"Boom Goes The Dynamite" is one of the most popular viral sports videos of all time. Former Ball State University student Brian Collins will live on forever in the YouTube world. The clip shows the total meltdown of a TV sports broadcast, but Collins puts the video over the top with his now infamous line toward the end.
What this video shows is a situation where things are just going so wrong it's painful to watch. On Tuesday afternoon the FOX Media Group officially signed a TV deal with Major League Baseball. Just like that, the SPEED network's fate was sealed. It will cease to exist and become the FOX Sports 1 cable network in 2013.
Boom goes the dynamite.
Here is an excerpt from Joe Flint's outstanding "Company Town" column from the Los Angeles Times:
The new contracts take effect at the start of the 2014 season and run through 2021. FOX's rights fees will go from a per-season average of about $257 million to $495 million. The deal also clears the way for FOX to use baseball for a new national sports cable channel it is planning to launch in the summer of 2013.
FOX also received broad rights to baseball highlights that could be used for a sports news program similar to ESPN's "SportsCenter." While FOX has declined to comment on its planned channel, people familiar with the matter said the company will convert its niche sports channel called SPEED into a broad-based sports network.
Besides baseball, Fox will also put NASCAR racing, college football, soccer and Ultimate Fighting on its cable channel. The working name for the channel is Fox Sports 1.
Well, there you have it. The baseball game of the week slated for the FOX Sports 1 network is going to be on Saturdays, either at 4 or 7PM Eastern Time. As Flint's column mentioned, FOX will also use the new network for college football on Saturdays as well.
While those sports put FOX out of the mix for a future bid on the Nationwide Series, it does keep hope alive that the Camping World Trucks may survive the cut. The trucks have given SPEED it's only major NASCAR series carried by the network from start to finish for many years.
These tentative plans also seem to suggest an end to the type of all-inclusive TV coverage from the Sprint Cup Series tracks of Saturday activities seen on SPEED in the past. A FOX Sports 1 commitment to both Major League Baseball and college football would add Saturday telecasts throughout most of the NASCAR season.
It's unclear why a mediocre sport like baseball would draw this kind of national TV interest. Like hockey, baseball has traditionally been a regional TV sport up until the playoffs. There are an endless array of MLB games already available on regional sports networks, home satellite and online services. It's a bit of a head-scratcher.
Our primary concern is the confirmation that SPEED will be ending. Flint was the first to offer a timeline for the transition in mentioning next summer. Since it would be impossible to begin 2013 NASCAR coverage in February and then end it in late April for baseball, we can perhaps speculate that this may be the final season for some familiar NASCAR programming and some familiar NASCAR faces on SPEED.
Change in sports television is almost always awkward. There is also little doubt more significant changes in NASCAR's future TV plans are on the way. The tough part is, despite all its faults, SPEED has done the heavy-lifting for NASCAR's TV needs for a very long time.
It still seems strange to believe it all may be over when the current NASCAR racing season ends. But as young Mr. Collins would say: "Boom goes the dynamite!"
We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.
Click here for a story on what happened to Collins on this fateful night, where he is now and his level of media involvement.
98 comments:
It's time for a NASCAR only channel all of the other major sports have one why is NASCAR lagging behind?
Just a few years ago, this would have been devastating news - "What??? No more WRC Rally? No more ALMS? What about Wind Tunnel?" But today...
Oh well, looks like the excess NASCAR "Trackside" shows will move to, what, ESPN2? Maybe just a webcast now? Who knows. More importantly, who genuinely cares?
Junk shows like "Hard Parts" were the last nail in the coffin. SPEED's been dead for some time now, so let's just throw some dirt on the casket and move on.
How would the Nationwide Series even fit into Fox Sports 1's schedule? Almost all of the Nationwide races are on Saturdays, and it sounds like Fox Sports 1 will have a Saturday schedule full of baseball and college football, especially when they overlap during the month of September. If NASCAR is willing to split the Nationwide rights up and only give Fox Sports 1 the first half of the season, then it might work. I imagine they would probably run the Nationwide Series during the day, immediately followed by baseball in the evening. Some other network would surely have to take the rights for the second half of the season, I would think. (Unless maybe they would air baseball on the main Fox network in September to free up room on Fox Sports 1's schedule.)
You're pretty harsh on baseball there; they've had a national presence for almost the entire past decade with nationally televised games on ESPN/Fox/TBS/MLB Network every single day of the week. Pretty much the only other pro sport with more national TV coverage is the NFL, and it doesn't look like Fox was able to get them on board for Fox Sports 1, so baseball is easily the next best thing. (And yes, I'm being defensive of MLB because it has become my favorite sport ever since NASCAR took a nosedive in my heart over the past few years. I wouldn't call baseball "mediocre" at all.)
Sad that this is what NASCAR programming has come to, hopefully they can find a way to keep the weekend NASCAR programming one way or another. Any idea what this would mean for shows like Race Hub during the week?
I'm having a hard time seeing this Fox Sports 1 channel. Right now, I watch SPEED more than any other channel and while I see some NASCAR coverage going away, I don't see practice, qualifying and a weekly show leaving. Also keep in mind just what SPEED has on...Formula 1, Grand-Am, MotoGP, the Truck Series, All-Star race, Gearz, SpeedCenter and more. I wonder were all those go including the fact the F1 is a big deal deal. I guess I just don't see it.
Mediocre sport like baseball? You're better than that, John, than to take shots at other sports because it will cut into racing coverage.
One more note, I wonder since NASCAR has the rights back for NASCAR.com and more in 2013 that practice, qualifying, daily shows and more content will be online (for example: watchESPN) instead of just on TV. But like I said in my earlier comment, I don't see it.
Well I'll miss the racing but this makes yours and my life easier,less crappy fox shows to watch and record and fast forward through.
Any chance you can can come back to TV and fix all this mess J.D.?
with Speed becoming Fox Sports One, i can see NASCAr just severing their tides with Fox and move back to NBC which now has a larger clout with trying to gain NASCAR with NBCUniversal now owned by Comcast. NBC needs NASCAR more these days, they could air the Trucks on NBC Sports Net and maybe steal away the Nationwide series from ESPN who sucks at NASCAR right now, plus they could become a player in auto racing and put it on a retooled G4TV which is gonna become a SpikeTV like network soon.
an NBC/NBC Sports Network/G4 deal would beneficial for both NBCUNiversal and NASCAR. hell, even NASCAR could just buy out G4TV and convert it into a 324/7 NASCAR and other NASCAR owned auto racing TV Channel.
Speed was a good channel but Fox ruined it when they decided to tinker with the channel's format.
so it's time for Mike, Larry and DW and Company to part ways with Fox and head over to ether TNT, ESPN or if NBC steals NASCAR away from Fox, NBC.
You would think that a 2nd sports channel would give bspn some competition and actually improve sports coverage. Unfortunately, what will happen is each network will see who can have the best "shock jock" broadcasters with their brand of humor and biasness. For those that want a na$car channel, the garbage that Mr. Haney would try to tell you that this is what you want would be so bad, I do not even want to think about it. At least we will get some cake. MC
The other issue will likely be the fate of Fuel. Fuel, which had been an action-sports channel, had become the UFC channel. Could Fuel TV become the new home of NASCAR also?
A year or so ago I stated I'd be surprised to see the truck series last past 2015. This may be the final nail in that series' coffin.
Sad to see, especially when the racing in that series in better than the fake chase for the cup.
It obvious that this is why NASCAR is wanting to negotiate now for a new contract. They know their value just took a huge hit.
Mr Editor -
Interesting and perhaps an indication of NASCAR'S future media endeavors is this paragraph from the LA Times 'Company Town' column: "As part of the deal, Fox, ESPN and TBS now also have the ability to stream games online. However, consumers will have to already be subscribers to a pay-TV distributor in order to watch games online." With the ascension of Brian France to lead NASCAR, it's become all about the bucks. To paraphrase those most famous words in motorsports, "Fans, reach deep in your wallets" ...pitiful, pitiful
Walter
The mediocre reference is a bit harsh, don't you think? I don't watch it myself, but I don't think I'd refer to it as 'mediocre', unless that's in terms of national ratings. All stick & ball sports are somewhat regional since the teams are 'city' based. They divvy up the games you see that are not in your location. But apparently a lot of interest is now coming from gambling and fantasy sports, two things that I don't get at all...but I digress...
I don't want to lose practice & qualifying, and I don't want to lose the Trucks. If they stay on someplace, I'd be happy. And what are the ratings for, say FX during the middle of the day? Just wondering if Fox could choose to use their other networks. They used to have some stuff on the regional Fox Sports Networks...to be honest, I have no idea what number that is on my dial...Weren't they the ones who first showed 'Totally NASCAR'?
Sorry anon 7:20...but yesterday's Sports Business Journal told another story--the value is expected to *increase* due to more bidding competition.
All I can say is that losing SPEED and its coverage of NASCAR was a very poor decision which cuts me to the quick. What a stupid move!
"Auto Journalist,"
There will be a time when someone throws dirt on your "professional" casket and it's time to "move on."
NASCAR Media Group recently laid off over 30 production people, many of them friends, and nobody cared. It wasn't a story covered by the Daly Planet, or any other media.
Nobody will care when people will be laid off here...in front of, or behind the cameras. As announcers, we don't "sever ties" at will.
It's a time of transition for all of us here at SPEED. Despite all the negative comments and derision, I'm proud to work here, and proud of my teammates.
Steve Byrnes
Host, NASCAR RaceHub
Do you think anyone in NASCAR is actually following this story to realize the impact that it will have on NASCAR's TV coverage?
I'd like to think someone is and will therefore give some thought to what decisions they make BEFORE they sign on the dotted line.
Unfortunately, I find that unlikely and it will be more "show me the money" than "is this a good idea?"
My reality for the past few years though is that I had stopped watching many of the ancillary programs for NASCAR. I used to watch practice, qualifying, trackside and the other NASCAR programming until Speed/Fox dumbed it down to the lowest common denominator and they lost me as a viewer.
I will contact my cable provider at the end of the year to find out whether or not I can change tiers and pay less.
I am sad for the many people that I enjoyed at Speed - like Steve Byrnes and Krista Voda. They did a wonderful job and it's not their fault that whoever was driving the things is an idiot.
JD, i'm willing MLB forced Fox to increase their Sat. package by dangling NBC as their plan B, so for Fox to keep post-season,create a Saturday package for $$.
F1 i said before and say again, their time of day and Fox interest in F1 internationally should keep it there with minimal change. The English Soccer contract could be another Saturday issue. If Fox keeps their US rights being given out shortly, that could fill their Saturday morning and early afternoon time on FS1,bumping more Sat. time for motorsports away.
Probably the worse thing to happen to NASCAR during the last year is their being one of the last major properties to be up for bid. The major players have filled their hours with other sports,leaving NASCAR to have their 3 series shoved into less available time slots. For Sprint Cup races, there is a market, but the other 2 series and non racing activity has limited options right now.
If any sport in this country is "mediocre" its NASCAR and autoracing in general. SPEED channel has not done enough to promote autoracing in general. Patti Wheeler left because she could see the writing on the wall. Autoracing is boring especially NASCAR practice and qualifying. FOX will be able to make more money with baseball and college football and utilize all 24 hours in the day to compete against ESPN for sports highlights and programming.
Steve Byrnes, I appreciate you stopping by to comment. Actually, a lot of us DO care. We care about you guys, as over the years we have become like family. Hell, some of us have been lucky enough to have met you, or known you on some basis. But we also care about where the sport is headed in terms of watching on TV. Brian France has destroyed any integrity built up by his father and grand father, but the mainstream media hasn't done any favors either. You have been, in my opinion, a professioanl who also happens to be a fan. Being laid off sucks, no doubt about it. But couldn't someone in the media have pulled Brian aside, and said something? At least have him listen? What ESPN has done over the years is over-saturate the market, and what happens is no matter what sport they cover, it gets cut off, shifted to another channel, or just plain left off the schedule. Now FOX wants to do the same thing? Doesn't anyone have a brain anymore?
To Steve Byrnes -
Actually, I do care that several of my friends at SPEED will have to find work elsewhere. Not just on-screen talent, but those who work all week at the track keeping the website updated with news and interviews. I've worked alongside some of these people for more than a decade, and would never wish any ill on a friend. (More on that below.) I've also enjoyed watching you since your days with Ned Jarrett in the mid-'80s on Inside NASCAR (man, that was a great show) - so, none of us just came to this recently.
The cold shoulder you sense here has nothing to do with you or anyone on your production staff - the men and women who actually make your show one of the few things on SPEED worth watching. It's the upper management at Fox Sports that I (and many others, I think) take issue with. You didn't screw up the programming on SPEED, and neither did any of your camera operators or sound guys or pit reporters.
I appreciate - seriously - your disclosing the layoffs from NASCAR Media Group. As you said, it's things like this that aren't reported, so how does anyone have an idea what's going on in the offices down there?
My concern for auto racing coverage in America includes NASCAR, but it also includes NHRA, sports cars, Indy, practically anything with wheels. The people who bring racing to the living room aren't just faces on a screen to me - they're colleagues and friends, and my hope is that maybe (just MAYBE) we might see a network develop in the next couple of years that puts motorsports front and center, rather than working it in between game shows and "reality" programming.
The negativity isn't for your or your staff and colleagues, Steve. It's for the bosses who ruined your network. We all love racing, and we all hate to see this happening.
What a shame. Really feel for the on-air and production folks this move will put out of work.
Is their another on-air viewing platform for RaceDay to land? I always thought they did a great job of making whatever track they were at seem special and pulling the viewers in.
Does NASCAR really want to let that show go?
The new mlb tv deal doesn't start till 2014, so they would not have to change speed until then right?
okay..who is ready to contribute to a new racing channel? I believe I will start up the collections on kickstarter.com "For Racing Fans, BY RACING FANS"
Baseball been berry berry good to me!
Sorry, but baseball has always been there for me. Most NASCAR fans also like other sports.
In America the market decides. If all-NASCAR programming on Speed made tons of moolah, we'd still have it in the future.
I may be the only person who watches & loves it, but no more Barrett-Jackson probably.
Auto Journalist, I can't resist . . .
Or in the infamous words of Marty Reid, "That hammering sound you hear is the nail on the, final... coffin... "
I still remember how cool it was to have Speedvision on DirecTV when it launched in the late 90's and stopping by their booth at TMS. Still got a Speedvision lanyard,koozie and shirt they were giving away at the time.
It's a shame how it has played out. Instead of a channel that could have been racing 24/7 it turned into programming to the lowest common denominator with stupid,fake "reality" shows. The strategy of benign neglect was successful.
I really feel sorry for all of those good people who worked so hard to build something they could be proud of only to see it destroyed by suits who know nothing about motor sports. Thank you for the good days of coverage and hopefully things work out for them.
We will have to wait and see how the current programs fit in with all these new sports coming to Fox Sports 1. I hope the Trucks are protected for the next 2 years (I'm not sure if that contract is the same as the others). That has been the best thing on SPEED for years.
It's sad this path came true. SPEED demolished itself over the years. I don't see FOX Sports 1 becoming as significant as ESPN. How much analysis is necessary for the same sports? But there is still hope for motorsports. TNN passed the bar to SPEED, hopefully the bar is passed to another channel dedicated to motorsports. Veolcity could get a nice boost showing more than classic cars and paid programming.
Pretty cool Steve Byrnes stopped by.
Have to add that MLB is hardly mediocre and NOT only regional. I guess that you dont watch any other channel huh JD? MLB is on somewhere every night of the week and MLB.TV is very popular. They are, or were the second most watched sport on television.
Couldnt the argument be made that NASCAR is a regional sport?
Moving on- it now seems that NASCAR is the only sports without its own channel. Even soccer has at least two channels and WWF proposed a channel. Blame it on the powers that be in Daytona and Charlotte and possibly Bristol.
It will all work out. Right now ESPN can tell NASCAR when to start races. Cup race telecasts start at 1pm with green flag after 2pm eastern even though NASCAR had mandated races begin at 1PM and all Chase be on network TV. Nationwide races start at 4PM AFTER a college football ends. SO who's putting the cart before the horse?
NASCAR will be on SPEED/FS1 next year, only my opinion and all should be ok. DO not rule out CBS SN or NBC SN in 2014.
Steve Brynes wrote: "...It's a time of transition for all of us here at SPEED...."
That is true, Steve, and I do care when people in the industry get fired, put at liberty, on hiatus, laid off or whatever is the currently stylish euphemism. Been there. Been done to. In my case most memorably as part of CBS's "Rural Massacre" of 1971. Wuddn't no fun.
I would ask that you remember it is also a time of transition for us. By definition you and your colleagues at SPEED, particularly, and in the broader racing media universe, generally, do not ply your trade in a vacuum. We are part of it, too and it is not comfortable for us either. This tiny fact is something I feel the suits at the networks, the cable operations and most of all at The Palace have forgotten or have chosen to ignore at least partially in the belief that if one or a hundred or more of us leave that thousands are beating at the door to get in and take our place. The existence of such replacement folk is not in my judgement the case with NASCAR today so in the end everyone will end up losers.
I would take a bit of issue about your saying the NMG layoffs were not covered anywhere including on this blog. They were covered here. I've been landing on the Planet regularly for some time and JD did cover it. Perhaps others did not and that is no surprise. I have noticed over the decades the media affected is the last place to look for news about what occurred within that media segment-- something I tend to chalk up as a don't speak of the Devil attitude of "if we mention what happened it might happen to us."
JOSPUM said...
All I can say is that losing SPEED and its coverage of NASCAR was a very poor decision which cuts me to the quick. What a stupid move!
======================
Jospum, there is no evidence that NASCAR coverage is going anywhere - have to wait til next year.
Mr. Byrnes, I feel for you and all media professionals who've seen their industry shrinking. Be thankful you don't work solely in radio. Or newsprint. I expect NASCAR to move everything online eventually. Especially if the 2013 car does nothing to improve the racing action. Boredom for 250 laps and excitement for only 30 is no way to keep a sport alive. Someone just told me the NHL is on strike and I can't even remember the last time I thought about hockey. That, too, is a sport presented on TV in such a way it's like watching a pot of water come to a boil. Hockey is a way of life in Canada, much the same way NASCAR is to the south. And if Brian France ever gets over his embarrassment of having built an empire from redneck money someone might be able to revive the sport by embracing the NASCAR lifestyle instead of the plastic gleam they work so hard to polish the sport into.
I hope once the dust settles, they'll still find a place for Racehub, practice, qualifying, and the truck & sports car programming, and F1. They've built a cast of mostly great professionals; the failure was in the rest of the programming and messing with what was good. Fox has a lot of outlets. I believe SPEED (not FOX) has done a good job with that programming and I hope it has enough of an audience to find a place *somewhere*....and to keep as many of those people gainfully employed as possible. Yes, I watch it all as it does not usually conflict with other things. Friday afternoon/evening & Saturday morning you would think would not be big ratings getters anyways (and Saturday nights were the lowest rated night of the week historically.)
Personally, I don't see the demise of NASCAR in the short term. There are still millions of people watching each race, including me; I have plenty of other ‘hobbies’ and sports that I watch, but that hasn’t left me to not watch racing (wow, Larry Mac’s double negatives are wearing off on me….but that was for emphasis…). Some of those people think coverage is just great. Yes, I grumble and complain about various ‘analysts’ but yes, I’m still there. Perhaps I multi-task more than I used to. I think ESPN had made efforts to improve, and FOX has only gotten worse with all things Waltrip. I believe NASCAR has also mismanaged itself, and part of it included their TV partners. They ought to have required more accountability, and have been less afraid of criticism. Unlike a certain driver we know of, it is obvious to me that criticism is *needed* in sports, and the NFL thrives despite certain debacles that have occured over the years. Every network with football has hours of analysis—some of it pretty harsh (huge overkill, but people still watch, apparently.) Yet you rarely hear anyone saying on TV that NASCAR did this or that wrong, at least not about anything significant. Never calling out France like they have Goodell or the owners. Always a pet peeve of mine. We need more “Pit Bulls” and less sunshine & lollipops. SPEED could have provided that had they been allowed to.
Most of us knew that eventually, interest would level off and maybe decrease a bit from the big heyday. Unfortunately, the economy has thrown a monkey wrench into the works; I think it was more dramatic that what was expected. It hurt especially in terms of filling up the racetracks and keeping sponsors. Then, reality programming became popular at a time when networks needed to save money, so it was a cheap & easy alternative for them. It’s not that I can’t understand Fox’s position in terms of business. But I think they messed up SPEED and now they’re washing their hands of it. Sad.
I am die hard race fan. NASCAR was my first exposure as my grandfather sold re-capped racing tires at Bowman Gray Stadium in the late '50's/early '60's. I now follow all of the NASCAR series, F1, ALMS, Grand AM, IRL, even MotoGP on occasion, AS WELL AS supporting local tracks when possible, and making an occasional trip to Virginia International Raceway with some friends who race vintage cars.
I LOVE the Barrett-Jackson! I too hate what they have done to SPEED in the past few years. However there are still some neat shows and great coverage of many events which I hope will continue whatever happens to the programming of the channel. Steve Byrnes is one of my favorite motorsports broadcasters.
Now in full disclosure I am a radio broadcaster, no TV, with 34 years in. I did some stringer work for PRN in the '90's thanks to my old friend Steve Richards. I love the broadcasting business. It has already changed A BUNCH in my lifetime. That trend will continue. I am not a fan of all of the changes, some were necessary, some are fantastic
I have quit reading this blog just about as many times as JD has quit writing it. I have never found the TV coverage as bad as those on this page usually do... with a few exceptions. I guess I am one who is just happy there is racing on TV. I can usually figure out what is going on with a race no matter who the cameras and commentators are following. However most of the time the TV and Radio folks do a pretty good job... IMO.
The baseball comment was so far off base.... or... let's just in foul territory. It totally eradicates any credibility this blog may have ever had.
From the press release it appears that racing coverage will be a part of the re-vamped channel, and other sports will be featured too. ....And the reality shows everyone on here seem to hate will be gone. Maybe another channel will pick up the events Fox decides to drop. No one knows. There are MANY channels that could use additional/better programming. If there is advertising support a home for these events will be found.
Hey... if the programming is aired on several channels that will give the "Never Satisfied Daly Planet Bloggers" more to rant and complain about. Woo Hoo!!!
So I guess I'll quit reading again. I'll check back in a few weeks to see if JD has quit writing again.
It will be interesting to see what Nascar programming will be on Fox Sports 1 and if the Trucks will be on Fox Sports 1. I dont think that ESPN will give up the Nationwide races and they cover that series all season long. It will be interesting to see if NBC/NBC Sports Network and CBS/CBS Sports Network will get in the bidding for Nascar rights.
Kind of tired of the doom and gloom that is associated with every article on this site. Is anything ever good in Nascar land.
Seriously, will many people miss Trackside and the joke that has become? What about the other lifestyle and reality shows? Will anyone miss those either? I think there is an over-saturation of Nascar as it is. Maybe less will keep more people interested and quite frankly, Nascar is just not as popular as it once was.
Everyone just assumes FOX will take over the NW series. When did that all of sudden happen? In my opinion both will find a place somewhere.
Please everyone just relax a little bit. This is not the end of the world. The major nascar programs will still be there if there is an audience, but I see a silver lining in this that alot of the crap will be taken off the tv and that's a positive I can live with.
Do we know what kind of ratings qualifying, practice, NASCAR Now, Race Hub, actually get? It is often implied on here that without all those in prominent positions NASCAR will implode.
There is a presidential debate tonight. And my guess is the ratings for it aren't totally dependent on how good a job the support programming of FOX NEWS, CNN, or MSNBC have gotten people worked up for it.
Just like some people may still tune into Talladaga on Sunday, even if they didn't watch opening practice Friday afternoon.
Perhaps the varied sports on Fox Sports 1 will bring some new eyeballs to NASCAR. Rather then just the ones staring at the screen wondering where Speedvision went.
Unless someone else steps up to the plate, this could be the death knell of motorsports in the US. Scott Atherton already proved moving to web-only, tape-delayed incomplete races on TV is a dismal failure (good bye ALMS!). NASCAR can afford to keep itself on TV, but what about F1? What about Grand-Am/ALMS league? I believe IRL already draws abysmal ratings on NBC Sports. Maybe they can step in and save us all (no one is going to miss fishing shows).
Steve, I’m glad to know that you read this blog but it troubles me to think that you think that we, the audience don’t care about you guys. “We” go back to The Nincompoop Network (TNN), you introduced us to Jayski and it all went away and you, all of you, eventually came back to do better things. I don’t know what’s in store for you all but I don’t want anything other than you on the other side of the TV brining us the latest.
But what is the latest Steve? Don’t you have the ability to ask NASCAR (BZF) what the heck is going on? Are they prepared to let all the coverage just go away or are they going to do something on their own, aka, The NASCAR Network? There are many racing series in limbo here besides NASCAR and, to me, it’s inconceivable that they are all going to go away, including the new France owned sports car racing league. Will it be aired somewhere? Of course it will, but it’s the uncertainty. Will the F-1 races be ignored, with or without the USA races?
As to the people in your direct family at NASCAR Media I read about it from JD. That it was mostly people that did contract work, non NASCAR, all from JD. And it Sucks.
As to criticism, I used to watch Trackside, had it set on the DVR, but I haven’t watched it since they took you off. It has become unwatchable and it’s not your fault, the anger over what has happened to Speed isn’t directed at the people making the speed shows. We seldom miss The Hub in this house, but who’s been meddling about screwing it up lately? The same “Producers “ that think that Wind Tunnel needs anyone other than Dave? I doubt that that decision to add a co-host to W-T came from anywhere other than LA. The same people that screwed up Trackside and are now responsible for the collapse of Speed.
I’ll be very anxious to watch you all to come out on the other side.
But then it’s FOX and I don’t watch their news or their prime time programming. It’s FOX.
It’s the uncertainty.
Good luck to you all.
Well, since no one's defended JD's "mediocre" comment, I will.
It really is. Not the sports, the players, the cities, states, or colleges - not even the high schools getting air time as of late.
What is absurd, IMO...(and not to speak for him, but possibly his) is the sheer amount of saturation, on so many disparate channels to baffle all but the most ardent, diehard fans.
Likely fans with enough money for multiple DVR's to record it all and even more ludicrous amounts of time to watch.
I counted something like 8 or 9 events on my provider just on Saturday alone. No sports package - just digital extra tier stuff.
Frankly, I don't even know where the heck Clemson or half a dozen of these colleges even are.
It's a regional type thing - and I don't see why it can't be covered as such. Great Leader forbid the masses don't get Judge Judy re-runs at 4 pm like clockwork. Most OTA stations have a second digital channel.
Byrnes et al, it was reported here, and as a relatively new fan to the sport, there was cursing and headshaking on my part.
There could have easily, easily been so much more done at the network level, at the coverage level...heck, even at the sponsorship level.
All we've ever complained about (and which ESPN has made great improvements with lately) was not seeing exciting midpack racing consistently throughout the event, and the demands of higher-ups on production/booth staff to spice things up and blah blah blah.
I've never even significantly knocked Waltrip for shenanigans...because any idiot can see he's been forced into it.
Nascar or ESPN's Great Leader or whomever won't let the presenters, drivers, and staff just do their jobs, honestly and forthrightly - least that I have seen - and let the sport, such it may be, just emerge.
There are almost no journalists, broadcasters, or production crews we wouldn't have total support for.
Problem is likely just that of transparency...who in the media has the cojones to risk their careers to say, even anonymously, "Yeah, we've been getting screwed for a while...we made those suggestions 2 years ago, got told to shut up."
You either have people like Daly, who has no vested interest in re-entering the industry as he perceives it, and can speak accordingly, or Nascar Insiders, who prior to their odd hiatus had to operate like a Wikileaks contributor and hope they weren't found out.
Far as Speed getting lead to the abattoir so we can have even more low level MLB/College/High School/Little League games...that's just laughable.
One good motorsports network available to the masses on basic cable is going to get absolutely butchered. They'll start out strong, decide to cut the budget, and fill it with cruddy nonstop analysis shows just like all their other offerings.
To finally just shut up on the matter:
Beautifully covered stuff like Trucks, and niche entertainment like qualifying and practices in the other series will probably get trashed for Little League Bumper Curling from Uzbekistan.
Sucks for the careers that'll get shot, but at least three people might watch that!
4:40 here again. (Sorry, JD, but frustrated enough with a certain concept that I wanna throw a never-happen hypothetical out here.)
Want a fresh, "tangy" (snort) but decent half-hour weekly show? Won't cost you hardly nothing, can slot it in as competition for Showtime's "Inside Nascar".
Lemme tell you why it'd work first. Bad formatting to keep it condensed.
1. You've got the equipment already there. Scanners, camera men, sound guys. Heck, Rutledge used to walk through the garage. Personnel-wise, you offer up some extra overtime (doubt the pesky peons on the ground are high-octane salary) - either on a rotating or volunteer basis. Stay over a few hours, help film this, get some extra takehome this week.
2. Know how many drivers who aren't the same A-listers we hear "...talking in one long incredibly unbroken sentence moving from topic to topic so that no-one had a chance to interrupt; it was really quite hypnotic."?
How many small teams wouldn't mind an interview, or hauler drivers, or a guy like Benning/Nemechek/C. Long wouldn't mind interviews? They'd give you the 5-15 mins you want.
3. Could probably get any joker with a decent PC to splice the video, add effects, use stock music, voila. Got the staff sitting there for that too. They're all stuck at the track, maybe some want extra scratch.
You get the general idea. Show us what we can't see in a slick weekend production. Showcase the guts in the fighter.
Sunk cost is already there, more than enough time slots are there with the same reruns.
Guys on the ground get money, newbies can maybe get more experience, diehard fans get a solid inside look, annoyed husbands can point their pesky, ignant wimmins at it to learn...
Heck, if Chris Lafferty can get a show on FSN or whatever network it is (saturaaaation!) this would be a killer. Ad revenue is probably there.
Minicam and the PC I retired, *I* probably could swing it.
Rhetorical, and non-accusatory question...why isn't stuff like *that* being produced? My guess is Fox management, or whoever's running the show at Speed as of late with prog. decisions.
Sorry Byrnes, JD covered the layoffs at NMG in an earlier thread. Do a search if you don't believe it.
I don't know who is actually responsible at SPEED, but they have destroyed Trackside and Wind Tunnel, while providing great coverage of the truck series.
I do hope that those people that are laid off or will be laid off find employment. Their layoffs are by-products of the mis-management of SPEED in recent years.
I'll say this (and I hope somehow he wakes up, but I doubt it), if Brian France continues to manage NASCAR, this is just the beginning of the pain. The man has no clue what long-time fans of the sport want. And that is a legitimate racing series based on cumulative points, no COT, no fake "debris" cautions, no fake "debris" cautions just so JR can stay on the lead lap, reinstatement of the classic tracks such as N. Wilkesboro, Darlington, and the true Southern 500, and reduction to 1 race per year of so many of the "cookie-cutter" type 1.5 mile tracks such as Charlotte, Texas, Chicago Las Vegas. We need more short track races too.
If Mr. France continues down HIS road, it's going to get worse, not better.
NASCAR has been pretty mediocre over the past several years. I guess that means they don't deserve national TV interest, right?
Baseball is more popular than NASCAR, not only in the US but globally as well.
TBS, FOX, ESPN and the MLB Network all cover at least one game nationally a week. FOX plays a huge part in MLB coverage. Most of the regional channels are a part of FOX Sports.
SPEED Channel has needed a change for quite some time. I do hope the great SPEED on air/off air talent a home at FOX Sports 1.
Velocity is turning into a great channel. Maybe down the road they'll be able to pick up more racing coverage.
John in Chico . . .
"As to the people in your direct family at NASCAR Media I read about it from JD. That it was mostly people that did contract work, non NASCAR, all from JD. And it Sucks'
Well John the only thing you had even close to correct was that it sucks.
The people that were laid off, retired, etc etc were NASCAR employees, Staff, not freelance contractors. The vast majority of whom had at least 10 years covering the sport and many had closer to 20 years invested in bringing racing into fans homes.
And would it have mattered if it had "only" been contract workers? Are you really that stupid and uncaring about those people who also have families to provide for.
NASCAR gutted their production staff by getting rid of the very people who had the knowledge of the history of the sport because those folks had lived it by being there and the coverage of the sport will suffer for it. How I miss Ned and Steffanie, and Randy and Inside Nascar but this is how the game is played.
The good old days of Sunbelt Video, World Sports, Wheeler tv and even Street and Smith productions and the family atmosphere and rivalries they engendered is gone for good.
Hopefully we'll all be able to wipe the dirt off and come out the other side.
Anonymous said...
"Are you really that stupid and uncaring about those people who also have families to provide for."
Well I didn't think I was either uncaring or stupid on the matter. In that regard you are mistaking me with someone else. As to the apparent colapse of motor racing on television who's resonsible? I've watched every lap, I don't think that it was stupid. I supportd these people, producers on-screen personalities and all. We went out and bought a big-dish to get TNN andf RPM2Night. Maybe that was stipid, we put in time and money being every bit as involved as you or anyone over the last twenty or forty years.
Stupid and uncaring, that's someone else. Sick that the powers that be let it happen. Outraged.
You act as if FOX will only air things on the 1. They still have the mother ship in which to put any sport on Saturday (remember FOX doesn't have the "football" part of the NASCAR schedule and it's early in the baseball season). So, why couldn't they put NASCAR on Fuel, or the 1, or the Network?
It's not all the gloom and doom you are putting into it. Stop guessing that you know what FOX is going to do with all of their programming and wait and see with the rest of us.
Rumor has it that FOX is going to stream a lot of their sports programming a la "watch ESPN". They want to beat ESPN at their own game so bad that they might actually do it better. Time will tell. In the mean time, stop the speculation and hate.
Steve Byrnes, GodSpeed.
Scott
What is this new Speed2,com site I am seeing advertised about? Is that where they are relegating NASCAR to?
Scott...streaming is not available to everyone. Lots of current fans would be left out. When FOX aired the delayed 2001 Rockingham race, our local Fox showed Ricky Lake. I would not expect much from them during weekdays, for sure. I would be more hopeful for cable like FX. Many people also do not have access to Fuel, I don't. And I can't see myself spending money on the next tier.
As I posted in previous DP blogs about this:
Ms.Wheeler saw this comming.
NASCAR channel,what do you fill the other 22 hours with?
My eyeballs will not be on this
new channel.
SPEED VISION,R.I.P.
Some responses:
Spring Rubber - My column said that FOX would not be involved in the Nationwide Series due to the Saturday baseball and football programming beginning in 2014.
B.Gilp - This is a TV blog. Baseball on a national level during the regular season has struggled. That is the mediocre part. Has nothing to do with the sport, level of play or production. Tough to watch out-of-market teams play in May.
Steve Byrnes - NASCAR said the folks let go at NP were covering other sports and that NP was simply refocusing on NASCAR. I did not buy it, did not repeat it and have never focused a negative comment on those now unemployed.
Gina - The lack of coverage of this story is amazing across the board. It truly makes a statement about the current state of the NASCAR media.
Ryan - As I mentioned in the column, this was the first we heard of a national reporter saying the change to FOX Sports 1 would happen in 2013. Along with most, I assumed that next season would be NASCAR on SPEED as usual. It should be interesting to see if Mr. Flint is correct.
Anon 12:57PM - Please see the explanation above for the baseball comment. I disagree with most of what you wrote and tend to believe that those who leave personal comments are having trouble actually seeing the true issue. This blog did not affect SPEED or NASCAR TV. A string of bad management, a shift to lifestyle programming and now a desire to compete with ESPN is driving the bus. My Sprint Cup Series viewing moved to the DVR with a full explanation. The only racing in NASCAR right now happens in the truck series.
Scott - Not sure what gloom and doom you are talking about. Certainly a speculative column with a newspaper quote was meant to do just what you suggested, talk about what we know and wonder about what comes next.
Anon 8:02PM - SPEED2 is a broadband digital channel that has carried lots of programming for SPEED that for a variety of reasons did not make the TV side of that business. No word yet on that service beyond 2014.
Appreciate all the comments and opinions on these topics. Thanks for taking the time to add them.
JD
In all honesty, if all the current racing series were retained (which is highly unlikely), this might actually be an upgrade from SPEED.
I remember coming home from school as a kid (I suspect I'm the youngest person who comments directly to the blog) and being able to turn on SPEED and see racing. Hooters Pro Cup, ARCA, SCCA, Lucas Oil On the Edge (I believe, but cannot prove, that the sort of racing on that show back in the day was better than the more time-trials-y stuff they seem to have these days)—all those were viewable at least some of the time. During winter break, I could turn on SPEED and watch all sorts of great programming: foreign touring car races, local open-wheel series...
I guess the first warning sign would have been when they pulled the SCCA Runoffs. That must have been around 2004, 2005? Since then, the number of series has declined, and now when I turn on SPEED around the time school would let out, the NASCAR replay is usually over and they shift to the lifestyle programming I am not very fond of. The loss of racing programming on what was ostensibly the racing channel was pretty drastic in retrospect.
Long story short: given how little racing SPEED shows these days, if they were to keep their Grand-Am and Formula 1 deals, I'd say the switch might actually be good. As a soccer fan, I could tune into FOX Sports 1 on a weekday and instead of dull lifestyle programming, I could find a live Premier League match!
Oh my, I'm sad about this. I started following SPEED personnel on Twitter this year and I hate it for all involved. Some of them have talked to me on there. I've never met them, but hope to someday but for right now, it's like I know them.
I personally didn't think there was anything wrong with any NASCAR programs on SPEED. I won't name them all but I catch as much coverage as I can. I don't mind the goofing off and having fun every once in a while. I hope there are spots for these analyst on other networks and I hope FS1 doesn't totally kill NASCAR programming. Just what we needed, another fox channel, aren't there enough already, including SPEED as of now? The off the track reports like on RaceHub, NASCAR Perf, quals, practices, are just as important, IMO.
Race day isn't race day without RaceDay, something about the pre-race just gets me pumped up, especially early mornings, the footage isn't complete, IMO without Victory Lane. I hope it can move to other networks if that's the case. I personally don't care what channel the coverage is on, I just want to see it on a tv or computer screen, and on an unlimited app too because I am not with Sprint phone company.
I wouldn't mind if GAC was thrown in the mix. I remember TNN when I was 7 years old. I'd wait for the music videos to come on after the races but get intrigued with the cars, that's how I became a NASCAR fan! I'm thinking GAC would be a good match for some, not all, of the programming. However, I am still sick for SPEED!
ESPN killed the sport I am involved in, rodeo and every time they schedule NASCAR, the football game runs into overtime. I can't count the number of times I've checked my DVR only to find football instead. I feel they are just stick and ball sports. SC shows an interview every now and then. However, I am liking their side by side coverage this season
It would be nice to have a NASCAR channel or even a NASCAR block on a network. I don't feel there is enough programming during the week to warrant a channel but, say, a 2 hr block devoted to NASCAR would be an idea, same idea as another network devotes 2 hours to horse programming, again during the week.
I hope that even though the network may be going off, that SPEED personalities can go on other networks, if need be.
@katiewnascarfan
Regular-season baseball games on Fox and Sundays on ESPN, even with crappy ratings by baseball standards, get ratings on par with conference-final games for the NHL. If it's the Yankees and Red Sox, the ratings are on par with the Nationwide Series. Regular season baseball games have struggled, but not at hockey levels.
JD, well, NASCAR wanted to "control" the media and they appear to be quite successful in doing that. Unfortunately, it means that there is very little of interest to read. I have realized how few links on Jayski that I actually click open to read since I don't see anything worthwhile.
I feel awful for Steve and all of the other people at Speed and NASCAR Images that will be directly affected for their livelihood on this. Corporations make decisions with no regard for people. Most of us have been through enough corporate changeovers to know that but it doesn't take away the pain when it happens to someone we know or ourselves.
Considering that the many shows that used to be on Speed, many of them produced by NASCAR Images, I would watch them any time they were on. Heck, if they would offer them for sale on DVD, I'd buy them for my personal collection.
Since I'm not a baseball fan and never watch the games, I guess I don't understand how that property could be worth so much $. As JD said, there are so many games on all the time. Hockey is now fiddling around on strike again - I was an avid fan years ago but seldom watch - even in the playoffs.
Poor kid I remember when my son did the sports updates for Georgia Tech and had things go awry! JD maybe somebody will re-start Speedvision and have all the oldster drivers along with true Nascar racing! Now that would be something.
VickyD in Houston
I seem to be having trouble logging onto google.
I feel for the production staff at SPEED. I have loved this channel for a long time and find much value there. Good luck all.
I do wonder about the fate of Formula One viewing in the US now. So far SPEED has been our only conduit to practice, qualifying and the GPs themselves. I wonder if NBC will pick F1 up and to what extent or will F1 go the wayside in the US? What a shame.
NASCAR signed some horrible contracts in the past 10 years, money aside they where just not thinking. Now they have been getting rights back to various entities and trying to take advantage of this. Maybe FoxSports1 will be there to help them do this, noone even knows right now, I do believe that NASCAR thinks their future is online and they very well maybe correct. One thing I know for sure a blog did not sign any of those contracts only reported on them when things where made available, honestly that is alot more than many in the NASCAR media that look down on this site have ever done..
JD, you lost me at 'mediocre'. I'm sure plenty of baseball fans think cars going in circles are boring. It's your blog, you can say what you want; but would you expand on what makes baseball mediocre as compared to other sports or forms of entertainment, preferably in terms that don't involve personal preference?
Never mind, I missed your previous response. Still, Fox apparently doesn't think baseball is too mediocre to broadcast nationally.
Whatever happens, I think we can rest assured that the end result will have nothing to do with what is best for the fans. Only the amount of $$ put in everyone's pocket will determine what race fans get on TV.
This has all the bad vibes of what happened when UPN/Showtime/MTV bought CBS/TNN. The entire CBS motorsports operations based in Charlotte was shut down.
The announcement UFC will move to Fox Sports One will likely mean to fill the voide, Supercross, NASCAR Trucks, and most current Speed motorsport coverage goes to Fuel, which will ramp up the "action sports" angle if they can acquire WRC coverage as the action stars (Pastrana, Mirra, Deegan, et al) from FMX and BMX especially eventually transition to rallying. Nationwide could be a Fuel property to bid with broadcast network coverage of selected races.
Keep in mind that any Fox Sports One MLB coverage cannot conflict with the Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week. That means the only game on television allowed during the 4-7 PM (1-4 PM during NASCAR races, 7-10 PM from the UEFA Final to Independence Day) will be the Fox broadcast game.
As for other events, F1 and the Barclays Premier League will likely be a busy bidding war. The key issue is Al-Jazeera is in play for soccer, and F1 could be a 3-way war among Fuel, Al-Jazeera, and Discovery (Velocity and BBC America). If Discovery wins, we'll join the rest of the English-speaking world with the BBC coverage for the BBC races only.
If baseball (out of market or national telecasts) are so boring why does FOX, ESPN, TBS pay so much for rights and make money while FOX and ESPN lose money on NASCAR?
So what you are saying JD is that people should only see their local teams play? Where you live, in Florida many years ago there were ZERO baseball teams and no baseball telecasts anywhere during the week - circa mid 1980's. Perhaps the NFL should have only ONE game per week. Should NBC give up its very popular NHL game of the week? I could go on but all of these out of market games (NFL/NHL/MLB) are watched widely. I had MLB extra innings and would enjoy watching the local broadcasts of the Cubs or Braves.
If out of market baseball is so mediocre wouldn't the gfollowing also be mediocre: K&N racing, Modified racing, Rolex series, Nationwide series with no Sprint Cup drivers - I could go on but you get the point. Baseball may not be your thing but others do watch it.
Dave Moody had interview with Pete Pistone yesterday addressing basically you assertions that the sky is falling and run for the fallout shelters. Bottom line is that Pistone asserted that practices and qualifying will show up somewhere in 2014 with on-line a distinct possibility.
I believe that FOX has recongnized the decline in NA$CAR having been
involved in adding to it's demise. I think they are adding more baseball at the right time.
Attendance was an increased percentage this year and several past. As a kid I used to watch baseball on Saturday afternoons with my Dad until adolesence when
I began to attend racing with my
friends. I have now gone the full
circle and am back primarily to
baseball. Most folks don't take the time to understand the all the decisions made during a game made up of 50 players with varying offensive and defensive skills. A
manager has to react as a game unfolds. It's not just a game of
follow the leader as racing has become. There is no last 25 laps to ride to the front and challenge. The games goes on from
the first strike. Big Fox and
Sports South have credible announcers who present the game instead of having a favorite brand or driver. There are no timeouts
for mystery debris or competition
cautions. The game is played as it unfolds. Not scripted according to sponsors.
Until NA$CAR and it's "partners"
realize they are losing fast will
the racing and the presentation change. Just read this morning that
ISC lost a million dollars last quarter partially because sponsors were getting reduced rates. Revenues will continue to fall until someone admits a problem.
Here's my two cents from north of the border. If Speed is truly going away and it becomes a general sports channel like ESPN or NBC Sports Network I can see it being removed from Canadian cable systems. The existing general sports channels won't want the competition and if they own the Canadian TV rights to Fox Sports 1 programming they won't be able to air it.
I can see Canadians only being able to watch the races with none of the extra programming like practice and qualifying. Might be time to become a grey market satellite customer.
Sad news,but Speed managment put their network in it's own grave with their decisions to have White Trash weekdays(sorry for the harsh term but it's true)in place of what should have been focused motorsports programming.
Nonetheless,it's sad to see Speed and all their loyal and great employees(see some above comments)go away.The big question now is where will the Nascar programming go?
How much will the new Fox cable channel cover the racing?Where(if at all)will we be able to see practice and qualifying?Unfortunately we will have to wait for these answers.Something tells me though that we will get the fuzzy end of the lollipop again.Hope i'm wrong.
When is NASCAR going to get it? We keep hammering NASCAR to provide better racing and the networks to provide better telecasts.
With BZF around , i see no hope. None.
The sooner BZF leaves NASCAR the better.
Has anybody written to NASCAR? Do they even care what the fans think?
JD what are your thoughts of what i said
Anon 10:19AM - Baseball ratings for national games in season are down. That is why I used the word medicore. It has nothing at all to do with the sport, the teams or the production values.
The reason those of us who have been around a while are not surprised that FOX threw this out-of-control dollar amount at MLB is because FOX knows the solution is to raise sub fees to providers and ultimately raise cable TV rates to consumers.
There is very little original sports product out there right now for purchase, that is why NASCAR management is still being positive that a new TV contract will prove to be lucrative, despite the lack of fans and lower TV ratings.
I understand very clearly that some radio announcers enjoy using my name and slinging mud. What neither one of those men will do is address the actual issues associated with the problems discussed on this blog.
Keep in mind, NASCAR-owned Motor Racing Network provides the SiriusXM content for both the programs that you mentioned. We all work for someone and their defense of the sport, no matter how off-base at times, can easily be understood.
Finally, I challenge you to find any part of my columns that spoke of gloom and doom or mentioned the end of NASCAR coverage on TV.
It was this blog that spoke exclusively about a new potential bidder waiting in the wings for NASCAR TV to see what was available after this exclusive negotiating period was over.
That is one reason FOX is trying very hard to keep a foot in the sport right now before open bidding starts.
This type of situation has gone on with the old TNN, with ESPN2 several times and with VERSUS and other networks. It's nothing new.
NASCAR missed the bus on starting its own TV network and now the bus is not coming back. It is too late to create a digital network, the players who could help are gone and the sport is on the decline.
It is not my place to speak about items like the COT, the Chase and the selection of tracks at which to race but it is clear that TV is certainly not the solution to these issues.
Thank you again for taking the time to leave a comment.
I've been a NASCAR fan since 1985 and used to watch everything I could find on the sport and subscribed to Winston Cup Scene. Thanks to the internet and twitter I can get any and all news on NASCAR and any other racing series in just a few minutes a day leaving me more time for other things. I no longer have to sit through boring practice and qualifying shows. Races only happen on the weekends and there is simply no need for 100's of hours of TV programming for NASCAR or any other racing series.
If Pistone was trying to make that (online quals) sound like it wouldn't be a step down, he's delusional. Well, he's a paid shill; I guess that's as much as you can expect. You know, I watch the NFL Network a lot. You don't hear them constantly sucking up to the league or to Goodell. NASCAR just doesn't get it. They should just let the media partners be honest.
If FOX was smart, and this FOX Sports 1 brand is true, they would keep the SPEED branding. Back in the 90s all motorsports programming on ESPN was branded under the "SPEEDworld" monicure. So perhaps all motorsports on FOX could do something similar and carry on the SPEED branding?
Ha, whenever Pistone's lips are moving, not much that makes sense comes out. I don't read his commentary on Jayski either.
I had a subscription to Sirius radio once upon a time - I cancelled it when the NASCAR related coverage on there became limited to opinion shows (most of which I disagreed with) or replays. It simply wasn't worth the $ to keep it when Sirius stopped covering practice and live qualifying in addition to the races.
Fox, like ESPN, figures they can keep raising the rates to subscribers and so my cable bill will keep going up. However, that assumes that as a consumer I am going to feel the need to buy what they are selling. My cable could quite easily go the way of my Sirius subscription if the coverage of NASCAR continues to decline.
If I'm going to pay for something to follow the sport, I will opt for trackpass over TV because then I can follow who I'm interested in, not what the ADD director/producer in charge of the race broadcast chooses to show me.
NASCAR, Fox, Speed's management, and ESPN all need to be careful what they do - I am no longer as devoted fan as I used to be.
I've kept pretty quiet on this topic since it invokes a strong opinion from me. Also, I've been waiting to see how FOX/SPEED would handle this as it became more official. Seeing the FOX Sports logo with the smaller SPEED one under it on the network is a pretty strong sign that changes are coming.
Have a difficult time seeing FOX phasing the SPEED name out entirely. I imagine if they make any type of an investment in automotive coverage going forward that it would carry a SPEED label to it. Or they could turn SPEED into an online broadband network. Honestly, I feel that would be the best way to go. If they would charge $5 a month and carried as much automotive programming as it did 6 or 7 years ago, I would sign up for that. As FOX Sports 1, not that interested.
So several fans of other forms of motorsports have been upset that SPEED went away from the programming SpeedVision had...well you figure for what FOX spent to acquire the network and NASCAR coverage, that change only made logical sense. You had an investment and needed to protect it. If you look at the job they have done until the last 3 years with NASCAR (And the Truck Series from start to present) then that investment paid for itself. I still think their Barrett-Jackson coverage is elite status. The bit of F1 I have seen has also been pretty impressive. Would hate to see that all go into the trash can in exchange for UFC and Baseball.
Unfortunately however, I accept there are far more of the UFC and baseball fans than there are NASCAR and motorsport fans. It is a sad day. Worse yet, I don't think even if NASCAR launched a network today that I would be that interested in watching it. Maybe if they followed the NFL Network's format it might catch my eye. Make it stand alone, be independent. Not constantly be a 24/7 NASCAR commercial. You know what makes the NFL so great and popular? It doesn't need to hype itself. The game does it on it's own. NASCAR had a product that sold itself, then they tinkered with it. Tinkered some more. And some more. Now we are where we are now, essentially backtracking on EVERYTHING they have changed since 2006 with the exception that we have a larger and safer car. Testing is back. The Top 35 is going away. The car looks more distinct. They even appear to be letting races play themselves out without using phantom debris cautions....
What FOX will do since they have re-upped with (or appear on track to) NASCAR is still an intriguing question. Hopefully the newly created network will still carry SOME practice and qualifying. I will accept losing all the promotional garbage like Raceday and Victory Lane if it means the actual REAL race pre-race show will have more substance and less glitz. There could be positives in this as a NASCAR fan. As an overall motorsports fan, this is a very very sad day.
The Loose Wheel said...
"What FOX will do since they have re-upped with (or appear on track to) NASCAR is still an intriguing question. Hopefully the newly created network will still carry SOME practice and qualifying.
I will accept losing all the promotional garbage like Raceday and Victory Lane if it means the actual REAL race pre-race show will have more substance and less glitz. There could be positives in this as a NASCAR fan. As an overall motorsports fan, this is a very very sad day."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree. Give me back the days when drivers or hosts could share real opinions and not just sing like Pollyanna that everything is happy and fine!RD is nothing but a 2 hour promo for HOME DEPOT. I miss the old Sunday AM NASCAR shows from studio's...I am weary of the buffoonery and barbie doll additions.
The drunken crowds with waving, vertigo inducing sings and yelling made me turn off Trackside before that show did a major shark jump! (Getting rid of Steve Byrnes and adding chicks and dumb games= bad idea.) Also WHY would fans want to look at the backside of all the hosts and guests ? ? ? ?
But if we fans gripe, we are a bunch of social malcontents.
Sad day indeed. F1 guys are FABULOUS and if they lose their jobs, further proof Fox has lost their mind and is aiming for the Jerry Springer crowd...just like their weekday fake reality show junk.
Also I LOVED the Talledega race of the TRUCK SERIES on SPEED. Great camera work and fun to watch.
I watched it wistfully, knowing that the great camera work will leave us soon forever and my NASCAR watching will turn to a complete zero.
I hope the guys of SPEED find work elsewhere.
I wish Brian France would sign up to go to Mars.
From Sofia
"Sad day indeed. F1 guys are FABULOUS and if they lose their jobs, further proof Fox has lost their mind and is aiming for the Jerry Springer crowd...just like their weekday fake reality show junk."
That sums it up for me. The F1 broadcasts are worth staying up or waking up early for. Guys who love the sport without the gimmicks.
Just heard a rumor that Fox Sports will dump the Speed F1 coverage in favor for the Sky F1 commentary for the American F1 viewing audenice next year. I guess that's just tell you that they could be ridding off the people that works at the Charlotte studios/ office.
I hope that the rumor is wrong b/c the Speed F1 guys are the best in what they do.
SOHPHIA -Home Depot no longer sponsors Race Day - Guess you really havent watched cause Sunoco has been sponsor for almost two years - you lost credibility - sorry
Well, either way, the show had become more about promotion that about the race/drivers...thus I stopped watching. . . Obviously !! :)
But others have voiced the same complaints.
Arian --Just saw your comment. Indeed, that is sad. My housemate totally enjoys the F1 races and much of that is due to the crew.
Sad, sad but then we all kind of know SPEED/Fox has no taste when it comes to things we viewers love! :(
To the reader who continues to mention FUEL as the location of SPEED programming in the future: FOX just completed an overhaul of that network to center on boxing and mixed martial arts.
There has been no mention of FUEL providing a platform for NASCAR coverage, however the details of the future contact have not been released.
Thank you for the comments.
JD
@JD: John, so with what you are saying is that there's no chance that the motorsports coverage of from SPEED will get transfered over to the Fuel channel, and that the UFC stuff gets defacto 1st rate coverage on the Fox Sports 1 channel. Right?
Anon, Sophia had already said she had stopped watching RD some time ago so not knowing who the sponsor is makes perfect sense under those circumstances. It doesn't make her opinion less credible. I stopped watching RD several years ago when I got tired of hearing Kenny Wallace tell all the race fans to "listen up" while he told us that WE were stupid because we didn't LIKE what we were seeing on the track or on TV. Funny thing, I wasn't the only one who got tired of it. BZF wanted the casual fan and got his wish by turning the majority of diehard fans into casual ones.
i thought it was interesting on twitter yesterday and today that DW has stated opinions critical of the plate racing and NASCAR yesterday. I tweeted back asking him why his point of view was so different than his usual pro-NASCAR song, but as usual, he doesn't answer.
If you didn't tune into press pass on NASCAR.com, check out Gordon & Busch's post race conference. Jeff was pretty open about his opinions. Kyle kept his mouth shut which was interesting and the byplay between them was entertaining to say the least. I'm wondering how NASCAR will punish Jeff and Jr for making disparaging remarks. Interesting that there have been NO comments from anyone like Pemberton, Darby or Helton on that last lap mess yesterday or the fact that Dega had so few people in the seats.
With the Fox Sports logo being shown on Speed now, it is the beginning of the end for Speed. Although Speed has been dead for years now with no motorsports programming except for Nascar RaceHub Monday through Thursday. It will be interesting to see when Speed officially becomes Fox Sports 1 and how Nascar programming is handled on Speed until then and after.
I don't know if you've noticed John, but FUEL TV has been showing AMA Motocross and TORC Races, stuff that SPEED has shown in the past.
Not nearly outside of the realm of possibilities like you think it is.
Arian,
This was my comment on the topic: "There has been no mention of FUEL providing a platform for NASCAR coverage, however the details of the future contact have not been released."
I think that leaves the door open for FUEL and FX, but with the season running from February through November, the time commitment would be huge.
JD
In simple news: JD is the AntiChrist, Europe is wunnerful, and we should vote for Great Dictator, whomever that may turn out to be.
Personally, if I never,ever see one more F1 fan, I'd call my idiotic life a bit more satisfying.
JD
As an employee of both NMG and SPEED, I want to say thank you for keeping it real and not being afraid to report the truth.
JD
How is this for an idea, why don't we write to NASCAR itself and give them our feelings.
Do you talk to NASCAR, JD? Are they aware of the declining attendance at races?
I assume JD saw the Fangs Bites post where they talk about FoxSports1,FoxSports2,and FoxSports3,taking Fox Soccer and Fuel and turning them into sports channel and possibly offering a landing site for NASCAR.If this plan goes, it would create more landing area for non NSC racing, but I would need fuel added to my system.
Big thanks to all the NASCAR "journalists" who took this content, including the Joe Flint excerpt, and never had the guts to credit this blog.
In this world, avoiding a mention is the highest form of flattery.
JD
BC,
Ken said it looks like FOXSport1 for NASCAR product. The other platforms make little sense and are too small right now.
Little doubt we are all going to be surprised by some of the twists and turns in this one by the time it hits the air.
JD
@APSPORTS reporting this morning FOXSPORTS1/SPEED will not carry F1 next year today.. Funny thing is about all the "Journalists" that don't give credit a few of their bylines say blogger too.. HHHMMM anyone ever notice that..
No more Nascar Performance? Yeesh - let's drive away even more early morning/pre-race viewers.
I rather liked that show. Must be why they're eliminating it from the lineup.
Probably replace it with Extreme Curling Discussion Hour or yet another show about football analysis.
Blech. Well, their loss...both in viewers and advertising dollars.
Still think they're jerks.
I LOVED NO until they added the girl ???!
Larry Mac and the guys did well on their own. Larry Mac announced on twitter a few nights ago he was filming the last Nascar Performance show. It was must DVR when it was Larry Mac, Chad and Bootie.
SPEED continues to fix things that aint broke ..and the final flip of the finger?
DUMPING F1 races with the most beloved booth in autosports. But I repeat myself.
I was watching Performance and was so sad to see the comments at the end. Clearly they enjoyed working with each other & doing the show. So much for changes not happening until 2014 and NASCAR pretending there was some kind of status quo and everything would go on like it was. No matter what they say, no one will believe a spin that this is good for NASCAR. Since I don't watch baseball or UFC and I have little need for more 'Sportscenters', I see my participation as a viewer in FoxSports as not existing except for whatever little race programming they have left. I think I still have the regional channel for Fox Sports--although being NY I doubt that anything would find a home on that channel. I don't think I've watched it since Totally NASCAR. But in general...I see my interest in NASCAR probably declining along with the coverage. Hard to get involved in what you can't see.
NASCAR Performance on SPEED a hallmark?
SPEED (as we have known it) is in its death throes, and it isn't pretty. The further destruction of Wind Tunnel has become macabre. The use of replacement hosts and cohosts is absolutely bizarre. Will someone please explain to me what Tommy Kendall adds to the show? Is somebody in management related to him or owe him money?
If , I'm not mistaken, has'nt FOX already signed for the same amount of races and the truck series, through 2021. I also notice that they have been advertising SPEED 2 .com as going to be the future of motorsports. So I wonder if they will have practice and qualifying on that. Also NBC Sports is trying to get their sports channel going, wonder if anything will end up over there.
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