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TV News:
Here is the link everyone has been sending me. Krissie Newman sounds off on David Newton without ever saying his name.
Chad Knaus will be back with Michael Waltrip and Steve Byrnes on Monday's TWIN. All 4 ESPN pit reporters on NASCAR Now.
44 Sprint Cup Series cars entered for Pocono, TV contract requires 43.
Marty Reid, Rusty Wallace and Randy LaJoie call the Montreal ESPN2 Nationwide Series race. Mike Massaro hosts NASCAR Countdown from pit road. Massaro and Wallace then fly to Pocono for Sunday.
No TV coverage for Saturday's 1PM ET ARCA event at Pocono. SPEED showing multiple episodes of Hot Rod TV. Chrissie Wallace driving in race.
SPEED's Tom Jensen on Tradin' Paint with Kyle Petty, who is not driving at Pocono. Kevin Harvick guests on Trackside. Kiefer Sutherland on RaceDay and is also Grand Marshal.
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48 comments:
Deleted my thanks from the TWIN comments and will place it here. :)
I like this new update section. Very handy, indeed!
Thanks, JD
We need a NASCAR TV network with a companion online site....ASAP!
Direct link for Pemberton's conference
http://www.nascar.com/multimedia/webcast/generic/
I missed the first few minutes of Pemberton's conference..I think...but geez...could he look more apathetic and unenthused??
On another note, this house is VERY DEPRESSED to hear ESPN wants to drop IRL for some outdoor station we NEVER watched....sigh. That hurts.
They get no respect. Then again, most non race fans I know think the ONLY race the Indy series runs is the 500!!
Maybe we need a DANICA and Milka reality show since that is all America wants to watch. How about some tv shows TO PROMOTE these drivers and gain some familiarity!
sniff..
Sophia-some folks are just very low-key on camera. :)
I hope that you will be able to watch IRL on whatever channel ends up with the series.
I do not follow the series; but, the fans do have my sympathy on this.
WOW IRL to Versus? Ouch - that hurts - why not Speed? How depressing!
Pemberton pressvideo was interesting. Too bad he didn't apologize like that Sunday. I wish I could have heard the phone calls w/ Goodyear!
SophiaZ123 said...
I missed the first few minutes of Pemberton's conference..I think...but geez...could he look more apathetic and unenthused??
---
He started out a crew chief I think, so he has more the old Chad/Zip/Doug type low key personality. Andy P. & Ray E. seem to be the exceptions.
But his hair!! Yikes - doesn't he own a comb?
Sorry JD if ya wanna delete it its ok - I couldn't resist.
JD- From reading the initial AP report of Ryan P's news conference about the tire issue, it seems to me that NASCAR needs an un-filtered, internet means of communicating directly with fans sooner than ASAP.
EWWW, anything to do with comcast is going to end badly. In addition to limited availability and no real big 4 network to team with.....
I'd like to see it go to speed, but then they will have issues with overlapping race day, or heck they might have to push back an episode of Wrecked or something if a race ran long....
I understand that the IRL may not be getting prime placement or attention on the ABC/ESPN family these days.
I can even understand if Tony George thinks that his league's on air identity is getting too meshed together with Nascar with Marty Reid and pals doing all those Nationwide Races.
Nonetheless - have you checked the cable ratings for the NHL since they did a quasi-exclusive deal with Comcast for Versus (and paid programming time on NBC). Not good, and tough to find in many parts of the country.
What I don't understand is how ESPN would negotiate for an Indy 500 only package. Sure, the race has been on ABC forever, but as a stand alone package with no other serious commitments, others might bid. I'm thinking NBC - which is in horse racing and second tier golf event mode that time of year and has plenty of air to fill.
IRL to versus would be a bad idea. SPEED Channel, or even NBC Sports should bid on it. JD can you please keep us up to date on this IRL topic? I am very interested to see what happens.
I agree NBC would be much better or heck, even TNT!! lol
BUT has ANYBODY noticed the horrible scheduling of the Indy race? To put it up against NASCAR is crazy...If folks are channel surfing across a race, let them come across the Indy race...it needs the viewership and there are lots of NASCAR fans to KNOW when the racing is with the 24/7 prac, quals and pre race shows. :-)
ALso get some new guys in the IRL booth that are INTERESTING, don't fake the excitement, and have a lower octave range than a screaming banchee!! (that todd guy from a few years ago was PAINFUL to listen too!)
But get a consistent group that likes the sport. Heck, if you want a colorful commentator, put Robin Miller in the booth..though he made need a slight correction collar for some of his comments.
ANyway, it's a darn SHAME IRL gets absolutely no respect...they need a bit of a preshow.
If they put the IRL on SPEED, they could cut RD down to one hour and give at least an hour to IRL this Morning show...make everybody happy...NASCAR fans and Indy fans...I'm just saying...not a mandate of course
oh, and I never did hear what the swear word was RP made during the conference.
An update about the IRL tv thing. I guess FOX Sports is looking to make a bid on just the indy 500. Heck. That would make for an intersting day considering the Coke 600 and Indy 500 would be broadcast on the same network.
I believe Versus was the network that had daily updates on the Dakar Rally in 2007 - and did a good job. As a much higher profile property than anything else I'm aware it has, Versus might really give the IRL more attention than ESPN or SPEED. They might actually treat Danica as a person.
JD, I like this new feature on the "News" of the day. Keep it up.
BTW, did anyone here notice that the only Sirius Nascar radio personality that had the cajones to call out Nascar and Goodyear was Mojo Nixon on Manifold Destiny? All the rest, including Moody and Chocolate Myers were being very cagey when talking about the whole Brickyard fiasco. Nixon even said that it's possible Nascar may call for his firing because of what he's been saying, but he didn't care. He felt that Nascar and Goodyear were both at fault and the race was something that never should have happened. Nixon even called out Jimmie Johnson and Earnhardt Jr for their comments that the race wasn't that bad. Finally !!!! Someone who refuses to drink the Kool Aid.
If the IRL exited the ESPN universe and ESPN retained much of the production team,as well as Marty Reid and his pit road team, they would have a golden opportunity to create a separate TV identity for the Nationwide series - something like this
Marty Reid, Randy LaJoie, Vince Welch, Brienne Pettigo?, one more pit reporter and rotating former crew chief.
Mojo Nixon has a car talk show??
OMG!!! he used to be on radio here years ago but got kicked off because he could not keep the "proper sense of decorum" when he got fired up over something! LOL.
I heard him interviewed last week talking how two of his songs were used in primetime (apparently 2 shows of My Name is Earl) What is Mojo doing talking NASCAR?? He never mentioned it on the phone interview here.
he would just be a fill in talk show guest sometimes, but he could be a scream!! he has a good song on youtube about THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND.
But if Mojo was calling out NASCAR, I wanna know where this was...was it a Sirius radio show?? Knowing him, I am guessing yes.
Sorry if this is off topic JD but I just heard Mojo on the radio last week and I am curious.
BUT regarding Jr's comments...Jr gave VERY LITTLE eye contact during his interviews that I saw. I think he was towing the NASCAR line and maybe the HMS line. Jr does not have a lifelong contract to HMS like Gordon.
And Jimmie did win!!
sophia-
Mojo has been with Sirius from the start. He does a show on Tuesday nights on NASCAR 128 called "Manifold Destiny", a show on Raw Dog Thursday night with a name I can't type here and every afternoon he's a dj on Outlaw Country.
Good Morning JD,
Like the Daly News Items. I think it is a good feature to get a quick recap of the news of the day. But better yet, the option to refresh by looking at a previous post from TDP(saves much time) or news item with the links you provide.
I hope we are thinking outside the box here. Thanks again for all you do.
I've been paying attention to ARCA this year because of Scott Speed. Very disappointing that the race won't be covered.
I was upset before the season started to read of the SERIOUS cutback of the ARCA races.
Kind of sad racing doesn't get the ratings of pinks, unique whipes and such.:(
Sophiaz123, I absolutely agree with all of your IndyCar comments and the last about ARCA as well. Especially about Todd Harris, god was he terrible. About as bad as when they had Jason Priestly in the booth calling races. But I do disagree about Marty Reid and Scott Goodyear. I thought it was good to hear Bob Jenkins call a race again this past Saturday. Except for the fact they were not even at the race track! JD, please find out for us why ESPN is failing the IndyCar series lately. To not even send the announce team Edmonton, leaving them in Indianapolis viewing a monitor is a disgrace. Versus would be a disaster for the ICS as far as viewership numbers but they would get better treatment than they are from ESPN. Definitely a sad day when televised poker wins, over open wheel racing on the "The Worldwide Leader in Sports".
@diane--yes Scott is doing quite well for himself! It's definitely a shame that their races aren't covered as much. They definitely put on a good show. I started watching them a few years ago when they used to run the DuQuoin Labor Day race live. Schrader, Smoke and a few others showed up to race, it was fun!
@JD--thanks for this "update" column...I hope we behave and you keep having these. It'll be good to be able to chat about things that are happening but may not need it's own column :)
Please IRL bosses: dump the mouse and the four letter network!!!
You need to be somewhere that won't force you into these travesties called "timed" races.
The ESPN ratings for the Indy race increased 3 percent compared to last year. Somewhat surprising, unless 1) people started tuning in to watch how the race unfolded, out of curiosity or trainwreck value or 2)Since more people are staying home from race venues this year, more people would be watching no matter what. I wonder how or if Indy will affect ratings for Pocono, which isn't an exciting race anyway - I remember Kasey Kahne saying on SPEED one time he wouldn't want to watch the Pocono race on TV!
After the discussion of TNT promos here a while back, I thought it was funny to see the top three highest rated cable shows:
"Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of July 21-27. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:
1. ''The Closer'' (Monday, 9 p.m.), TNT, 5.32 million homes, 7.06 million viewers.
2. NASCAR Sprint Cup (Sunday, 2 p.m.), ESPN, 4.89 million homes, 6.67 million viewers.
3. ''Saving Grace'' (Monday, 10 p.m.), TNT, 3.50 million homes, 4.57 million viewers."
JD -
For the entries you mentioned "TV must have 43 in Cup." What would happen if there wasn't 43?
I too saw the David Newton story. While that's what I've believed is going to happen for some time now, I'd rather see from another source before I take it as fact. Newton is another one that's just about lost all credibility with me this year.
speedangel,
NASCAR would make sure 43 cars got to the racetrack and made it through tech. I will have an open forum next Monday and can explain what a "start and park" ride is and why you will never see them on TV.
JD
To describe VERSUS as "some outdoor channel" ignores what the network has done over the past few years. They now have the NHL, College Football, and College Basketball( all mainstream sports). In addition, they have the Dakar Rally as previously mentioned as well as the Hooters Pro Cup Series. I think they would provide the IndyCar Series with a great level of attention that they would not get from FOX, ESPN/ABC, or even the SPEED(look at their weekday programing, no racing at all other than TWIN)
JD-
Thanks for answering my question.
I'm well aware what a 'start and park' ride is. I just didn't know there was an actual TV provision in place for car count in Cup.
There obviously isn't one for the Truck Series as they've run short at least few times this season, and the NW also ran short once this season too.
Thanks again.
JD- Thank you. You do a really super job - but what really amazes me is that you still keep getting even better. Thank you.
Bob Jenkins had a commitment Sunday as he was in the booth helping announce the B-yard 400 with Doug Rice doing the PBP for the Indy-PRN network. I believe BJ is a regular on the Indy-IRL radio network.
speedangel,
You are right, just for Cup. Welcome aboard, nice nick!
JD
Jon, waht do you mean that the TV contract requires 43 entrants? What happens if less than that enter a race?
They now have the NHL, College Football, and College Basketball( all mainstream sports). In addition, they have the Dakar Rally as previously mentioned as well as the Hooters Pro Cup Series.
-----------------------
Versus also had both live and primetime coverage of the 'Tour de France' bicycle race - with an announcing crew present. The coverage was very good and professional. IMHO when Versus has an event they do a good job of it. I'd welcome the IRL going there.
Saatuk
JD, I also would be very interested in hearing more about this alleged provision that the Cup races must have 43 cars as part of the TV contract. I heard this brought up in '01 after the fall New Hampshire Cup race only ran with 42 cars but as I recall NASCAR and NBC, at least publicly, dispelled it as a myth.
As for Versus, I don't care about the IRL but as I said in another post I would love to see the entire ARCA Series moved to the network. I'm also a fan of the NHL and I loved the move from ESPN/ABC to Versus/NBC. Even though I'd like to see more than the current two games a week during the regular season, during the playoffs I couldn't have asked for anything more than doubleheaders almost every night of the week. When the NHL was on ESPN we were dealing with very limited TV coverage of playoff games. Many nights ESPN and ESPN2 were filled with programming other than live sports, including one memorable night when the ESPN spoof 'Yankees on Trial' pre-empted the NHL playoffs and left a thrilling triple-OT game with no national TV coverage. And a handful of years ago I was extremely displeased when a basketball game forced game 1 of the Western Conference Finals (with my favorite team involved) to be joined-in-progress late in the first period.
I understand the inherit problems with the lower distribution of the Versus network, but selfishly as a viewer with access to the network I'd prefer my sports-of-choice to be on a network like a Versus or even TNT instead of a network over-saturated with tons of other live programming commitments like ESPN.
Stricklinfan,
If you were paying over 20 million for one race, would you want a full field?
JD
I understand the monetary ramifications along with the aspect of being able to say that there's a 'full field', but my initial response to that is the quality over quantity argument. It's not like they're showing/talking about all 43 cars during the race as it is.
Stricklinfan,
If you were paying over 20 million for one race, would you want a full field?
JD
First of all JD you and I both know darn well with the money involved just to start a Cup race we'll never see another Cup race with less than 43 cars, barring unforseen circumstances like a last-second withdrawal of an already qualified car the morning of a race, or the events surrounding the setting of the starting lineup for that 2001 New Hampshire race that was postponed by 9/11 that I referenced earlier. One only needs to revisit 2004 and the James Finch-Joe Ruttman joke to know that, but hypothetically speaking....
If ESPN's contract negotiator got that kind of clause in the contract and the network gets some kind of discount if 42 cars show up one week that was absolutely brilliant negotiating because they just got a major steal, in my opinion.
Unless major teams like Hendrick and Gibbs start pulling out or unless the field drops down to 20 or 30 cars I personally don't see it being a major issue worthy of that kind of financial compensation (or whatever you say the TV networks would get in return).
If the Front Row #34 and the Michael Waltrip Racing #00 pull out of Pocono because of sponsorship woes and they start 42 cars do you think it would it make any difference to the quality of the race? I certainly don't. On the flip side if those withdrawals occur and Furniture Row Racing enters a second start-and-park car for Kenny Wallace to fill that 43rd spot do you think it would make it a better race than the 42 car race? I certainly don't.
Kudos to the TV executives if they get a payoff or whatever you're implying they get because only 42 cars show up because a couple bottom-tiered teams withdraw from a race, because in actuality you and I both know there's no actual difference between a race with 42 real cars and a race with 42 real cars and Derrike Cope doing some "valet driving" (as Randy LaJoie would put it) in a 43rd car. That would have been brilliant negotiating to make an issue out of something common sense tells us would be a non-issue, and making sure to get yourself compensated were that non-issue to occur.
stricklinfan,
You are thinking way too hard and way too deep. 43 cars start Cup races for TV...period.
The reason I brought it up is because in the past you (NASCAR)could just get someone with an older car or encourage ($) a regional team or Nationwide team to "move on up."
Now, we have the COT in play and there is no such thing as an old COT hanging around that someone can tow to the track for a "start and park."
Just trying to keep things interesting. Don't hurt yourself on this one. Just be aware that there may be some teams that park permanently for the season once The Chase begins...that is the buzz.
JD
WOW! JD that is interesting.
Then again, many drivers and fans thought the top drivers should RACE for the Chase !! Guess they might get their wish but this all sounds scary for some teams.
Re: JD -
Interesting thread here on the 43 cars. You may have unintentionally started a commentary that's going to live for a while.
Despite your suggestion to Stricklinfan82 to "don't hurt yourself on this one", I think there will be, and is, a lot of interest, and concern if indeed some full time teams park themselves once the Playoff,(excuse me, Chase), begins. I think it possibly could change the racing dynamic. It certainly will generate a lot of "opinion expressing"; here and elsewhere across the Internet.
Now this discussion may be just worrying that the sky might fall, but you say there is already a "buzz" about it. I will be watching for the developments. Or, as one of the "improved from 2007" TV personalities would say, I will watch to "see how this all plays out"!
Be careful what you write. Sometimes there are unintended comment threads!
Why are we worrying over 44 cars entered? It used to be like this for years. After all this race is Pocono. Nothing real special about it in my mind. Why should teams based in North Carolina make the trek up north for just another race?
JD,
Now that Pandora's box is open. My thought was when I saw your sentence about the 43 car TV deal was, why not let all 44 cars start? Somehow adjust the money/points for this one time. Run X laps, get X much for that last place driver. I already feel badly for whoever is going home.
I won't mention this again until it's time. JD, when you do your 'real" column, please touch on how the entries work, costs, if teams know ahead of time how many will be there, etc. If you don't mind. Thanks. You're the best.
JD- The teams running now all have an inventory of COT's and if there is the prospect of a modified COT for later this year or for next year, then various teams might have an incentive to sell an "old" COT to someone for a fill-in OR teams with less than 4 full-time cars (like RCR) might field a 4th if the prize money is worth it. I can envision a lot of scenarios where a stronger team might be willing to sell or lend a car to a part-time driver -- like RCR lending a car to Kirk Shelmerdine or, we could hope, to Morgan Shepherd.
Guys,
Let's suspend the 43 discussion for the weekend. I will be happy to revisit this issue on Monday when I have an open forum for questions all day long.
In the meantime, there are two new columns up and I will add a new news and link page on Friday
Thanks as always,
JD
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