keep thinking of all the germs around whenever I get off at Jefferson now, and I never thought twice about them when it was Market East!

 

[MARC Rider]

I wish they would stop giving naming rights to hospitals--I keep thinking of all the germs around whenever I get off at Jefferson now, and I never thought twice about them when it was Market East!

1. They're not "giving" naming rights to the stations, they're selling them. For millions of dollars, and they'll be happy to dump you and name it after someone else if they cough up millions more.
2. I wonder if it's really worth it for the Hospitals/Medical School involved. After all, my first thought when I saw "Jefferson Station" was of the Founding Father, not the university. And it's not like Penn Medicine, a world-renowned medical institution, needs more publicity.
3. How much did spending $4-$5 million affect the budget of the hospitals? The money could have been applied towards providing medical care. (I might say the same thing about AT&T spending the big bucks for naming rights to stations, stadiums, etc. That money could be used to improve their lousy customer service or upgrade their network, increase cell coverage, etc.)
4. I wonder if Johns Hopkins Medicine coughed up cash to have it's subway station in Baltimore named after the institution, or whether the MTA just thought it would make more sense to riders to the the station named after the Hospital rather than calling it "Broadway and McElderry."

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

1. They're not "giving" naming rights to the stations, they're selling them.

I stand corrected--I meant "giving them the chance buy the naming rights." I should have simply said "selling naming rights."

 

[AmtrakBlue]

4. I wonder if Johns Hopkins Medicine coughed up cash to have it's subway station in Baltimore named after the institution, or whether the MTA just thought it would make more sense to riders to the the station named after the Hospital rather than calling it "Broadway and McElderry."

Well, it is right at the hospital, so that makes sense. [emoji57] (I’ll be using that station on Tuesday).

 

[fairviewroad]

...
2. I wonder if it's really worth it for the Hospitals/Medical School involved. After all, my first thought when I saw "Jefferson Station" was of the Founding Father, not the university. And it's not like Penn Medicine, a world-renowned medical institution, needs more publicity.

I completely agree on "Jefferson." Way too generic of a name.

As far as Penn Medicine, I wonder if part of the calculation is to publicize/amplify the fact that you can take the train to their hospital. The more people who arrive on the train, the less parking/traffic congestion for the hospital.

The station offers a one-seat regional rail ride from many southwest Philly suburbs (and some northeast suburbs thanks to thru-running), and an easy/short connection from 30th Street Station for all of the other rail lines. But if you're not familiar with the University City neighborhood, it wouldn't be inherently obvious that you can take a SEPTA regional rail train to the Penn Medicine campus.

I mean, if you could convince just 10-15% more of your patients/guests/employees to arrive via train, it might save or slow the need to build additional parking capacity.