"Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

"How do you feel when you turn on your television or go to a movie theater, and see a story supposedly set in New York that was clearly made in some other city? Amused? Embarrassed? Appalled? As New Yorkers, we know that there's just no substitute for the real thing.

"Well, thanks to the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting, and the 'Made in NY' program it launched two years ago, the city is playing itself on screen more and more these days. In the last year alone, we hosted more than 350 film and TV productions. The number of "shooting days" was double what it was in 2002, and reached an all-time high.

"That's great news for everyone who works in TV and film production-not only actors, but also carpenters, caterers, electricians, musicians, drivers, and others. Film and TV production is a $5 billion a year industry that supports 100,000 jobs in all five boroughs. The recent increase in production is a big factor in why we've created more than 56,000 new private sector jobs in the last 12 months.

'Made in NY' provides three incentives for films and TV production companies that complete at least 75% of their production in our city. They get a 5% refundable tax credit from the City… a 10% tax credit from the State… and free advertising on such City-owned spaces as bus shelters. In fact, we're the only place in the world that offers that kind of free advertising-but the reality is that every film or TV show set in our city is giving us free advertising, too. So it's a great deal for New York.

"In fact, 'Made in NY' has been so successful that in a few days, we'll be asking the City Council to extend the City's portion of the tax credit through 2011, and more than double the pool of City funds committed to the credit program, to $30 million a year. Add to that a recent State extension of its 10% tax credit, and this will provide $60 million a year for qualified productions. Those incentives will keep the cameras rolling in all five boroughs.

"Continuing to diversify our economy is a major element of our strategy to increase jobs and opportunity for all New Yorkers. We're focusing on encouraging our growth industries, including tourism and the bioscience industries. Our Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting does an outstanding job of keeping TV and film production at the top of that list, too. It provides producers with free permits, public locations, and police assistance, while at the same time making sure that on-location shooting doesn't become a burden for neighborhood residents.

"All these efforts-combined with the 'Made in NY' program-are really paying off. Just think: It wasn't so long ago that you'd see cities like Toronto and Prague standing in for New York on the screen. Now, film production is so popular here that we're playing the role of other cities. Martin Scorcese's upcoming feature, The Departed, which is set in Boston, is being shot in New York City. Take that, Red Sox!

"This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Thanks for listening."