‘Trauma’ flatlines in The City
By: Joshua Sabatini
Examiner Staff Writer
October 29, 2009
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| Revenue stream: The NBC drama “Trauma” brought in about $3 million in spending for each episode film in S.F. (Examiner file photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — The plug was pulled on the television drama filming on location in San Francisco, killing the prospect of a long-term economic boost for The City.
NBC Universal began filming in September for 13 episodes of the new series “Trauma,” but that’s all there will be.
City officials hoped the show would have high ratings and the on-location filming would continue for years. The San Francisco Film Office estimated that the local economy is infused with about $3 million per episode.
“Trauma” was the first TV series filmed in San Francisco since “Nash Bridges” went off the air in 2001. It was also the kind of activity city officials were hoping to attract with a rebate program established in 2006, after San Francisco’s filming industry collapsed.
The industry boomed in the 1990s and reached an all-time low in 2003. Between 2001 and 2006, 1,099 jobs were lost, along with more than
$123 million in spending and more than $8.4 million in tax revenue, according to a Film Commission report.
