RANT: TV coverage, the necessary evolution?
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:24 am
In our quest to reach the currently desired business model (NASCAR), the core fan has been deprived in TV coverage. Especially this year...
In the recent years after ESPN declined/lost the TV coverage of Supercross and Motocross, the usual complaints still stand. The lag between the races and coverage is still the same, only worse. With SX, next day and MX, the following week. It has become slightly more dependable with at least the 450 class since SPEED picked it up, except ironically when NASCAR is on.
One complaint (if you can call it that) is the actual racing has been watered down. We get a 1/2 hour of mostly talk mixed with commercials and then 1/2 hour of main event. While the main event coverage remains the same, we get the addition of Ralph Shaheen. Thanks...thanks a lot. Please put Denny Stephenson in there with 'fro and stop the bleeding! At least put someone in there that is familiar with the sport..and while we're at it...someone please remove Krista Voda permanently. I believe this has already been done, but let's make sure...OK? Erin Bates can do commentary on anything and I'd be happy...
We start the coverage with HEAT #1. Good. HEAT #2 isn't even televised while they give us super-abbreviated highlights of what happened. Not good. Then the SEMI's. Gone...also not good. Not sure how the pro riders feel about it, but it definitely moves the program along and saves the track...a little. During the first half hour of the only hour given is 5 minutes of racing and the rest is filled with...let's call it social type info.
The social info is "let's meet the riders". Here's where the opening statement of this post applies. We are trying to mold our sport into a NASCAR type business model. We are trying to introduce the riders and personalities to assimilate the fan-base to NASCAR. Where we have #4's, #7's, and #14's on the back window of everyone's pickup truck . Hey...maybe even have Calvin peeing on Bubba Stewart's green #7. Sweeeet! Meanwhile, the core fans are saying "Where the F is all the racing!?" Guess what? I LIKE to watch the qualifying. The main event is what it is, the main event, but it is a show in itself how everyone got there.
I can appreciate the change in format to improve the average fans ability to follow our sport. We just need a little more time to do it though. How about an hour and half? That way when they show the same Chad Reed commercial 17 times, we have a little time left to watch the racing.
What happened to the lites TV coverage? I realize everybody and their brother has Tivo, but airing the lites class at 3am Tuesday morning ain't cutting it. The average SX/MX fan can and will pay attention 2 hours straight to watch the 250 AND 450 class races. Make the 250 class and 450 class air back-to-back like ESPN did. THEN, make it next day coverage. I think everyone would agree this is the best thing. It seems so obvious, yet no one in the ranks of this sport seems to see it. AM I ALONE ON THIS ONE?
