RALEIGH _ Raleigh's city council kept its preference for Bud Light quiet when it voted in secret last week to explore giving the lager naming rights to the city's new downtown amphitheater.
Now, the three members of the N.C. Alcohol Beverage Control Commission want to hear from the public before they meet in June to decide whether the city's new amphitheater can be named after a beer.
If the sponsorship deal is approved, it'd be a first for North Carolina.
"Establishing a precedent in naming an entertainment venue for an alcohol product is something that we do not take lightly," said Jon Williams, the chairman of the state ABC Commission.
The state's liquor laws set strict rules for how alcohol is sold, bought and advertised in the state. In general, companies in the alcohol industry can't pay or give a retail establishment anything of value, according to Agnes Stevens, the ABC Commissions spokeswoman.
The city of Raleigh runs the amphitheater and would need an exemption from the ABC commissioners to accept payment for the Bud Light sponsorship.
Read this story on newsobserver.com