tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20801320983675108322024-03-13T18:11:07.684-04:00The Daly PlanetWe have been talking about sports media topics since 2007Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comBlogger2827125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-15269752369270471542014-11-16T09:53:00.000-05:002014-11-16T09:53:39.188-05:00ESPN Implodes at Daytona<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/RdhyIuKV3eI/AAAAAAAAACo/l3hawyoCRao/s1600-h/espnbusch.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/RdhyIuKV3eI/AAAAAAAAACo/l3hawyoCRao/s320/espnbusch.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5032898077742456290" style="cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
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Update: Originally published on 2/18/07<br />
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It had all the essential ingredients. Brent Musburger was at the host position, Chris Fowler was on the set, and Brad Daugherty was on-hand to provide the commentary. There was only one problem. This was not Chapel Hill, Providence, or Georgetown. This was Daytona, and no one was playing college basketball. Apparently, this was not a problem for ESPN.</div>
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The network decided to move its successful Gameday franchise to Daytona, instead of investing in an original NASCAR-based concept like <strong>Raceday </strong>on SPEED or the Hollywood Hotel on Fox Sports. ESPN was clearly declaring that the story of Daytona this year was that ESPN had arrived, and then there might be some racing, some cheating, and a whole lot of "good old boys."</div>
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Brent Musburger in the NASCAR Fan Zone looked like Rush Limbaugh at a ACLU Meeting. There were no fans in sight, just Brent in his big hat looking as uncomfortable and out-of-place as it is possible for a human being to be. His unfamiliarity with NASCAR was obvious, and his inability to speak in racing terms made his interaction with others on the program embarrassing.</div>
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For some reason, good guy Chris Fowler found himself at Daytona surrounded by the likes of Rusty Wallace, Alan Bestwick, Jerry Punch, and Andy Petree. Fowler is a professional, but eventually couldn't stop grinning and chuckling at the antics of both the drivers being interviewed, and his temporary co-host Boris Said. One had the feeling Fowler was going to call his wife later and say "I went to the NASCAR race at Daytona!" </div>
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Seeing Alan Bestwick in a firesuit as a pit reporter for ESPN can turn the stomach of any veteran NASCAR fan. Bestwick has more NASCAR knowledge than Musburger, Fowler, Daugherty, and Punch combined. Unfortunately, he has not been on College Gameday, so he is apparently unable to be featured by the network. Only Bestwick could handle a live interview with the volatile Bobby Hamilton Jr. after an incredibly weak taped tribute piece aired by the network about his father.</div>
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While strong in her host role at SPEED, Shannon Spake was over-matched in her debut at a live reporter for ESPN. Perhaps, she will gain the technical knowledge and on-air presence associated with live network television over the course of the season. Unfortunately, ESPN did not choose to use her skills in reporting stories, but limited her to brief interviews and introducing pre-produced features. </div>
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Finally, the Brad Daugherty issue has to be addressed. While certainly a pleasant and well-spoken television presence, he has little NASCAR experience. That showed in his mis-placed comments about the "danger" of the Daytona Busch Race, and the prediction of ten caution flag periods. Daugherty has never raced a car, never been a crew chief, never been a team member, and never worked as a reporter for any type of NASCAR media. So, what is his role, and why is he there? By the end of the pre-race show, his contributions were limited to thirty second comments prior to commercial. He was not used in any pre-produced features, interviewed no one, and never interacted with any fans or drivers throughout the telecast. If ESPN is going to commit to this classy gentleman as a fulltime Busch telecast regular, they need to step up to the plate and challenge him with feature assignments and interview duties.</div>
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Rusty Wallace had a year to cut his teeth on the ESPN/ABC coverage of the little watched IndyCar Series. Other than the Indy 500, Rusty was below the radar trying to analyze the action between Dario, Helio, Marco, and Kosuke. Wallace is so relieved to be back in NASCAR that nothing phases him. He was clearly annoyed with Fowler and Daugherty's amateurish comments in the pre-race show, but corrected them and finally dashed off to the place he longed to be, the broadcast booth. Wallace, with his credibility and outspoken manner, will be ESPN's saving grace during their first season back in the NASCAR world.</div>
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ESPN enjoys "feature presentations" like the over-hyped deubut of the Busch Series at Daytona. But, reality has a way of sneaking in when the season is only halfway over, its one hundred degrees, and you are in Memphis, TN. Hopefully, by then ESPN will have realized that NASCAR fans would tune in if the race was on the Lifetime Network between weepy chick flicks. The network needs to bring the content and focus that viewers have become accustomed to, and understand that NASCAR did just fine without them for the past six years.</div>
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Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-66343427202105096792014-11-16T09:49:00.000-05:002014-11-16T09:49:15.095-05:00ESPN Faces Season Six Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Update: Originally published on 7/28/12<br />
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It's that time of the year once again. FOX and TNT are done with the Sprint Cup Series and now ESPN adds that coverage to the network's ongoing Nationwide Series effort. In other words, it's crunch time.<br />
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The Worldwide Leader returned to NASCAR in 2007 and quickly found that times had changed. The on-air product was just not clicking with the fan base. As a result, there have been many changes in key on-air personalities over the years. This season, former crew chief Tim Brewer has been quietly phased out and his Tech Garage has been parked. <br />
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Starting with the Brickyard 400, it will be Allen Bestwick calling the Sprint Cup Series races with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree alongside in the TV booth. Marty Reid will step-in to call the Nationwide Series races. Once again this season Jarrett and Petree will do double-duty on both series.<br />
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Nicole Briscoe will anchor the telecasts from the infield with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. The versatile Briscoe has been co-anchoring the "NASCAR Now" news program and also working as a field reporter for ESPN since coming to the network from SPEED in 2008.<br />
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Moving Dr. Jerry Punch back to pit road from the announce booth was a solid move. It let him return to his best role as a reporter. This season Punch will be joined once again by veterans Vince Welch, Dave Burns and Jamie Little. Also working on pit road assignments will be Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake. <br />
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A welcome addition to the Brickyard 400 coverage will be Ray Evernham. Located in the infield, Evernham will provide a unique perspective that Wallace and Daugherty simply cannot. Evernham is long since removed from controversy and now can speak to a wide variety of topics as a major figure in the sport's history.<br />
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In terms of technology, ESPN's Sprint Cup Series coverage will once again use ESPN Non-Stop. That is the network's name for the split-screen commercial format shown above. During the second half of each Chase for the Championship race, the national commercials will be shown this way. That means the first seven races, starting with this weekend's coverage, will be presented in the traditional full-screen fashion.<br />
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14 of the final 17 Sprint Cup Series races will be on ESPN with the other three on ABC Saturday nights. The ESPN races will be available online through WatchESPN, but only to select ESPN cable TV subscribers. The WatchESPN service basically allows the cable network's feeds to appear on laptops, tablets and smart phones. The good news is that it makes ESPN's family of networks portable. The bad news is that not all cable companies offer it.<br />
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While ESPN did not update this information, all 14 of the ESPN Sprint Cup Series races as well as the Nationwide Series events will have the online RaceBuddy located at the NASCAR.com website. This property is managed by Turner Sports, so ESPN chooses not to include it in any media materials about NASCAR. <br />
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Just like last season, the transition between the tech-heavy TNT and the traditional ESPN coverage should be a tad rough. Hopefully, this weekend RaceBuddy will be aided by the fact that both MRN and PRN radio networks stream every Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series race online for free. Unfortunately, those things cannot help with the biggest TV issue of the season.<br />
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The amount of TV commercials shown in Sprint Cup Series races has not changed, but the expectations of the fan base certainly have. Now informed by social media, fans are acutely aware of just how much race content and information is being swept aside during commercial breaks. The tipping point was the TNT race from Kentucky, where one-third of the racing was covered by what seemed to be the same three or four commercials.<br />
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In the ultimate irony, TNT then presented the Daytona race without any full-screen commercials and used the "Wide Open" coverage to show the real potential of modern TV production techniques. The final TNT race from Loudon quickly restored the grim reality of what ESPN will face at Indy. That is trying to integrate commercials into a race where passing is done on pit road and long green flag runs are the order of the day.<br />
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In the past, ESPN has over-hyped the Brickyard 400 by trying to make it NASCAR's version of the Indy 500. This year, instead of the Infield Pit Studio, Briscoe and her three analysts will be sitting outside on a terrace of the famed infield Pagoda for the pre-race show. <br />
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One of the Saturday pre-race features will be reported by Katie Couric, now an ABC journalist. She will speak to part-time Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick. The topics Patrick will discuss are listed as "her transition to NASCAR, how people perceive her as a person and possible sexism she might face on a daily basis at the racetrack." <br />
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The hype of 74 cameras, a Super Slo-Mo cam for pitstops and the return of the 80 mph frontstretch "bat cam" will be over after the Brickyard. What comes next is something so familiar to fans it has become a running joke. The focus on the Chase for the Championship begins right after Indy.<br />
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For the past six years, ESPN has taken out the Chase hype stick and beat fans over the head with it for the better part of four months. We have repeatedly answered that loyal fans of one driver do not make a change if their driver is not in Chase contention. Eliminating TV coverage of these drivers simply eliminates the fans of that driver as TV viewers. <br />
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Fans of Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya want to see coverage of these drivers. All three may miss the Chase. Should that change their TV coverage? If history repeats itself, all three may not be even mentioned in an entire race telecast during the Chase unless leading the race or crashing.<br />
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The fundamental problem with NASCAR's "playoff system" is that all the teams are still out there racing. While TV tries to show the race leaders and also constantly update the Chase, the sad reality is that entire teams fall off the radar. This year those teams may be from Hendrick, Ganassi and other powerhouse players in the sport.<br />
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As it has for the last several seasons, ESPN must ultimately decide to cover the race or feature the Chase. We certainly know what that choice has been in the past and welcome your comments about ESPN returning to Sprint Cup Series coverage for season six.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-14848179686940740462014-11-16T09:00:00.000-05:002014-11-16T09:55:55.685-05:00ESPN Closes Tech Garage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Update: Originally published on 7/17/12<br />
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Tim Brewer was the youngest crew chief ever at Bowman Gray Stadium in his native Winston-Salem, NC. He called the shots for local driver Ernie Shaw. Brewer was 14 years old. Four years later, he became one of the youngest crew chiefs in NASCAR history when he joined the Cup Series team of a popular driver named Richard Childress.<br />
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Since 2007, younger NASCAR fans know Brewer for a very different reason. He has been stationed inside the ESPN Tech Garage at both Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races carried by the network. ESPN made a larger commitment of resources to the Nationwide Series telecasts than any network before. That included Brewer's mobile garage and a full infield studio of three on-air personalities. <br />
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When coming back into the sport, then ESPN president George Bodenheimer called the Nationwide Series a diamond in the rough. Now, during season six, that diamond seems to have lost some of its luster. The network has confirmed that Brewer's recent hiatus from the Nationwide Series coverage will be permanent.<br />
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ESPN returns to Sprint Cup Series coverage in July with the Brickyard 400. The Tech Garage will also not be part of that coverage. This year the final seventeen Cup Series races will be without Brewer on TV.<br />
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"It has been a great feature of our NASCAR coverage," said a network spokesman. "We will continue to look for places to showcase the garage where appropriate."<br />
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That means that while ESPN did not sell the Tech Garage, the unit is parked. Unfortunately this also affects more ESPN team members than just Brewer. In addition to the camera crew inside the studio, the Tech Garage also had "runners" who grabbed damaged pieces of cars during the race and brought them back for Brewer to explain.<br />
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The upside of the Tech Garage was that Brewer presented information that was custom-tailored to each race. During the pre-race show, Brewer's role made a lot of sense and he could show-off the decades of knowledge he had about the sport. His timely reminders of what could go wrong often ultimately told the tale of the race.<br />
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It was once the green flag flew that Brewer's role became convoluted. At many tracks, the live action just did not lend itself to creating an opening that made time for Brewer's updates. Often, he became a presence on the air that seemed forced. There are only so many times that tight, loose and push can be explained to the same audience.<br />
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With the significant commercial load that NASCAR's TV partners carry, there was often just no natural break to insert Brewer into the coverage. Instead, forcing him in meant missing green flag racing while a technical explanation about a part failure or team change was done. It sometimes meant missing key pitstops while an update on a relatively simple topic was repeated once again.<br />
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Brewer's insertions into the live racing became a running joke, especially if there had been no accidents, engine failures or mechanical issues on the track. The producer was once again made to use Brewer who now had no choice but to once again repeat his keys to the race or a basic NASCAR topic.<br />
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Perhaps, Brewer's personality and knowledge were used best on the now defunct one-hour Monday NASCAR Now roundtable show. Brewer got feisty at the drop of a dime, never minced his words and kept the old school racing mentality that he developed in North Carolina on display. Host Allen Bestwick clearly loved it.<br />
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One truth about sports TV is that comfortable goodbyes rarely happen. Normally, parting is awkward and rarely done under circumstances chosen by the person leaving. This seems to be the case for Brewer, who quietly went on hiatus weeks ago and now will not return for ESPN's stretch run.<br />
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His on-air look was unique from his hair to his jewelry. He made no apologies for who he was and never got flustered under fire. It's too bad he never got a TV series that could show-off his knowledge about the sport to the fans and let his personality come out as well. <br />
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So, thanks to Tim Brewer. He kept a level head and sense of humor through it all and ultimately ESPN's NASCAR coverage was better off because of his presence. As they say in TV, see you down the road.<br />
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We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-77266257583700579902014-11-15T13:13:00.000-05:002014-11-15T13:13:16.907-05:00"Diamond In The Rough" Not Shining On TV<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SlgX-BbQZmI/AAAAAAAAFts/eS8m0pmsOOQ/s1600-h/LoganoChicagoland-02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SlgX-BbQZmI/AAAAAAAAFts/eS8m0pmsOOQ/s400/LoganoChicagoland-02.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357058111059289698" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 304px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Update: Originally published on 7/12/09<br />
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It was 2006 when the details of the new NASCAR TV contract were released. In addition to the final seventeen Sprint Cup Series races, ESPN was going to be televising the entire Nationwide Series beginning in 2007. It was a wonderful opportunity.<br />
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ESPN President George Bodenheimer praised the series as a diamond in the rough that would be polished by the single-minded attention of the NASCAR on ESPN production team. <br />
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Friday night, TV viewers saw just how polished the coverage of the Nationwide Series has become as ESPN televised the race from Chicagoland Speedway.<br />
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It was NASCAR TV pro Allen Bestwick who led his team of Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty through the pre-race show. Bestwick used his pit reporters to offer interviews with selected drivers and let Wallace and Daugherty crank-up the enthusiasm. Then, the race coverage began.<br />
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At Chicagoland, the field gets strung-out and it is up to the TV network to scan the track for racing and storylines. Right from the start, the production approach was a familiar one. Tight shots of selected Sprint Cup Series drivers were mixed with in-car camera shots to create yet another forgettable telecast.<br />
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Quite simply, it feels like ESPN has given up on the Nationwide Series and is patiently awaiting the network's return to the Sprint Cup telecasts. This monochromatic approach is led by Jerry Punch, who once again rattled off car numbers and driver names while leaving any attempt at excitement to analysts Andy Petree and Rusty Wallace.<br />
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These telecasts are led by the producer, who instructs the director on how to present the race and then leads the talent through the live event. Quite simply, nothing was shown on the TV screen for the vast majority of the race except camera shots of single cars. There was a lot of zooming on this telecast and none of the cameramen were zooming out.<br />
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When the pit reporters took a moment to recap the top ten, it was as if TV viewers were being introduced to teams that they had never seen before and would probably not see again. Where ESPN is concerned, the Nationwide Series is about Sprint Cup drivers and nothing more. <br />
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There is a fundamental belief that what TV viewers should be seeing at home the vast majority of the time is what the fans in the stands at the race are watching. It was highly doubtful that fans were cupping their hands around their eyes to watch either Joey Logano, Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards one car at a time.<br />
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The "racing perspective" was never established and the stories of all the teams on the track were never told. As <strong>TDP</strong> has said for the past three seasons, NASCAR races are not about who is leading at lap 50 when there are hundreds of laps and several fuel runs left in the event. <br />
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Regardless of the driver names, the Nationwide Series teams all deserve TV coverage and not just a mention in passing. Good racing in the middle of the field is more interesting than single-file cars holding the top five positions. How has this not translated itself to the ESPN production team three years into this TV coverage?<br />
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Give credit to Petree and Wallace who tried with all their might to inject some excitement into the race. When they paused in their commentary, however, the emotionless monotone of Punch continually sucked any energy from the telecast. Even two hours into the race, Punch was still offering car numbers, driver names and lap counts.<br />
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How can it not have sunk in to ESPN that every Nationwide Series team running the entire race needs an opportunity to be on national television? In a multi-hour event, this should not be a problem. It seems ironic that ESPN took the time to discuss Brad Daugherty's team starting and parking, yet never took the time to show the other teams who entered to actually race. <br />
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Two moving sports information tickers, fancy graphics and snappy video bumpers leading into commercial cannot take the place of telling the story on the track. Single car camera shots more suitable to practice coverage can never relate the story of where that car is on the track and what is actually going on in the race.<br />
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Next Saturday night at 9PM, ESPN will telecast the Nationwide Series stand-alone race from Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, MO. It is the final event before ESPN starts coverage of the Sprint Cup Series. The race is in primetime and should have a strong field. <br />
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This will be an outstanding opportunity for ESPN to change the superficial coverage of this series and work hard to get the remaining TV viewers to continue watching down the stretch. <br />
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Fundamental lessons learned from the TNT coverage this summer include keeping a broader perspective, moving through the field to find the racing and telling the stories of the event as they unfold regardless of the driver's popularity rating. <br />
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<strong>TDP</strong> welcomes your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by <strong>The Daly Planet</strong>.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-58537028829243305792014-11-15T13:12:00.000-05:002014-11-15T13:12:29.929-05:00ESPN Pushes NASCAR To The Back Burner<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/RyVYjxzMEdI/AAAAAAAABJ4/okUrDmL_jyM/s1600-h/espn-nascar-logo.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/RyVYjxzMEdI/AAAAAAAABJ4/okUrDmL_jyM/s200/espn-nascar-logo.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126601122517881298" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0 10px 10px 0;" /></a><br />
Update: Originally published on 10/28/07<br />
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This is a hard topic to discuss without opening a big can of worms. Unfortunately, after this weekend's efforts by ESPN to present live NASCAR racing, this issue now must be discussed. <br />
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It also desperately needs the input of NASCAR fans speaking clearly and in concise terms about what they expected from ESPN this season, and what they have gotten.<br />
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Back in the spring, <strong>The Daly Planet </strong>ran a column suggesting that ESPN use their faltering ESPN Classic Network to handle the logistical problems that the network would encounter with NASCAR all season long. We were almost laughed off the Internet.<br />
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What we suggested was that the company use the actual ESPN Classic "channel" to create an temporary "ESPN3" Network to handle the logistical nightmares that routinely come with NASCAR. <br />
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Anyone, like me, who has been sitting in the rain at Daytona at midnight still waiting for the Pepsi 400 green flag can relate. Rain and red flags cause problems for this sport with TV, and always will.<br />
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That said, NASCAR has done a great job over the years of picking TV networks as partners that did not have other programming issues that conflicted with the races. <br />
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We all remember the days of TBS Sports, TNN, and even NBC. Fox and TNT are good examples in the current contract. We are not talking about coverage issues, but just a big "broadcast window" being made available to cover the races even if it rains or the event runs long.<br />
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Now, NASCAR finds itself involved with ESPN2 on the cable TV side and ABC on the broadcast side. Both of these networks had been functioning just fine before NASCAR came along. They were full of quality programming, and profitable. <br />
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When the NASCAR contracts were announced, TV types like myself were left scratching our heads and asking the same thing over-and-over again. Where are ESPN and ABC going to put all that programming? Over the last several weeks, it has been made very clear to NASCAR fans exactly where they are going to put it. <br />
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Very slowly, the network has pushed NASCAR to the back burner on the ESPN/ABC stove. Race fans know exactly what I am talking about. Now, with empty stands at Busch races, TV ratings for NEXTEL Cup down, and a continued distain for NASCAR on SportsCenter and other ESPN shows, one thing is very clear. The NASCAR pot on the ESPN back burner is cold, and no one seems to care. <br />
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The year began with ESPN losing Friday NASCAR practices and qualifying to live Women's Tennis in-progress. Sometimes, it was fun just to hear ESPN tennis announcer Cliff Drysdale try to segway between an Elena Dementieva backhand and trying to promote the Busch Series at Nashville. This was the first sign that things were going to be interesting for NASCAR on ESPN. There would be a lot more to come.<br />
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When ESPN2 began their live Cup coverage of practice and qualifying, veteran fans noticed that ESPN had quietly eliminated the first Cup practice. Suddenly, it was clear to NASCAR fans that this big company of multiple networks was juggling a lot of programming that had nothing to do with NASCAR.<br />
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Then, a funny thing happened. ESPN got caught with other live events like the Little League World Series in-progress at race time. Since NASCAR was going to start the races anyway, ESPN had to show them somewhere. Where did they move them? <br />
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That would be directly to ESPN Classic. Somehow, the laughter that <strong>The Daly Planet </strong>heard when we suggested this network for NASCAR programming was quickly dying down. <br />
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As the college football season got underway, things got ugly quick. Scheduled between two live games, the Busch Series was sitting in "No Man's Land." When the preceding football game ran long, there was only one network where NASCAR could go...that's right...ESPN Classic. Think about that for a moment. <br />
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The Busch Series has sometimes hopped between three ESPN networks in one single race. ESPN, ESPN2, and the good old ESPN Classic. NASCAR fans who are trying to watch the race live can sit and click the channels when told, but this is 2007 and every move from network to network kills all TiVo's, DVR's, and even the old VCR's loyally grinding away so fans can come home and watch "their" sport. <br />
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This weekend, ESPN's scheduling woes had already eliminated the practice and qualifying for the Busch Series in Memphis. This was tough, because this stand-alone race featured a wide variety of drivers trying to get in the field. Qualifying would have been outstanding at a great track for the Busch Series like Memphis.<br />
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Then, as luck would have it, overtime in college football once again pushed the Busch Series pre-race telecast to ESPN Classic. Announcer Marty Reid is an ESPN veteran, and he led a small group of viewers who were watching live and had ESPN Classic through the start of this thirty minute show. But, on this day, there was a problem. <br />
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ESPN Classic already had a live college football game scheduled in thirty minutes. This meant that a very interesting moment for both ESPN and NASCAR was finally about to occur. If the game that forced NASCAR to ESPN Classic was not over, ESPN would have to choose between college football and NASCAR. ESPN had three live in-progress programs for only two national cable networks. Can you guess who lost?<br />
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In Memphis, the caps were off, the heads were bowed, and the prayer before the race was underway. Then, suddenly on ESPN Classic...NASCAR was no more. College football on ESPN took to the air right in the middle of the NASCAR prayer. Does it get any worse than that? In the middle of the prayer and without Marty Reid saying a word. <br />
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NASCAR fans quickly grabbed their remotes and switched back to ESPN2...only to see live college football. Switching to ESPN...live horse racing. Ladies and gentleman, The NASCAR Busch Series had left the building...and the network...and the airwaves.<br />
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NASCAR had been told where it stood very clearly, and only a nice tackle by a young man from the Iowa Hawkeyes ended the ESPN2 game a short time later and allowed NASCAR to once again return to the air. But, the point had been made clear to race fans. <br />
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The stick-and-ball world of ESPN will never come to NASCAR. This season, the sport has lost its practice and qualifying both on the Busch and Cup sides. It has been pre-empted for news about sports, even though ESPN has its own ESPN News Network. <br />
<br />
Races have been shifted between ESPN's cable channels like no other sport. Crucial races on ABC have been pushed off broadcast network TV to protect the ABC News. Races have been ended with no interviews, no follow-up of events, and have even left crashed cars on the track with absolutely no explanation. It has been insane.<br />
<br />
Then, to add insult to injury, no live post-race coverage from the track is offered on ESPN News because they are caught-up in the very same college and NFL football coverage. Can you image that? <br />
<br />
All the ESPN NASCAR people are in-place at the track, the satellite feed is up and there are stories to tell, but the lack of communication at ESPN between those who produce the events and those who produce the news is mind-boggling.<br />
<br />
When viewers tune-in to SportsCenter, they are greeted with ill-informed anchors who often openly mock the sport itself. Last week many time champion Jeff Gordon was called "Gordo" and when a pit crew member dropped a catch-can, the anchor said with a snide grin..."whatever that is."<br />
<br />
Let's face facts, aside from debating the quality of the coverage, the "network logistics" of this season on both ESPN and ABC in this first year of their NASCAR TV contract have been a disaster. <br />
<br />
Rain and red flags have been a part of NASCAR for decades. These simple issues should not be throwing for a loop the company that considers and promotes itself as the "Worldwide Leader In Sports Broadcasting."<br />
<br />
While Iowa Hawkeye fans are thanking junior defensive back Drew Gardner for a game-saving and possibly season-saving overtime tackle, NASCAR fans should be thanking him as well. Without his help, the Busch Series race in Memphis would have started with absolutely no national TV coverage from ESPN. <br />
<br />
Just how much more of this treatment can NASCAR fans take? Apparently, we will all find out together. Next Saturday, the Busch Series is again following an Iowa Hawkeye live football game. Let's hope Mr. Gardner stays healthy.<br />
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<strong>The Daly Planet </strong>welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the instructions. Please read the rules for posting on the right hand side of the main page, and thanks for taking the time to stop-by and leave your opinion.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com145tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-74878083588397303502014-11-15T13:00:00.000-05:002014-11-15T13:00:08.721-05:00Day Two: The Silent Tears Of IRP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Update</strong>: <i>REPOST FROM 7/27/12</i><br />
<br />
Built in 1960 on farmland seven miles down the road from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the motorsports complex known to veteran fans as Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) is legendary. The facility contains a drag strip, a road course and a flat oval track with the famous length of .686 of a mile.<br />
<br />
On Labor Day weekend, the NHRA holds a celebration of speed known as "The Big Go." Just before the IndyCars race at the Brickyard, the USAC midgets stage "The Night Before The 500" race. When NASCAR comes to town in late July, the Kroger Speedfest gets underway with three nights of racing.<br />
<br />
Designed as a companion event to the Brickyard 400, Speedfest became a mandatory destination for fans. Three classes of USAC and the ARCA series raced on Thursday. The Camping World Trucks raced on Friday and the Nationwide Series was the star of the show racing on Saturday night. It truly was short-track heaven.<br />
<br />
The grandstands were full, the drivers loved it and watching the trucks and Nationwide Series battle it out at the bull-ring made for great TV. It was the perfect lead-in to the Brickyard 400 and the spectacle of the Sprint Cup Series teams racing on a track made famous by the IndyCars.<br />
<br />
One year ago, ESPN.com's open-wheel reporter John Oreovicz reported news of a change in plans. <a href="http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/nationwide/story/_/id/6820721/nascar-nationwide-sport-leaving-indy-roots">Click here</a> to read his story. In order to deal with sluggish ticket sales at the Brickyard, NASCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) were expanding the racing being offered on that weekend.<br />
<br />
Two of NASCAR's in-house properties, the Rolex Grand-Am and Nationwide Series, would start racing on the Brickyard 400 weekend at the big track. In order to make sure the fans focused on IMS, NASCAR also cancelled the Camping World Truck Series race that weekend. Just like that, it was over for IRP.<br />
<br />
"It was a complete shock and obviously we're pretty disappointed by it," IRP general manager Wes Collier told Oreovicz. "This was pretty much NASCAR's decision and there wasn't a thing we could do about it. We were willing to do whatever it took to keep the event here. But it was a business decision between NASCAR and IMS that left us on the outside looking in."<br />
<br />
The new pitch for the Brickyard 400 weekend is three races for fans to see. The Grand-Am cars race on the infield road course Friday, the Nationwide Series on Saturday and the Sprint Cup Series on Sunday. What is left of Speedfest at IRP is the ARCA series and three classes of USAC open-wheelers.<br />
<br />
The current title sponsor at IRP is Lucas Oil. Company founder Forrest Lucas is not happy about the change. "They're going to give up a really good race where the fans love the racing," Lucas told CompetitionPlus.com. "It's good television and the fans can watch it. There are some races that are better to watch on a short track. They might make that weekend bigger to have all three classes there, but I can't see 'em having any fans."<br />
<br />
"I hate to see it move," ESPN NASCAR analyst Dale Jarrett told Oreovicz. "Races like that one that are separate from Cup races helped give the series its own identity and I think they need more of those." There are currently seven Sprint Cup Series drivers who will cross-over and race on Saturday at the Brickyard.<br />
<br />
NASCAR's goal is to elevate the relocated Nationwide Series race to high-profile status. The race gets ESPN exposure on Saturday with the network using all the special TV equipment brought in for the Sunday event. It's also important for ESPN to pull-out all the stops for another reason.<br />
<br />
During the Nationwide Series pre-race show, ABC journalist Katie Couric will interview Danica Patrick in a pre-produced feature as the centerpiece of the program. The ability to promote a media star like Patrick on a big stage is what ESPN does best. The ultimate script for NASCAR, IMS and ESPN would be for Patrick to finally get her Indy win in the inaugural Nationwide Series race at the Brickyard.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, over at the small track the beat goes on. The loss of the two NASCAR races will not sink the facility. In fact, Lucas Oil is staying on as title sponsor and there will be over one hundred events on the calendar this year alone.<br />
<br />
Change is certainly a constant in life, but after 30 years of NASCAR racing with more than 15 in support of the Brickyard 400, the silent tears of IRP are easy to understand.<br />
<br />
We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-10764272823181647452014-06-27T20:53:00.000-04:002014-06-27T20:54:56.857-04:00Flashback: The Most Painful Dale Junior Interview In TV History<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/Rq_0-3mJodI/AAAAAAAAAtU/46mafHiflZo/s1600-h/dale_earnhart_jr_indy_07.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/Rq_0-3mJodI/AAAAAAAAAtU/46mafHiflZo/s400/dale_earnhart_jr_indy_07.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093559064492351954" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
<b>Update 6/27/14</b>: This column was originally published in July of 2007. Just giving our friends at ESPN Motorsports a little trip down memory lane. <b>NASCAR Now</b> has been cancelled after airing at 2am for this season. The network cannot run away from NASCAR fast enough after boasting of its return in 2007. Enjoy a little Junior flashback.<br />
<br />
<b>Original column</b>: Dale Earnhardt Junior looked like he was having a long day. He sat patiently in his <strong>Sharpie </strong>shirt in front of a <strong>Sharpie</strong> background on what was clearly a <strong>Sharpie</strong> "satellite media tour." This is the process by which a driver sits in one location and various media outlets interview him while he wears the sponsor's shirt and shows the sponsor logo on TV. <br />
<br />
TV folks get to ask questions only if they also agree to allow the driver to mention the sponsor's own agenda, which usually consists of a special promotion. To say the least, its usually not a lot of fun for the driver. Tuesday, it was almost unbearable.<br />
<br />
Earlier this season, Sharpie and Junior inked an endorsement deal that resulted in Sharpie releasing a customized Dale Junior black Sharpie aimed at NASCAR fans. They also appear as a sponsor on his NEXTEL Cup car in Bristol, TN. Part of this deal is the fact that Junior must do "appearances" for Sharpie. <br />
<br />
Tuesday evening, ESPN's <strong>NASCAR Now </strong>teased a "feature interview" with Junior. When he finally appeared, show host Erik Kuselias never said where Junior was located, he just kind of "appeared." Viewers immediately noticed the fact that the Budweiser logo and the color red were missing from his attire. <br />
<br />
Instead, he wore a <strong>Sharpie</strong> shirt and appeared in front of a <strong>Sharpie </strong>background in his mysterious "studio" location. It was pretty easy to tell, something <strong>Sharpie</strong> was going to be promoted. <br />
<br />
Instead of being up-front with viewers and explaining this agenda, <strong>NASCAR Now </strong>tried to "sell" the fact that this was a "feature interview" with Junior. They somehow believed fans did not see the <strong>Sharpie</strong> shirt, or the wall with <strong>Sharpie </strong>logos all over it. <br />
<br />
The number one problem for ESPN is that NASCAR fans have a clue. They knew something was up from the start, and the look on Junior's face really gave it away. It was something between being at the dentist and standing in line at the Motor Vehicle Department. This fun-loving and easy-going guy was having absolutely no fun, and it was very clear that the going...was not easy.<br />
<br />
The person being interviewed can hear the "network feed" in their earpiece, and to lead into Junior, <strong>NASCAR Now </strong>ran an embarrassing video package on his decline this season, his possible failure to make the chase, and his leaving DEI. What a nice way to make a person feel welcome to <strong>NASCAR Now</strong>.<br />
<br />
Kuselias introduced Junior as "NASCAR's most popular driver," and then without allowing him to even say hello just laid into him with one of the most bizarre NASCAR questions on network TV in quite some time. Kuselias asked Junior about Indy "if you don't have the engine trouble, could you have won that race?" <br />
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After a brief grimace, Junior politely responded "there's no telling, we were in the top five, so we had a shot at it." Wouldn't we all like to know what was actually running through Junior's mind? Either he was thinking that ESPN has no clue to racing or he was holding himself back from the Geico Caveman answer...."what?"<br />
<br />
Next up, Kuselias fired off "how confident are you that the eight is going to make The Chase?" What is the only answer for any driver on any team working hard to do their best every race? Junior said "very confident...we are just having bad luck" Patiently, Junior pointed out that the team was running well in the races they did not finish. This was a point omitted by the host.<br />
<br />
"How is the fact that you are moving-on impacted the team this season?" was a follow-up from Kuselias. Again, what is the answer when you are talking to the person who is leaving? Should he say everything is a mess and I am to blame? Junior replied that this change was motivation for the DEI gang to show it could send him out on a high note and also prove that they are a top-notch professional team. <br />
<br />
As if things could not get any stranger, Kuselias referenced the DEI/Ginn merger, and actually asked Junior that now that Mark Martin is his team mate, "what do you guys talk about?" His assumption was that since Junior and Mark were on different teams, they routinely did not speak to each other. <br />
<br />
Veteran NASCAR fans might have had to be helped-up off the floor, as Junior and his late father had known, and grown-up with Mark and his family for over twenty years. "It would be kind of boring I think" said Junior. He was then nice enough to reference for Kuselias his experience with Mark in the Busch Series and the help he received coming up through the ranks. <br />
<br />
Kuselias did not get it. These two guys had known each other for a long time. They have already talked about life and racing for many years with each other. In his unrelenting manner, Kuselias asked "what specific things would you focus in on with Mark Martin?" He was referring to "getting info" from Martin before leaving DEI, and presumably, not talking to Martin again as he would no longer be a team mate. How priceless is that question? <br />
<br />
Junior took a very deep breath. Then another. "That's kind of a tough situation there" he said about the question. Then, a funny thing happened. As we all have at some time in our life...Junior just made something up. It was about learning Martin's "set-ups" for his cars. If you were a fan, it was a hilarious answer. A guy going to Hendrick needs help with "set-ups." The message could not be sent any clearer. But, if you were ESPN, this was great information.<br />
<br />
Then, Junior was gone. No thank you or sign-off, just Kuselias saying that Junior would be back later in the show "to talk more about the news involving you." Does that make any sense? Well, of course it does. Junior had to get in his promo for Sharpie, and after taping the entire interview, <strong>NASCAR Now </strong>just sliced that part off and kept it for the end of the show. <br />
<br />
This way, they could pretend that this had been a "feature interview" with <strong>NASCAR Now</strong>, and not just another TV interview on the <strong>Sharpie</strong> "satellite media tour." How low can this bunch get?<br />
<br />
Sure enough, Junior popped-up at the end of the show again. Kuselias asked about the merger of the JR Motorsports and the Hendrick Busch teams. Junior tried to say that if he is writing a two million dollar check, and Hendrick is writing a two million dollar check for his own team, then putting them together will be cost effective. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, after Junior finished saying "two million dollars," Erik Kuselias started to laugh. He thought Junior was joking. Patiently, Junior finished his answer. Once again, the lack of any racing knowledge on the part of Erik Kuselias was revealed to the national viewing audience. Junior was not joking, it was a two million dollar expense. <br />
<br />
Finally, Kuselias said that people at ESPN were showing him their "8" tattoos and asking him if Junior was going to "keep his number." After asking him if he had any news on that, Junior quietly replied "Not really, we don't have any. That's not something that I have any influence on." That is bad news. Apparently, all those Connecticut TV executives with Junior tats will have to wait a little while longer before booking an appointment for "new ink."<br />
<br />
Junior then looked relieved when the <strong>Sharpie</strong> "drive you back to school" initiative was brought-up as ESPN's time wound down. Junior carefully explained this promotion for education and it was, in fact, a great idea. Then, without mentioning Erik's name, Junior was gone.<br />
<br />
Several times this year, we have seen drivers on "media tours" appear on <strong>NASCAR Now </strong>wearing specific sponsor gear, and sitting in an unknown location surrounded by sponsor logos. Each time <strong>NASCAR Now </strong>has tried to make it appear that the driver was just an interview, when in fact it was a paid media appearance. The trade-off for the "mandatory sponsor TV mention" is that the driver has to answer a couple of questions. This was the case with Junior and <strong>Sharpie</strong>.<br />
<br />
The funny thing is, fans like to hear from Junior. If ESPN had just said where he was, and what he was doing, there would have been no problem. Everyone understands sponsorship, and the cause was a good one. It would have been nice if ESPN had pitched-in and promoted this on their own NASCAR website. <br />
<br />
ESPN is now the network covering the NEXTEL Cup Series for the rest of the year. What they seek from fans and viewers is a return to the credibility they had back in the 1980's and 90's. Deception like this on their daily NASCAR show is not going to help that cause. Things need to be explained to viewers for what they really are.<br />
<br />
For this program, and the network, to gain any kind of momentum as the NASCAR season hits its peak, there has to be a committment to accountability and honesty. And just maybe, a little less nervous laughter.<br />
<br />
<strong>The Daly Planet </strong>welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below, or email editor@thedalyplanet.tv if you wish not to be published. Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and leave your opinion.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-5978469795323192452014-06-24T13:39:00.000-04:002014-06-24T13:42:49.140-04:002014 Flashback: NASCAR Now: A Disaster in Bristol<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/Rfgoq1tz5iI/AAAAAAAAAHI/nE8kclbn1VI/s1600-h/tn_NASCAR_Now_final_print.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/Rfgoq1tz5iI/AAAAAAAAAHI/nE8kclbn1VI/s320/tn_NASCAR_Now_final_print.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5041824499280111138" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a><br />
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<strong>Update 6/24/14: NASCAR Now has been cancelled by ESPN. It has been airing at 2AM or later since ESPN made clear its intentions to run from the sport. Here are some flashback articles from the time ESPN jumped back in with an agenda to save NASCAR and build the sport to new heights. There will be a new flashback column each day just to help with the trip down memory lane. </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Original Post from March of 2007: ESPN2's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NASCAR</span> Now</strong> showed up on Wednesday with a new host. Original host Erik <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Kuselias</span> was never even mentioned on the program. Doug Banks quickly confirmed the problems in Bristol, CT with his attempt at hosting this show. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Kuselias</span> had been the face of this series since <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Daytona</span>. Why was this change made and where was he? This is a high-profile national sports show, and the viewers deserved an explanation.<br />
<br />
Banks was joined by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">NASCAR</span> "Insider" Boris Said, who is a Connecticut native and a sports car racer. Boris is a NASCAR road course "ringer" who has never been a regular in any <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">NASCAR</span> series, and never developed the level of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">NASCAR</span> knowledge that should allow him to comment on this sport. Where was Stacy Compton? Tim Brewer? Marty Smith? Alan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Bestwick</span>? Rusty Wallace? Andy Petree?<br />
<br />
Banks then introduced Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Waltrip</span> as "the driver" of the 55 car. In fact, Michael is the owner of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">MWR</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Motorsports</span>, and the face of Toyota's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">NASCAR</span> effort in the US. Banks then asked him, from a prepared script, "What is your team going to do to make sure that you make the race this weekend in Atlanta?" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Waltrip's</span> answer, "Well, there is nothing you can do to make sure you are going to make it." Mr. Banks question was mind-bending. And it only got worse.<br />
<br />
Banks then welcomed series regular Angelique <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Chengelis</span> by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">mis</span>-pronouncing her name. He then slowly read prepared questions from a script for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Chengelis</span>, who answered them and was immediately asked another scripted question. For ESPN, this was beyond amateur. After several answers that contained no news content, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Chengelis</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">disappeared</span> just as awkwardly as she had popped-up.<br />
<br />
Banks next led into a taped feature about Jon Wood's first <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">NEXTEL</span> Cup race that had all the bells and whistles <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">ESPN's</span> field production crew is famous for. And then, a classic piece of sports television history unfolded. Jon Wood and his father Eddie appeared live on-camera side-by-side. Throughout the entire disjointed interview, Jon Wood displayed all the mannerisms of a drug addict in need of his medication. He twitched, scratched, made <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">bizarre</span> faces, rocked back and forth, and could not put two thoughts together. Meanwhile, his father beside him barely acknowledged his presence, and seemed to be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">disappointed</span> in his child as both a driver and a human being. If there was ever a moment where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">NASCAR</span> should consider a drug test, this was it. For those us of with experience in drug and alcohol addictions, it was frightening.<br />
<br />
Finally, this disaster had to come to an end. Banks signed off. There was absolutely no mention of the Busch Race in Atlanta. ESPN spent millions to acquire it, and will spend hundreds of thousands to produce and show it live. No mention of the Truck Race in Atlanta, which SPEED will televise and is often the best Truck race of the year. There was no discussion of anything that remotely resembled the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">NASCAR</span> news being carried on the racing websites, publications, or radio.<br />
<br />
I have had my issues with parts of this series since its inception, but there have always been efforts to right the ship. The Monday show was excellent, and the potential was there to surround the Connecticut-based host with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">NASCAR</span> experts who could help to restore the network's credibility. Watching this edition of <strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">NASCAR</span> Now</strong> was mind-boggling. A host who did not know anything about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">NASCAR</span>, an expert who is not an expert, an interview with a freaked-out twitching problem child, and a question to Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Waltrip</span> that left him shaking his head. ESPN has a problem, and its serious. When <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">NASCAR</span> figures it out and calls the network, things are just going to go from bad to worse. And frankly, I just don't see how they can be much worse. </div>
Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-56167421757219964322014-04-06T11:56:00.000-04:002014-04-06T11:56:41.900-04:00Repost From 2013: Why SportsCenter Hates NASCAR<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EmtPPuwYY1s/TflmZpo-34I/AAAAAAAAIKg/n06f8-uuWVs/s1600/sportscenter-02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EmtPPuwYY1s/TflmZpo-34I/AAAAAAAAIKg/n06f8-uuWVs/s400/sportscenter-02.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618634600981913474" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
Take a good look at the picture above. You can click directly on it to see it full-size. On the right in the tie is a young Bob Ley. The man standing in the middle of the picture with the glasses is Stephen Bogart. He looks to be producing the show being prepared and yes, he is Humphrey and Lauren's boy. On the left seated and also in a tie is "Sweet Lou" Palmer.<br />
<br />
On the desk to the right is a stack of 3/4 inch video cassette tapes. On the bench under the windows are the two record/play machines wired to two TV sets. Those papers hanging on the wall to the left are called wire copy. The AP and UPI sports stories look to have been neatly assembled by Production Assistant Steve Dirks, the man in the blue jeans.<br />
<br />
Those things on the desk are called typewriters. On those single line telephones, you had to dial "9" to get an outside line. There is trash on the floor, boxes crammed under desks and Hank Aaron swatting the big one out on the wall. <br />
<br />
The room is full of dedicated people making little money who believed in creating something new. The year is 1979. That is the ESPN newsroom. <br />
<br />
This is <strong>SportsCenter</strong>.<br />
<br />
The concept was simple. Take a look at what was going on in sports that day. Then filter out the news items and edit the videotape highlights. Run to the studio and put on a show giving sports fans nationwide a rundown on what happened. <br />
<br />
<strong>SportsCenter</strong> was fun, hectic, irreverent and loved by cable TV viewers for all those reasons. Ultimately, it was the programming franchise that built ESPN. It added words to our vocabularies and faces to the national television landscape.<br />
<br />
Now, over thirty years later, <strong>SportsCenter</strong> is seen on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS. There is often over twenty hours of <strong>SportsCenter</strong> content spread between these networks daily. The early evening show is from Bristol, CT. The late show is from the ESPN studios in Los Angeles, CA. The daytime show is now done live and features the power duo of Hannah Storm and Kevin Negandhi.<br />
<br />
Along the way, the franchise has changed. ESPN has gone from reporting the stories to becoming part of them. No longer is ESPN's news operation an interested observer with an accurate report. The thrust of <strong>SportsCenter</strong> is now to use the power of the ESPN family of television networks to feature and promote the topics that tie into ESPN's own programming.<br />
<br />
When NASCAR and ESPN said a bitter goodbye in 2001, the reality of <strong>SportsCenter</strong> and credibility was immediately driven home. In the blink of an eye, NASCAR went from a <strong>SportsCenter</strong> staple to a memory. Angry that NASCAR had struck a deal without ESPN involved in the top series, this major professional sport was relegated to barely a mention. <br />
<br />
The current crop of <strong>SportsCenter</strong> management remember this all too well. They actively participated in trying to wipe NASCAR off the map. It might have been a choice ESPN tries to defend as related to track access, but in fact it was a purposeful campaign to make NASCAR pay for leaving the mothership.<br />
<br />
Well, a funny thing happened to that plan. NASCAR thrived on FOX, TNT and NBC. Despite the smear campaign, guess who came right back to the bargaining table for the next NASCAR TV contract? ESPN was first in line with cash in hand. ESPN came away with the final seventeen Sprint Cup Series races and the entire Nationwide Series.<br />
<br />
Now, these same <strong>SportsCenter</strong> types who had openly mocked NASCAR for years had themselves a little problem. Not only was NASCAR returning to the mothership, but ESPN had the Chase for the Championship for years. At the height of the college and pro football seasons, <strong>SportsCenter</strong> now had to report on NASCAR's version of the playoffs.<br />
<br />
In came familiar names like Marty Smith, David Newton and Ryan McGee. Bolstered by others who lived outside of New England,<strong> SportsCenter </strong>grudgingly tried to integrate NASCAR content back into the news franchise that started it all. The result has been a complete, miserable failure.<br />
<br />
Now five years into the current NASCAR TV contract, the open contempt and outright hatred of NASCAR by <strong>SportsCenter</strong> anchors is not only tolerated, it is encouraged.<br />
<br />
It was <strong>SportsCenter</strong> anchor John Anderson who came on immediately after the Nationwide Series race from Chicagoland Speedway. That same day the Camping World Trucks had raced in Kansas and Richard Childress had gotten into a little dust-up with Kyle Busch after the race.<br />
<br />
Anderson was annoyed from the start that NASCAR lead <strong>SportsCenter</strong>. He started by calling the highlights of the Nationwide Series race complete with all the same mistakes made live by announcer Marty Reid. It was pathetic and it was painful, but Anderson was just getting warmed-up.<br />
<br />
Marty Smith is a patient man. After five years of dealing endlessly with <strong>SportsCenter</strong> talent who know nothing about NASCAR and could care less, Smith's "phoner" into the show carefully explained the Busch and Childress history and NASCAR's perspective on boys having at it.<br />
<br />
Anderson then told Smith he was appalled that there could be a fight after a race. He was amazed that an owner would possibly act that way. He was even more confused as to how two professional drivers like Carl Edwards and Justin Allgaier could possibly run out of gas on the track? Don't they get that for free? <br />
<br />
Once Anderson's four painful minutes of NASCAR highlights and speaking with Smith were over, his smug look of disgust turned into a grin. "Now...we have some baseball!!" he screamed with delight. In the <strong>SportsCenter</strong> world, things were back to normal. <br />
<br />
The bottom line is that <strong>SportsCenter</strong> hates NASCAR because the ESPN management allows it. Any interruption of the flow of the stick-and-ball seasons by racing will be met with the arrogance we now know as a trademark of the group that promotes itself as the Worldwide Leader in Sports. <br />
<br />
It's always interesting to look at how something got started and where it is today. As someone once said, it all seemed so simple back then. <br />
<br />
We invite your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. Thanks for taking the time to stop by <strong>The Daly Planet</strong>. <br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-1449815-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();</script>Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-57760088564472104122014-03-28T11:34:00.000-04:002014-03-28T11:35:13.072-04:00Repost from July of 2008: Thinking of Petty Family This Weekend<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLLGdrINPI/AAAAAAAAClQ/V3Lxu4vHjnk/s1600-h/richardpetty-04.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLLGdrINPI/AAAAAAAAClQ/V3Lxu4vHjnk/s400/richardpetty-04.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220458229981000946" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
It will be ESPN's Shannon Spake who will anchor a one hour <strong>NASCAR Now </strong>special from Petty Enterprises in Mooresville, NC on Tuesday at 6PM on ESPN2. She will be on-hand with Richard Petty and others to celebrate his fifty year anniversary in the sport.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLFE1wAHSI/AAAAAAAAClA/G2rhb36JdkY/s1600-h/richardpetty-01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLFE1wAHSI/AAAAAAAAClA/G2rhb36JdkY/s400/richardpetty-01.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220451605014388002" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Just like the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., anyone who has been around NASCAR for a good while has some Richard Petty stories. His Southern charm, big smile and natural way with all types of people has carved a legacy which will last forever.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLE8AY9tMI/AAAAAAAACk4/3K4lHAL8zYw/s1600-h/richardpetty-06.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLE8AY9tMI/AAAAAAAACk4/3K4lHAL8zYw/s400/richardpetty-06.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220451453251728578" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Petty was a casual friend to all of the ESPN crew members back in the 1980's when that network first started covering the sport. As a TV person from Connecticut in my 20's, I felt as out-of-place at a NASCAR track as was humanly possible. Petty was kind and nice to all of us as we tried to bring the sport to a new audience...cable TV. He could make you smile on a sweltering hot day in North Wilkesboro and that was no easy task.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLEzqNKzrI/AAAAAAAACkw/ARs6A4mLxJ0/s1600-h/richardpetty-03.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLEzqNKzrI/AAAAAAAACkw/ARs6A4mLxJ0/s400/richardpetty-03.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220451309857722034" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Later in my career, we originated <strong>This Week in NASCAR with Eli Gold </strong>from the Petty Museum in Level Cross, NC. We were in a spot as to how to feed the TV crew until Lynda Petty and her church friends solved the problem with homemade food. We had our own covered-dish church social amid the trophies and I discovered pecan pie and the Petty hospitality. <br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLEqcV62WI/AAAAAAAACko/IA6VTiuCaGg/s1600-h/richardpetty-05.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLEqcV62WI/AAAAAAAACko/IA6VTiuCaGg/s400/richardpetty-05.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220451151517505890" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Petty's contributions to the sport in terms of being an ambassador are unmatched. He unlocked new markets and won-over new fans with his aggressive driving and his self-effacing manner. That cowboy hat and smile are known well beyond the American borders.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLEftt94JI/AAAAAAAACkg/beQzozljrHs/s1600-h/richardpetty-07.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLEftt94JI/AAAAAAAACkg/beQzozljrHs/s400/richardpetty-07.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220450967203209362" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Spake has a good opportunity to explore the past for fans who do not remember the full-size cars or the fact that NASCAR actually ran convertibles. That is the series where Petty started, and hopefully the show will have some additional photos and footage for fans.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLEV2i1e6I/AAAAAAAACkY/DcOe41jjnZc/s1600-h/richardpetty.gif"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UfBePUbn2Us/SHLEV2i1e6I/AAAAAAAACkY/DcOe41jjnZc/s400/richardpetty.gif" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220450797773749154" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
This should be a good opportunity to record a TV program that may have a lasting memory once Petty retires as an owner and gets back to the piece and quiet of Level Cross. ESPN should be commended for allocating time and resources to participate in a well-deserved anniversary celebration.<br />
<br />
I would invite you to add any memories or thoughts you may have about Richard Petty for the ESPN crew producing this show or just for other <strong>Daly Planet </strong>readers. Click on any of the pictures to see them full-size.<br />
<br />
<strong>The Daly Planet </strong>welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. The rules for posting are located on the right side of the main page. Thanks for stopping by.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-53997747522178903862013-04-30T12:00:00.000-04:002013-04-30T12:52:16.594-04:00Earnhardt Stories: We All Got 'Em (Repost)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a38Ty97bpoQ/TVoBC7T9NNI/AAAAAAAAH2A/wXJxDqW7UR0/s1600/earnhardtsr-06.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573768638617171154" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a38Ty97bpoQ/TVoBC7T9NNI/AAAAAAAAH2A/wXJxDqW7UR0/s400/earnhardtsr-06.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 287px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sohBlSf-mnE/TVoA8VQOcQI/AAAAAAAAH14/GWCNkBEir8s/s1600/earnhardtsr-02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573768525321761026" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sohBlSf-mnE/TVoA8VQOcQI/AAAAAAAAH14/GWCNkBEir8s/s400/earnhardtsr-02.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 299px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VvIG5IAOFho/TVoA2q05nAI/AAAAAAAAH1w/GQiZy_fGlak/s1600/earnhardtsr-01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573768428033514498" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VvIG5IAOFho/TVoA2q05nAI/AAAAAAAAH1w/GQiZy_fGlak/s400/earnhardtsr-01.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 265px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0trihZnhCEc/TVoAunRJmkI/AAAAAAAAH1o/plNznyCxMIs/s1600/earnhardtsr-03.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573768289639307842" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0trihZnhCEc/TVoAunRJmkI/AAAAAAAAH1o/plNznyCxMIs/s400/earnhardtsr-03.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 269px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wBX4pelrraA/TVoAdl_CrhI/AAAAAAAAH1g/k0lNGhiwxrY/s1600/earnhardtsr-05.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573767997237145106" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wBX4pelrraA/TVoAdl_CrhI/AAAAAAAAH1g/k0lNGhiwxrY/s400/earnhardtsr-05.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 291px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-snzctVy2d4s/TVoAWHH6TKI/AAAAAAAAH1Y/JcaQXa61KP0/s1600/earnhardtsr-04.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573767868693761186" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-snzctVy2d4s/TVoAWHH6TKI/AAAAAAAAH1Y/JcaQXa61KP0/s400/earnhardtsr-04.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 341px;" /></a><br />
<strong>Update</strong>:<em> It's been a long time since we remembered Dale Earnhardt Sr. This column was originally published in March of 2011</em>.<br />
<br />
Lots of fans have been asking about Dale Earnhardt Sr. and his life and times. It's pretty easy to find a record of his accomplishments on the track and a history of his family life, but there is a lot more.<br />
<br />
For those of us who worked in NASCAR television in the 80's and 90's, there was little doubt that sooner or later you would encounter Big E. He was a street smart person who could size someone up pretty quickly and had little patience for those with agendas. <br />
<br />
Times were different then. Drivers stayed at hotels and ate out locally with everyone else. Lots of problems got solved in hotel bars and sometimes others got started. It wasn't as shiny, corporate or polished. It was a lot of fun.<br />
<br />
We are going to encourage folks to add their own Dale Sr. stories on this blog post and see how it goes. I'll start with one of mine. It all began when NASCAR decided to branch out and go race at the Brickyard.<br />
<br />
At the time, I was working at Sunbelt Video in Charlotte, NC. This company produced <strong>Inside Winston Cup Racing </strong>for TNN, did a ton of corporate work for sponsors at the track and generally was responsible for archiving NASCAR race footage. Back then, NASCAR wanted nothing to do with the TV business.<br />
<br />
NASCAR decided to create a kind of temporary theme park on the IU-PUI campus with different kinds of interactive stock car attractions. It was designed to get folks in that area up to speed on the sport. It was going to be called NASCAR World.<br />
<br />
Sunbelt Video was asked to handle the TV part and gladly said yes. Basically, a big high-tech tent was put in place and inside we built a stage and bleachers for an audience. The idea was to bring in several hundred fans during the days before the race and have radio and TV shows originate from the site.<br />
<br />
Back then, <strong>This Week in NASCAR </strong>with Eli Gold was a weekly one-hour show that featured a driver on live TV answering questions from the audience and phone callers. The featured driver on the final night before the race was going to be Dale Earnhardt Sr.<br />
<br />
When practical jokes are played, I am not the one involved in setting them up. As I have been reminded many times in my TV life, I am a wonderful victim. At various times on the road I have been duct taped into my hotel room, put on the wrong flight and famously had my legs shaved by a college women's swim team. That wasn't pretty.<br />
<br />
I had absolutely nothing for Dale Earnhardt and he knew it. I was a Boy Scout and he was a heavyweight boxer. I knew my role and this show in Indy was going to be a big moment for both of us. He was set to be driven to the show by a police car and was right on time. <br />
<br />
Eli was already on stage, the entire house was packed and Earnhardt was the reason. All he had to do was walk up three little steps, come out from behind Eli and take a seat. I shook his hand, said thanks for coming and left him in the hands of the Stage Manager.<br />
<br />
I wanted to see the fans, so I walked around to the front of the big tent and then inside. It had been closed off a while back after being filled with fans in black shirts with the number three on everything they wore. It was just a couple of minutes until air time, the crowd was screaming and everything was perfect.<br />
<br />
The show hit the air live, Eli said his hellos and then went to a quick commercial before introducing Earnhardt. It was electric. One of the ushers we hired stood next to me and as Eli began to introduce Dale I said to him quietly that this was going to be fun. Then, it happened.<br />
<br />
The usher said, "You think?" I recognized the voice. My head swiveled. Staring me in the face about three inches from my nose was Earnhardt. Eli was looking back for him, the crowd was now standing and the only thing Earnhardt wanted to do was watch me turn a shade of purple that cannot be accurately described in the English language.<br />
<br />
Before I could decide to scream, faint or have a heart attack he was gone. He happily walked up the aisle of screaming fans from behind carefully knocking the baseball hats off the ones on the end of the rows. When he got to the chest high stage he got a running start, jumped up on it and slowly stood up. The entire place went nuts.<br />
<br />
Eli is a pro who is used to driver antics and he got Earnhardt in the chair. It was finally occurring to the chosen fans that their heads had gotten the famous Earnhardt swat as he came down the aisle. The Dale show was in full effect and yet only two of us knew the reality.<br />
<br />
As Eli started into his opening remarks, Earnhardt was slowly unveiling the one trait that every single person who knew him had experienced. As I stood there shaking my head and wondering if my heart would return to a normal rhythm, I was the recipient of one of the most famous shit-eating grins in the known universe.<br />
<br />
What made it more special to him was that none of the screaming fans, the show host or even the producer knew what had happened. Earnhardt had seen his opportunity, taken it and was now basking in the glow of his achievement. I just had to sit down.<br />
<br />
That's one of my Earnhardt TV stories. Others that have been told to me over the years involve his boating adventures, various activities around town during race weeks and scaring the heck out of fans by stopping by their infield campers.<br />
<br />
If you have been around for a while in the sport as a fan or a working type, please feel free to share a story or anecdote about Dale Sr. with us. I appreciate our Twitter friends for encouraging me to offer this topic. To add your comment, just click the comments button below. Thanks for stopping by.<br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-1449815-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();</script>Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-80551664836751009262013-03-28T13:00:00.000-04:002013-03-28T13:06:04.889-04:00NASCAR's Scene Daily And Rowdy Closed<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-v0k3oMWbY/T3H0D671T7I/AAAAAAAAJQQ/valS7MfLcbE/s1600/thesportingnews-01.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724624949561610162" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-v0k3oMWbY/T3H0D671T7I/AAAAAAAAJQQ/valS7MfLcbE/s400/thesportingnews-01.bmp" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 289px;" /></a><br />
<strong>Update</strong>: The story below was originally published on April 3, 2012. Today we learned of 12 sports writers and editors fired from The Sporting News even as it partners with a UK-based company called Perform to chase digital sports rights and invests millions of dollars into this project. Another bad digital decision for this very strange management group. <br />
<br />
It's been a long and winding road for<strong> The Sporting News </strong>(TSN). The weekly "Bible of Baseball" that started publishing in 1886 is now an online publication struggling for an identity. Pictured above is a 1949 edition featuring Jackie Robinson.<br />
<br />
In 2006, TSN was purchased by American City Business Journals (ACBJ). If this company sounds familiar, it should. Scenedaily.com and Rowdy.com are two NASCAR online brands owned by ACBJ. The company calls itself the largest publisher of metropolitan newsweeklies in the country and is known for its business journals.<br />
<br />
Back in 2008 a new online version of TSN was rolled-out called <strong>Sporting News Today</strong>. The project was designed to deliver updated sports news in a daily online publication. <a href="http://thesportscircuit.com/2011/08/27/sporting-news-today-is-logging-off/">Click here </a>for a story from sportscircuits.com about the ultimate demise of the product in August of 2011. <br />
<br />
In a subsequent move to gain digital market share, ACBJ pulled-off one of the most unpopular moves in recent sports history. <a href="http://sportsbybrooks.com/sporting-news-paid-aol-millions-to-drop-fanhouse-29433">Click here </a>for a story from sportsbybrooks.com on how ACBJ paid America Online (AOL) millions to kill the popular <strong>AOL Fanhouse </strong>and replace it with TSN-branded sports content.<br />
<br />
"Our target is to be a top 10 sports site in terms of traffic, and the immediate combination with AOL should satisfy that on day one," TSN president Jeff Price said to paidcontent.org.<br />
<br />
Price left Sports Illustrated Digital in April of 2009 after working as SI's Chief Marketing Officer for years before being named president in 2005. His history is one of mergers, agreements for shared content and purchases of smaller sports websites. He joined TSN in February of 2010.<br />
<br />
Price's shared content efforts appeared to get a shot in the arm when AOL decided, in what some called a desperate move, to purchase The Huffington Post for over $300 million. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/07/aol-huffington-post_n_819375.html">Click here </a>for the official press release where the top executives from both companies talk about everything under the sun, except sports coverage.<br />
<br />
TSN boasts of its connection to the Huffington Post through the AOL deal. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">Click here </a>to view the front page at HuffingtonPost.com. To get to sports, users must click the "More" button. The sports tab sits between the "Good News" and "Gay Voices" sections. Once on the sports front page, there are no links to NASCAR or motorsports of any kind. TSN is a tiny link at the bottom of the page. <br />
<br />
All of this brings us back to NASCAR and ACBJ's record in the sport. Most fans remember the day in January of 2010 when stories began to appear online about a massive layoff underway inside ACBJ. It was targeted at NASCAR and it was not pretty.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://my.speedtv.com/tom_jensen/blog/2010/01/06/rip,_nascar_scene">Click here </a>for a link to a Tom Jensen story about the demise of the <strong>NASCAR Scene </strong>publication. Once the dominant publication in the sport, ACBJ never "got it" during the digital transition and in the end Scene was closed and staff members terminated.<br />
<br />
Two of the remaining NASCAR-themed business interests of ACBJ were SceneDaily and Rowdy, both online projects. Rowdy was a small and independent effort led by a group from Charlottesville, VA. ACBJ liked their efforts so much they bought the entire thing and moved the Rowdy staff to Charlotte, NC.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://fans.rowdy.com/bass/blog/2012/03/08/the-end?pg=1">Click here </a>for the note only weeks ago from Rowdy.com co-founder Tom van der Voort about changes to that business. After several years of floundering without direction or support, Rowdy.com was closed. Any remaining NASCAR content will appear on the TSN website.<br />
<br />
Tuesday, word began to creep out that this time it was SceneDaily about to be affected. Reporter Bob Pockrass then confirmed that later this week visitors to SceneDaily.com will be redirected to the TSN NASCAR page. Just like that, another stand-alone NASCAR website is gone.<br />
<br />
Pockrass advises that he is still working full time on the NASCAR beat for TSN. <a href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar">Click here </a>to view the TSN NASCAR page which features little original content, many links to other news sources and a generic feel. It's clearly a move to put NASCAR content into a much broader online framework within a specific brand.<br />
<br />
Price has the backing of top executives at ACBJ who are putting it on the line that he can bring <strong>The Sporting News </strong>brand back to life and make it a profitable business. With bigger fish to fry, NASCAR is going to take a step back on the sports priority list.<br />
<br />
SceneDaily and Rowdy were both good websites that made a concerted effort to provide fans with original content. Thanks to those who worked on them both, your efforts will be missed. <br />
<br />
We welcome your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. Thank you for taking the time to stop by <strong>The Daly Planet</strong>.<br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-1449815-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();</script>Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-15451510699406959252013-03-05T10:00:00.000-05:002013-03-05T11:48:53.575-05:00The Double-Secret Probation Cable Sports Network<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7eNl5pfIXEc/UFvEZIZQbjI/AAAAAAAAMCw/S4TEH2afF4w/s1600/foxsportsone-01.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="100" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7eNl5pfIXEc/UFvEZIZQbjI/AAAAAAAAMCw/S4TEH2afF4w/s400/foxsportsone-01.bmp" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>Blast from the past</strong>: This story was originally posted last fall when the first rumblings of big movement within FOX were underway. Today, FOXSports1 is being formally announced at the FOX "upfront" sales meeting out West. Twitter users can stay updated on this big topic by following TheDalyPlanet account. It should be interesting to see what is being added and what motorsports series and shows are going away.<br />
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When an athlete does something wrong, they get put on probation. When this action is to be shielded from the media, the term is secret probation. But the top of the heap is when someone does something that is so outrageous it deserves a special penalty. Then, it's double-secret probation time.<br />
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The logo above is from the FOX Sports 1 network in Australia. As you may remember, FOX executives Rupert Murdoch and David Hill both came from down under with a long history in sports TV. FOX operates multiple sports channels in that nation. Now, one may be making the trek to the US.<br />
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The American version of FOX Sports 1 is the double-secret probation cable TV network. This topic is already causing a big mess and the FOX Sports gang is trying very hard to keep it out of the media at all costs. In this day and age, that is next to impossible.<br />
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The hot rumor that has been simmering for months is that FOX Sports is set to end the floundering SPEED channel and rebrand that network into the US version of FOX Sports 1. SPEED has never flourished under the network's various management teams and continues trying to be a racing network on the weekends and a lifestyle/reality network on the weekdays.<br />
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The big problem for FOX is that ABC, NBC and CBS all have national cable sports networks up and running right now. FOX is far behind on the new sports TV business model and is playing catch-up. In typical FOX style, throwing money at the issue seems to be the order of the day.<br />
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Here is an excerpt from a Thursday Broadcasting & Cable story by John Lafayette on what FOX and parent company News Corp are about to pay to buy high-profile programming for the new network:<br />
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<em>News Corp. is stepping up to the plate to take a swing at building a national sports cable network that can take on leader ESPN, sliding past Comcast’s NBCUniversal.</em><br />
<em><br /></em><em>NBCU has already rebranded its Versus network as the NBC Sports Channel and has been hoping to get a boost from a new Major League Baseball deal. But according to published reports, Comcast got left in the on-deck circle because it wasn’t willing to pay as much as News Corp., which will be putting a bigger package of games on both its Fox Network and its Speed auto-racing channel, which will be rebranded as Fox Sports One.</em><br />
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Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the COO of News Corp was taking questions Thursday from the media after a communications conference in New York City. Sports was very much on the mind of the reporters. Here is Lafayette's round-up on that topic:<br />
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<em>News Corp. COO Chase Carey said reports that the company would convert its Speed channel to a national sports network that would compete with ESPN were "rumors and speculation" at this point.</em><br />
<em><br /></em><em>The latest round of stories about a new national network came amid word that News Corp.'s Fox was near a new deal with Major League Baseball that would give it rights to televise more games than its current deal does.</em><br />
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<em>"We obviously haven't announced anything," said Carey, speaking at the Goldman Sachs 21st Annual Communacopia Conference in New York Thursday. </em><br />
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<em>Carey did say, "We do like the sports business," adding that the company's underdeveloped networks like Speed and Fuel "do give us a real opportunity to do some really exciting things</em>."<br />
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SPEED is currently on the air riding out existing contracts, including NASCAR. The sanctioning body's deal with the network is up in 2014 and nothing has been said about the continuation of any NASCAR programming on the new network. That is just not a good sign.<br />
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The bottom line is that other sports events being acquired for FOX Sports 1 conflict with the large blocks of Friday through Sunday time SPEED now devotes to NASCAR. While FOX does have other cable network outlets like FX and FUEL potentially available for NASCAR shows, it would seem doubtful that the kind of February to November NASCAR programming now carried by SPEED will return.<br />
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It will also be very interesting to see if NASCAR returns to the FOX Broadcast Network for Sprint Cup Series races in the new TV contract without the associated programming on a support network like SPEED. Normally, part of the leverage to carry that type of "shoulder" content comes from awarding the same network or media company the big prize of live races.<br />
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It was reported this week that on September 14 FOX Sports filed for a trademark on "FOX Sports 1" with the US Patent & Trademark Office. If the lack of original programming on SPEED and the billions about to be spent on Major League Baseball by FOX did not convince you that change was coming, perhaps trademarking the new network nationally will do it.<br />
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Working hard to live up to its double-secret probation status, FOX and News Corp have steadfastly denied any change is taking place. No one in the rank-and-file at SPEED has been told anything. If NASCAR has made any determination of future plans with FOX, the sanctioning body is not saying a word.<br />
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Change eventually comes to all media properties and in the digital age of new technology this is really no surprise. It's just a shame that NASCAR was never allowed to be the centerpiece of SPEED over the last decade. It just makes one wonder why these two companies were never able to use that kind of cooperation to grow their own internal brands.<br />
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We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-49536087150573189492013-01-27T21:00:00.000-05:002013-01-27T21:31:39.299-05:00Repost: The Art Of The Spectacle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gjzRdcfPf88/UHsU6JOQyJI/AAAAAAAAMR0/4WJa2Bf9iIQ/s1600/stratos-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gjzRdcfPf88/UHsU6JOQyJI/AAAAAAAAMR0/4WJa2Bf9iIQ/s400/stratos-02.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
Spectacles need fundamental elements. Drama, danger and a large crowd are three things that the folks at Redbull assembled on Sunday afternoon. For several hours the social media buzz moved from the NFL to something else. That something else was a spectacle of the highest order.<br />
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A man was going to do what was clearly dangerous. He was going against the odds. He had courage, desire and a single-minded focus. Despite our bravado, the vast majority of us would never do what he was about to do. It was the perfect stage to keep the undivided attention of millions around the world.<br />
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Perhaps like many families, we stumbled across the Redbull Stratos project through news reports and social media mentions. We went to the website of the live mission first, then added the Discovery HD Channel telecast as a second screen. We also actively chatted with others on Twitter as things unfolded. Three screens for one special event viewed spontaneously.<br />
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The drama of watching Felix Baumgartner slowly drift up toward the edge of space was heightened by the camera shots of his wife and family members. The announcers built the suspense. The fundamental idea that he was going to jump out of his capsule and free-fall some twenty-four miles back to earth with just a parachute was hard to grasp.<br />
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Every spectacle needs moments. Eventually, the capsule reached the height needed for the record attempt. After adjusting the cabin pressure, the live video from inside the capsule gave us the first moment. The door opened and there, in all its High Definition glory, was earth. It was a long way down.<br />
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As Baumgartner finished his final checklist, he slid his feet out of the capsule door. Across the world, folks watching on every single kind of device from TV's to cell phones got the very same feeling. This guy was actually going to do it right now. The sense of danger was very real, even if the only thing I had to ride was my couch.<br />
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The video showed Baumgartner standing on the small ledge outside the capsule. The angle switched to one from overhead looking down. Key to the tension from the start of the event were the pictures. Then, with a small lean forward, he was gone. It was actually happening.<br />
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That moment of being terrified, thrilled and amazed all at the same time felt familiar. As Baumgartner hurtled toward earth risking his own life in front of my eyes it hit me all at once. This is the way I used to feel about a Sprint Cup Series race. This heart in your throat can't stop watching excitement is what got me into NASCAR.<br />
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The cheers went up when Baumgartner's parachute finally opened. There was still a long way to go but at least things were going according to plan. The thrill had changed into an appreciation of just how much effort had gone into this one event. Now it was time to see if he could bring it home.<br />
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From twenty-four miles up Baumgartner eased his way back to solid ground and just for good measure, he stuck the landing. My viewing partner and I looked at each other. Without saying a word, we both knew what had happened. We had shared a unique moment with each other from just being there.<br />
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That is the way I used to feel when a top-notch NASCAR race was over. It could be a high-speed run at Michigan or a short-track slugfest at Richmond. The drivers were ready and willing to take a risk to win. The drama would unfold with the announcers and pictures playing a key role. The story developed without any of us knowing the result.<br />
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The real key to making this work was that each race was a spectacle. Each race offered an individual challenge that would last until the final turn of the final lap. Fate and luck would play a role that was yet to be determined. The danger was real, the intensity was high and sport was driven by the personalities involved.<br />
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I stopped enjoying Sprint Cup Series races a while ago and stopped watching live telecasts this season. Rather than let the spectacle of each unique event unfold, things seem to be centered on simply getting in position to participate in the post-season Chase for the Championship. Team decisions are centered on what can be lost, not gained, by taking risks.<br />
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Inside the Chase, it's even worse. The announcers are caught-up in trying to promote the playoff format at the expense of the actual event in progress. The stories of most of the teams in the field are rarely told, regardless of the racing value. Teams not in the Chase just don't matter, despite the fact those drivers are taking the same risks and working just as hard as the chosen twelve.<br />
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I miss that lump in the throat feeling when watching racing. When Baumgartner leaned forward and stepped off the ledge, you knew he was committed. You knew he was willing to take a risk. It was pure spectacle. Maybe someday racing will change back to embrace that style of celebrating every event in a unique fashion and let the season championship be a result of risk rather than calculation.<br />
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We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-11256028397307290022013-01-27T20:30:00.000-05:002013-01-27T21:32:13.105-05:00Repost: US Fidelis - Fleeced NASCAR Fans See Justice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fPga7IAbbYM/UFkl70MakxI/AAAAAAAAMA4/pjXWFsGWuDA/s1600/rustywallace-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fPga7IAbbYM/UFkl70MakxI/AAAAAAAAMA4/pjXWFsGWuDA/s400/rustywallace-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Rusty Wallace and his son Steve looked NASCAR fans right in the eye. On a series of TV commercials several years ago, the duo promoted the extended auto warranty company US Fidelis. The company's website had pictures of the two as anchor images on the homepage. This NASCAR sponsorship was a key part of the company's marketing efforts. <br />
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The Wallace father and son made it personal. They assured fans on the TV commercials that the Wallace family could vouch for US Fidelis. Thousands of NASCAR fans trusted the Wallaces and signed-up, believing the extended warranties would cover almost everything. Unfortunately, it was all a lie.<br />
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"<a href="http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2009/06/trouble-brewing-for-rusty-wallace-and.html">Trouble Brewing For Rusty Wallace And US Fidelis Sponsor</a>" was a <strong>Daly Planet</strong> column from June of 2009. Click on the title to read it. Various media outlets had begun to report on the reality of US Fidelis. NBC's <strong>Today Show</strong> dropped a bomb with a look at what was happening inside the company. That video can be seen by using the story link above.<br />
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"<a href="http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2010/03/will-nascar-learn-from-us-fidelis.html">Will NASCAR Learn From US Fidelis Collapse</a>?" was the next column posted here in March of 2010 when the US Fidelis empire came crashing to earth. Click the title to read the story. The company had filed for bankruptcy and there was almost certainly going to be criminal charges coming for two of the company founders, Cory and Darain Atkinson.<br />
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What was not contained in the subsequent lawsuits and legal actions against US Fidelis were the names Rusty and Steve Wallace. While Rusty Wallace Racing was still owed over $500 thousand in sponsorship dollars when US Fidelis collapsed, that was the least of the worries for the Wallace family.<br />
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Federal law changed in the last decade in response to celebrities and athletes endorsing products and companies that were lying about goods and services. "Both advertisers and endorsers may be liable for false or unsubstantiated claims made in an endorsement," is the language of the new law. <br />
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This time, the Wallaces walked away with only a dent in their racing wallets. The much larger dent was in the wallets of NASCAR fans across the nation who unknowingly helped to contribute to the over $100 million in cash that the Atkinsons plundered in this scam before it was ended.<br />
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"<a href="http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2010/11/nascar-fans-got-fleeced-by-us-fidelis.html">NASCAR Fans Got Fleeced By US Fidelis</a>" was the <strong>TDP</strong> column on this topic from November of 2010. Click on the title to read it. "U.S. Fidelis suckered consumers through a multitude of lies while its owners, the Atkinsons, drained money out of the company to maintain a lavish lifestyle,” said Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna at the time. A multi-state task force had finally brought the Atkinsons to justice.<br />
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On Tuesday, Cory Atkinson plead guilty to fraud and tax evasion in Federal Court. He was sentenced to three years in prison. In ten days, he is expected to again plead guilty to state charges of fraud and should receive an additional four years in jail. His brother Darain, the mastermind of the scam, is expected to spend twice that amount of time in jail when he is also sentenced later this month.<br />
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As you can see from the reader comments on the 2009 and 2010 columns, it was quite apparent that something was up with this NASCAR sponsor from the start. Who can forget the endless replays of the Wallace family TV commercials and the unsolicited phone calls that were made by US Fidelis nationwide.<br />
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These days, Rusty's NASCAR racing is limited to his appearances in the Infield Pit Studio for ESPN. His race team is closed and his son is out of the Nationwide Series. It seems that perhaps the US Fidelis debacle has been long since forgotten by the NASCAR media. <br />
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The lasting damage from this incident is twofold. First, the financial impact felt by NASCAR fans who believed the sales pitch and contracted for extended service warranties with several thousand dollars paid upfront. They may never view Rusty and Steve Wallace quite the same way again.<br />
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Secondly, NASCAR thrives on brand loyalty and often uses that term when courting major sponsors. Wallace is a high-profile TV analyst and now a Hall of Fame member. This was not a backmarker hawking diet pills or bbq sauce to pay the tire bill. It was a well-known NASCAR personality selling a vehicle-related product directly to the fan base.<br />
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Did NASCAR learn a lesson? That has yet to be seen, but perhaps if Rusty Wallace Racing was alive and well right now the doorbell would be ringing with yet another notice of a civil lawsuit. After all, in today's world the consumer has just as much right to sue the endorser as they do the company providing the product.<br />
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At least the ugly end of the US Fidelis episode may give pause to drivers, media personalities and owners in terms of thoroughly researching the companies and products they choose to endorse in the future. <br />
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Additional links to the US Fidelis story are furnished below. We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.<br />
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<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sentencing-set-us-fidelis-case-17261647">US Fidelis Co-Owner Gets 40 Months In Prison</a> - ABC News<br />
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<a href="http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2012/09/18/us-fidelis-co-owner-gets-3-years-on-conspiracy-and-tax-fraud-charges/">US Fidelis Co-Owner Makes No Apology, Blames Others as He’s Sentenced </a>- KMOX/CBS<br />
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<a href="http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/338903/3/First-sentencing-set-in-US-Fidelis-case">US Fidelis co-owner Cory Atkinson sentenced on tax and fraud charges</a> - KDSK (with video)<br />
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<a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2012/09/18/us-fidelis-cory-atkinson-sentenced-to.html">Cory Atkinson sentenced to 40 months in prison on federal fraud charges</a> - St. Louis Business JournalDaly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-89313574177524947702013-01-27T20:00:00.000-05:002013-01-27T21:32:30.230-05:00Repost: NBC Sports Invades ESPN's Backyard<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XpS9jie4niA/TqoLIDtoW8I/AAAAAAAAIj8/YytRFen3QHc/s1600/nbcsports-01.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668355314062744514" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XpS9jie4niA/TqoLIDtoW8I/AAAAAAAAIj8/YytRFen3QHc/s400/nbcsports-01.bmp" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 234px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 340px;" /></a><br />
Right now, it's just a big ugly building sitting on 32 acres of land in Stamford, CT. All that is about to change. Only 65 miles down the road from ESPN, the new powerhouse in the sports TV industry is setting up shop. NBC Sports is coming to town and taking over the site of a former Clairol hair dye factory.<br />
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This week a panel of dignitaries including Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy announced a blockbuster economic agreement that will consolidate the various companies now housed under the NBC Sports umbrella in one location. It is a very big addition to the TV sports landscape.<br />
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The logo above represents the new name for the VERSUS network starting in January. Make no mistake about it, the NBC Sports Network is a fully-funded effort by the Comcast Corporation to grow their own in-house version of ESPN. Comcast recruited top executives, filled their war chests with Comcast subscriber cash and has now put down roots.<br />
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Mark Lazarus is the Chairman of the newly-formed NBC Sports Group. "Our plan (in Stamford) is to redo the administration space, to build what we think is a work environment that is cool and sports-like," Lazarus said. "We will create an open area, an inclusive environment and a place that is conducive to creative output. The equipment that comes in here that will allow us to send sports television and digital media out to the world will be second-to-none, state-of-the-art and we're thrilled to do that here."<br />
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There are lots of NBC-themed companies that will be setting up shop in Stamford in addition to VERSUS. They include the NBC Sports group, NBC's Olympic division, NBC Sports Digital and the Comcast Sports Management Group that oversees 11 Comcast Sports regional TV networks. In addition, the NHL Network will also build studios on the site as it continues a ten-year partnership with NBC. <br />
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NASCAR fans may remember VERSUS televising selected NASCAR Whelen Modified Races a while back in a TV package that featured SPEED's Jimmy Spencer in the TV booth. VERSUS continues to be the home of the vast majority of the IndyCar Series races. Lazarus confirmed that the new Stamford studios would be the home of IndyCar, college football and Olympic studio production in addition to multiple sports talk shows.<br />
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While the facility will not be up and running for over a year, the Stamford commitment from the "new look" NBC Sports Group could be huge for NASCAR. SPEED has recently confirmed with its <a href="http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2011/09/no-greenlights-for-nascar.html">new TV programming orders </a>that no new NASCAR TV series are on the horizon. That certainly did not sit well with the Charlotte-based NASCAR Media Group (NMG).<br />
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The TV production arm of the sport has been searching for new strategic partners. There is little doubt that the NBC Sports Network is going to need a big block of original programming to compliment the live sports coverage at night and on the weekends. The current NASCAR TV partners have been of little help in this regard.<br />
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FOX is an over-the-air broadcast network and carries no additional NASCAR programming. TNT has been steadfastly refusing any additional NASCAR TV series for years. That group is six races and done. ESPN has now pushed the <strong>NASCAR Now </strong>series back to early afternoon and cancelled the later re-airing, essentially killing off the weekday shows. <br />
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The NBC Sports Network could potentially partner with NMG in carrying original reality or race footage-based new TV series. There are tons of TV series concepts flying around, but none have gained even a toehold with the current TV partners.<br />
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The long-term strategic move of NBC Sports to Stamford could also signal a renewed interest in perhaps luring the company back to televising NASCAR racing. Next year the sport will begin negotiations with interested parties to discuss the top three national touring series. The current TV contracts expire at the end of the 2014 season.<br />
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There have been no statements from NBC about an interest in racing coverage, but it's been obvious that the company has been involved in much more fundamental pursuits including building a base of operations. Right now, NASCAR can wait.<br />
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It's certainly interesting to consider that by the time 2014 rolls around and the current contracts are over, NBC may present a tremendously powerful combination of broadcast, cable and digital distribution options that could seem very attractive to NASCAR.<br />
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If Mr. Lazarus expresses an interest in joining the upcoming round of NASCAR TV negotiations, we will certainly pass that information along. One item to clarify for <strong>TDP</strong> readers is that NBC was not the mystery player featured in the "<a href="http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-potential-player-in-nascar-tv.html">New Potential Player In NASCAR TV Negotiations</a>" post from late July. That should keep some folks talking about the topic in general for a while longer.<br />
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We welcome your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. We simply ask that you stay on the topic, refrain from any profanity or hateful speech and do not post links to other website stories. Thank you for taking the time to stop by <strong>The Daly Planet</strong>. <br />
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<script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-1449815-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();</script>Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-46400337445124937042013-01-15T10:00:00.000-05:002013-01-15T11:13:29.406-05:00Repost: When Media And Marketing Collide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Update:</strong> The Fan and Media Engagement Center is now open. Here is my column on that topic originally published in July. <br />
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Change has been a buzzword in NASCAR for quite some time now. On the heels of the tragic passing of Dale Earnhardt Sr., a movement was set in motion to change the equipment in the sport. Now, over a decade later, it is the sanctioning body itself that continues to change.<br />
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Just as the COT became a familiar term for fans during the equipment transition, the term "brand marketing" has become a central theme as the sport reacts to the new media landscape. Long gone are the days of a powerful and robust NASCAR media presence at the track and across the nation.<br />
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The digital revolution has closed newspapers and magazines. It has ended the careers of many print journalists. Veteran fans can click-off the names of NASCAR reporters, writers and columnists who are now gone from the sport. The list of NASCAR-related print publications now out of business or limping along in an online form is familiar.<br />
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Over on the TV side, the last few months have seen the president of the NASCAR Media Group resign. The head of NASCAR's in-house TV production wing also left in the same shuffle. The Executive Producer of that same group, responsible for many of the sport's best TV and film projects, was fired late last year.<br />
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Just like the print media, NASCAR's TV presence has been a victim of change. Away from the track the demand for NASCAR TV programming has virtually ceased. In February, Showtime cancelled the high-dollar <strong>Inside NASCAR</strong> program. Over the last few years, SPEED stopped buying original NASCAR series and shifted to non-racing reality-style shows. Efforts to expand NASCAR program sales to other cable networks proved fruitless.<br />
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NASCAR was faced with a dilemma. While there was plenty of action on the track, the media pipeline to communicate that excitement was broken. Without enough reporters and writers to act as messengers, the media presence of the sport was shrinking. Without the TV shows dedicated to the sport, NASCAR's ability to cultivate new fans and to sell sponsors on the basis of national exposure was fading.<br />
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NASCAR chairman Brian France, after commissioning a professional review of these issues, decided to make a major internal shift. Instead of a stand-alone independent media presence reporting directly to him, NASCAR's entire public and media relations function would be moved to the marketing department.<br />
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<a href="http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-nascar-announces-internal-shakeup/">Click here</a> to read the official announcement. Ultimately, France hired the very executive who had done the review to become the new Chief Communications Officer. Brand marketing executive Brett Jewkes joined NASCAR to work for Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Steve Phelps. In the blink of an eye, the pendulum had swung from the classic media and PR approach to a marketing-driven agenda.<br />
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In one way, the changes are easy to understand. The marketing department is used to creating content about the sport and directly distributing it. The pipeline established over the years to deliver information about teams, tracks and other topics to the media is still firmly in place.<br />
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The new configuration is called the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) department. Even Larry McReynolds would have been proud of the statement describing the IMC function. "The IMC will provide overall thought leadership in the communications space," said the news release.<br />
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The driving force behind this change takes us back to the digital world. Social media has changed the traditional role of the press by allowing direct interaction between sports organizations like NASCAR and the fan base. Facebook, Twitter and emerging specialty sites are now providing a bridge that lets NASCAR itself replace the role formerly held by the media.<br />
<br />
NASCAR speaks directly to 3 million fans when it posts to the sport's official Facebook site. The sport's Twitter account has crossed the 500 thousand follower mark and is growing by the week. NASCAR has recently taken control of its own website and will providing all the content starting in 2013.<br />
<br />
For the remaining media members, NASCAR provides a double top-secret website at NASCARmedia.com. Not only does this site provide raw content like press releases, photos and stats but it also provides complete stories on NASCAR topics that can simply be downloaded and used by news and sports content providers. It's a one-stop digital media shop.<br />
<br />
While the Infield Media Center at the Sprint Cup Series tracks used to be the hub of activity for the sport, it now houses a group of reporters often all tweeting the exact same content for hours at a time. Follow ten reporters during a race on Twitter and you will get ten copies of basically the same running race commentary. The challenge for fans today is how to sort-out the best way to "consume" the race outside of the TV and radio coverage. NASCAR believes it has an answer.<br />
<br />
Weeks ago, NASCAR embarked on a project with Twitter to jump in and control the flow of information being seen on the NASCAR twitter account. Now during races the content stream is "curated" by a Twitter representative as it happens. The resulting stream of PR-friendly information is dry as toast but fully under control. That is a familiar theme.<br />
<br />
The most recent development speaks volumes about the future of the sport. In the NASCAR Hall of Fame studios in Charlotte, right next to the new NASCAR.com offiices, will be the Fan and Media Engagement Center (FMEC). A drawing of the new project is shown above. It might as well be called the Misson Control of Marketing.<a href="http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=27071"> Click here</a> to read the media release on the topic.<br />
<br />
"A platform that facilitates near real-time response to traditional, digital and social media," said NASCAR about the FMEC in the release. "This is a clear example of our commitment to using cutting-edge technology to better inform our sport," said CMO Phelps. "Ultimately, this tool will help our industry connect with media and fans more effectively and efficiently."<br />
<br />
What the FMEC also does while it engages fans and media is measure things. "Measurement also will be a key function of the FMEC," said the release. "Those capabilities will expand across qualitative and quantitative measurements and include tonality, volume, proximity and other coverage attributes in regular reports the FMEC will generate."<br />
<br />
Now several IMC staffers can see, hear and respond to any snippet of information about the sport being sent by TV, radio or the Internet. On the new digital playing field, NASCAR is establishing a presence it had roundly rejected up to this point. Next season your Facebook post, tweet or chatroom comment could be weighed and measured in Charlotte without you knowing it ever happened.<br />
<br />
The fear is that what goes missing from this configuration is critical throught. That is, the fundamental ability to disagree. While media relations types love a good debate, that is the last thing a marketing person cares to participate in. Opinion in the media is sacred, but in the marketing world it simply dilutes the message.<br />
<br />
It will be October before the FMEC begins weekend duty and 2013 before NASCAR unveils its new website. While it's clear how we arrived at this place in time, that does not make it any easier to digest. Ultimately, the challenge for the IMC is to provide content that allows fans to believe they were informed about NASCAR without being sold a product or message at the same time.<br />
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That challenge could perhaps be described as simply passing along news about the sport vs. providing "thought leadership in the communications space." Makes you wonder just what Dale Sr. would have thought about all these bells and whistles.<br />
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We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.<script type="text/javascript">
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</script>Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-34244173174530062922012-12-21T08:02:00.001-05:002012-12-21T08:02:38.747-05:00Season Greetings!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The NASCAR news gets nudged along even during the off-season. Jeff Gluck moves from SBNation to USA Today as a NASCAR reporter and joins Nate Ryan. Showtime confirms what we all knew, they will not be producing <strong>Inside NASCAR</strong> any longer. <br />
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After years of online chaos, NASCAR finally takes over the series website which will debut on January 1. Many familiar names have been hired by NASCAR to write and report. It should be fascinating to see how this change affects the flow of information and just what video offerings may be included. <br />
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Rumors include the end of the <strong>Trackside</strong> series on SPEED which was drastically changed last season into an unwatchable mess. Shows like <strong>RaceDay</strong>, <strong>RaceHub</strong> and <strong>Victory Lane</strong> are set to return. Bob Varsha is stepping into the former Leigh Diffey role and handling sports cars on SPEED beginning with the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Diffey departed SPEED for NBCSN where he will handle Formula One and IndyCar telecasts.<br />
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There have been no announcements on the TNT and ESPN portions of the Sprint Cup Series TV package changing hands. Rumors include FOX wanting the six TNT races and NBC perhaps interested in the ESPN package. You may remember that ESPN also televises the entire Nationwide Series. The current TV deal expires after the 2014 season. <br />
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This is the traditional holiday break and any TV news should be announced after the new year. Thanks for patronizing this site since 2007. It's been an interesting experience. Have a happy and safe holiday season.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-73165440136048702972012-11-26T07:00:00.000-05:002012-11-26T07:04:52.463-05:00A Fish Out Of Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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56 year-old Canadian comedian and TV show host Howie Mandel will host the Sprint Cup Awards on Friday. Mandel will lead NASCAR through a completely scripted sequence of events that will once again play to an empty stage. The Sprint Cup Series banquets held in Las Vegas have been a bust.<br />
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The participants in the festivities will depart from the Concord and Charlotte, NC airports and fly the 1900 miles to Nevada. It would be much easier if they just drove downtown. Charlotte is home to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and is currently working very hard to revitalize itself. The NASCAR Plaza and the Charlotte Convention Center are two key pieces of that puzzle.<br />
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While a move away from New York City in 2009 was much needed, the Las Vegas destination has not offered the kind of high-profile post-season platform the sport has been seeking. This year, some of the other functions taking place in Las Vegas the same day as Friday's banquet include a national Chiropractors convention, a meeting of certified public accountants and ambulance company owners from across the country looking at new vehicles.<br />
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<a href="http://www.charlotteconventionctr.com/">Click here</a> for the website of the Charlotte Convention Center. Right on the front page it promotes the Convention Center as being adjacent to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It seems ironic that this association is part of a pitch to attract business conventions to the area, but has so far failed to lure NASCAR's own end-of-season function to the facility.<br />
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Several cities were in the final competition for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. One key reason Charlotte was able to close the deal was the promise of a new forty thousand square foot addition to the existing convention center space. The new ballroom was built as a part of the Hall of Fame. The idea was to make the Hall a unique attraction for convention business from around the country.<br />
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The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) is struggling to effectively use the Convention Center facilities. The Charlotte Observer recently offered the fact that the Convention Center is used only 35 percent of the available time as opposed to 57 percent for other facilities the same size.<br />
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<a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/08/17/3461846/graphic-charlotte-convention-center.html">Click here</a> for a map of the downtown Charlotte convention facilities that include the Hall of Fame. The idea is to make the entire complex available to larger scale conventions who have flexible facility needs. That would seem to fit the very definition of NASCAR's post-season requirements.<br />
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In addition to the actual Sprint Cup Series banquet, the current post-season function is spread over several days and contains several different events. Some of these wind-up being lost in the shuffle. One untapped resource is the National Motorsports Press Association Myers Brothers Award Luncheon. This informal funtion offers candid and sometimes emotional comments from a wide variety of NASCAR personalities.<br />
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There has also been a "Victory Lap" that has morphed from a parade of showcars into a burn-out contest and celebrity ride-a-long for NASCAR journalists. The subsequent informal question and answer session called "NASCAR After The Lap" has become a fan sensation and one of the few times drivers can offer candid comments in an informal setting.<br />
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While several of these activities are designed for NASCAR fans, Las Vegas is not. The Charlotte area already offers racing shops and a bevy of NASCAR-related attractions. There is little doubt it the banquet came to town additional fan-friendly events would spring up around the area. <br />
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<a href="http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Charlotte-considers-subsidy-for-cities-convention-180700661.html">Click here</a> for an Observer story documenting the fact that the Charlotte City Council is debating offering a subsidy to attract a key convention to the city. It's a statement on just how tough it is to get that type of business to come to a market and location like Charlotte. Just what does that say about NASCAR?<br />
<br />
The time is right to make a switch and bring NASCAR's post-season activity back to the very city that put its faith in a Hall of Fame for the sport. The move would be good for Charlotte, for NASCAR and for the fan base. Bring the banquet to Charlotte. <br />
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We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting. Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-26094978474596470332012-11-20T20:09:00.001-05:002012-11-20T20:11:06.619-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving. <script type="text/javascript">
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</script>Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-67319896472167019772012-11-18T09:30:00.000-05:002012-11-18T11:51:17.325-05:00Boom Goes The Dynamite - Updated Sunday 11/18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Update 11/18</strong>: <em>During the final episode, it was announced that the NASCAR Performance on SPEED would not return for 2013. This show has been a hallmark for the sport and the network for years. The column below was first published when FOX signed the new Major League Baseball deal that confirmed changes would be coming for SPEED</em>.<br />
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"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. <br />
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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. <br />
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Boom goes the dynamite.<br />
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Here is an excerpt from Joe Flint's outstanding "<a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-baseball-fox-tbs-20121002,0,3675669.story">Company Town</a>" column from the Los Angeles Times:<br />
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<em>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. </em><br />
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<em>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. </em><br />
<br />
<em>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.</em><br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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!"<br />
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We invite your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/where-are-they-now-boom-goes-the-dynamite-brian-collins-2010-5">Click here</a> for a story on what happened to Collins on this fateful night, where he is now and his level of media involvement. Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com98tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-53876970357529844182012-11-14T21:15:00.001-05:002012-11-14T21:22:03.933-05:00And On The Fourth Day He Tweeted<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There he was, assuming the position that many of us know so well. That is Dale Earnhardt Jr. and he is on Twitter using his sponsor's account to interact with fans. Earnhardt used the National Guard account and the #DaleTakeOver hashtag to spend an hour Wednesday spontaneously answering questions from all kinds of fans.<br />
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This is how reporter Aaron Burns described the experience in the Mooresville, NC News:<br />
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<em>Earnhardt has a Twitter account but he’s never used it, preferring to stick to Facebook despite fans’ repeated requests for him to join the Twitterverse. He’s one of only two Sprint Cup Series drivers – Carl Edwards is the other – to not tweet regularly. </em><br />
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<em>Among other items, Earnhardt suggested his fans listen to “I’m on Fire” by Town Mountain. He also said his favorite television mini-series is Lonesome Dove and his favorite sandwich is a turkey burger. He didn’t commit to trying Twitter on a full-time basis, but said he enjoyed the experience.</em><br />
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<em>“This is an awesome way to connect with my fans,” Earnhardt said. “(I) appreciate the involvement.”</em><br />
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Once again, it seems that Earnhardt and the entire PR and Marketing arms of both Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports missed the point. It's not about Junior. <br />
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"<a href="http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2012/06/nascar-needs-junior-on-twitter.html">NASCAR Needs Junior On Twitter</a>" was a <strong>TDP</strong> column from July. Click the title to read the full content. Here is an excerpt:<br />
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<em>There is little doubt that if and when the official Earnhardt Twitter account becomes active it will quickly top one million followers. The marketing power for Hendrick, JR Motorsports and NASCAR in general would be tremendous. In a time when sponsors are looking for exposure and the sport is looking for a spokesman, cranking Earnhardt's Twitter account up would make a lot of sense. </em><br />
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<em>It took a little encouragement for some personalities to join Twitter. Perhaps, this might be the encouragement for Earnhardt. Simply by asking folks like Mark Martin, Darrell Waltrip or Kevin Harvick about their experiences Earnhardt would find out just how much a simple app on a cell phone can accomplish.</em><br />
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<em>If there was ever a time for the most popular driver to get in the social media mix, it is now. Perhaps with a little encouragement, Earnhardt can sign-on and discover what many of his celebrity friends, teammates and fellow drivers already know. Twitter is the ultimate way to say thank you to the fans.</em><br />
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It seems ironic that with only days left in the season fans get to interact with Earnhardt on Twitter at 3PM Eastern Time on a Wednesday. As a Twitter search of the @NationalGuard account will prove, even in this limited amount of time conversations were had and questions answered that generated interest and helped to open the door to this elusive personality. <br />
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Twitter has proven to be an effective tool for high-profile personalities from NBA star LeBron James to tennis star Rafael Nadal. Earnhardt actively using Twitter would enable that content to be posted on websites that integrate NASCAR tweets through software called widgets. <br />
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In other words, websites around the world would be adding Earnhardt's Twitter content to the existing list of drivers from the sport who are already featured. In much the same way that Twitter allows hundred of NASCAR personalities, facilities and media organizations to interact with NASCAR fans the sport would now be able to feature its most popular personality.<br />
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James reaches 6.49 million users each time he tweets. Nadal sends each message to 3.35 million fans around the world. It certainly would be interesting to see if an active Earnhardt Twitter account would wind-up having more users than the upcoming Homestead Sprint Cup Series finale has TV viewers.<br />
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Anyway you slice it, 2013 is the year of NASCAR taking control of its own digital efforts. It certainly would be nice if the most popular driver played a key role.<br />
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We welcome your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-4255024830211241442012-11-09T21:00:00.000-05:002012-11-09T21:28:54.597-05:00Familiar Topic: A Sport Or A Show?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A common theme of the fan comments on the Chase for the Championship has been the caution flags displayed by NASCAR without an accident, rain or fluid on the track. Once again this season the debris caution is on the minds of the fans.<br />
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Since 2007 and the start of this blog, it has been a topic visited several times. The issue always comes back to one burning question. Is NASCAR ultimately a true sport or just a show for the fans and TV viewers? There are strong supporters on both sides of the topic.<br />
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The Chicagoland race was a rough one for me. Debris cautions that were never paid off by the TV team in terms of showing the offending item were just tough to take. One one side, NASCAR is clearly handcuffed this season in terms of the lack of racing action on many tracks.<br />
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<a href="http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2010/06/michael-waltrip-talks-caution-flags.html">Click here</a> to read a TDP post from 2010 where multi-car Sprint Cup Series team owner Michael Waltrip talks about an idea he has for closing up the racing action on the tracks. His comments came after a late caution flag for debris in a race at MIS.<br />
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Here is an excerpt:<br />
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"I am a huge fan of a late caution. In basketball they just call it what it is. A TV time out. In football its the break in change of possessions. In baseball its either a walk to the mound or the end of an inning. Its sports. NASCAR needs to have those too."<br />
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"The last caution today was well thought out by NASCAR. Everyone had pitted and no one was adversely effected by the caution. The 100,000 plus fans that drove to MIS to be entertained I'm sure appreciated the late race reset."<br />
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"Crews had to make the right calls on pit road and drivers had to get up on the wheel to close the deal. What's wrong with that? Thank you for buying a ticket and gas and a hotel and etc.."<br />
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Waltrip's comments drive home the point that the racing dynamic is very different than most sports because of the inability to stop the action. Sports like tennis and baseball contain natural breaks in the action, while NFL football is built around a made-for-TV commercial format disguised as four quarters of action.<br />
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SB Nation NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck addressed the issue in May and featured comments from NASCAR VP of Competition Robin Pemberton. He was responding to a controversy after a late race questionable caution thrown at Richmond that basically cost Tony Stewart a win. <br />
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<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2012/5/2/2993670/nascar-debris-cautions-richmond-2012">Click here</a> for the full SB Nation story. Here is an excerpt:<br />
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"Sometimes, some people are a little more needy than others and they want to see that for whatever reason," Pemberton told reporters attending a function at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "And whatever their thought process and beliefs with the governing body (are), they think they need proof.<br />
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"Sometimes you see (the debris) and sometimes you don't, and that's based on TV coverage, basically."<br />
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But Pemberton said he doesn't mind TV not showing the reason for debris caution because, "I don't have an issue with (the reason for the caution)."<br />
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He also said NASCAR does not keep the debris as evidence of why it called the caution.<br />
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"We don't inventory it, we don't tag it and put it a library anywhere or anything," he said. "It's just trash."<br />
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Ultimately, the man pictured above is responsible for the officiating in the sport. The calls of his staff shape the event when a caution is waved and fans start searching for the reason why. <br />
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<a href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2012-04-30/nascar-caution-flags-debris-caution-tony-stewart-carl-edwards-richmond">Click here</a> for a good read from Jeff Owens at The Sporting News on this topic. Here is an excerpt:<br />
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<em>The problem is that it’s not fair to the competition on the track—namely the leader—and it looks bad, damaging the sport’s credibility. Throwing a phantom caution is like an umpire suddenly shrinking the strike zone to make a baseball game move along faster, or football referees ignoring pass interference to create more offense and make the game more exciting.</em><br />
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<em>Manipulating the competition to produce a better show is crossing the line between sports and theatrics, making games a bit too much like professional wrestling (for which, ironically, Stewart once got into trouble for comparing NASCAR to).</em><br />
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<em>But NASCAR can’t get itself into a position where its credibility is constantly questioned because of an overabundance of debris cautions. What it must figure out is why there has been a decline in close racing, leading to fewer natural cautions and taking away from the excitement of close competition. If it can solve that dilemma, there won’t be a need for questionable caution flags.</em><br />
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As the Sprint Cup Series heads to Phoenix, this issue will once again be in the spotlight. Stewart's issue at Richmond where a late caution was thrown seemingly to bunch the field up for the finish proved that it's not only the 1.5 mile tracks where this happens. <br />
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The sport is looking for some drama, more storylines and better competition this weekend. It should be interesting to see if the selective use of the caution flag becomes a tool to accomplish this goal.<br />
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We welcome your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting. Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-33295408914838364672012-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:002012-11-07T07:22:25.506-05:00The Spin Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Update</strong>: The election is over, but the comments are still coming on NASCAR's new approach to controlling the content that is released in the media. Certainly been that way this week. <br />
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<strong>Originally published 11/5</strong>: It's that time of year. After a lot of money and a lot of talk, the race for President is about to be decided. Along the way, most Americans have been exposed to a whole lot of what the media calls "spin."<br />
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It is vitally important in today's political world to have a strong contingent of dedicated marketing professionals who only speak to designated points. What they address has been decided in advance and rarely reflects reality. That does not seem to be a problem. <br />
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The spin in the media at first is entertaining. It's fun to watch marketing types use catch phrases and talking points to try and influence opinion. Then, the backlash begins. Citizens without an agenda and with their own independent thoughts begin to bristle at being told what to think. <br />
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Now, with the Presidential election looming, a key issue is just how much damage the effort at spinning the truth has caused both candidates. Ultimately, each individual has their own perception of what reality is and a set of reasons for their own political views. <br />
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This year, we NASCAR fans have seen a shift to the same style of marketing from the sanctioning body. Instead of offering a realistic view of what is actually happening, the message being sent through a wide variety of media outlets is shaped and arranged in advance. <br />
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A key piece of this philosophy is to brand anyone who dares move off-message. Buzzwords like hater, complainer and the ultimate scarlet letter of being called anti-NASCAR are quickly thrown at anyone who steps out of line. From on-air personalities to amateur bloggers, anyone with media access is now under scrutiny.<br />
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NASCAR is actually constructing a "Fan and Media Engagement Center" in the Hall of Fame building that will continually scan the digital media world and work to influence conversations not in line with the talking points of the sanctioning body. <a href="http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2012/06/when-media-and-marketing-collide.html">Click here</a> for the TDP post on that topic from July.<br />
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Anyone who doubts this can reflect on the published goals of NASCAR's Integrated Marketing Communications group. "The IMC will provide overall thought leadership in the communications space," said the sanctioning body's news release. Well, there is just one little problem. <br />
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In today's social media world NASCAR fans are free to voice their own views with the same level of exposure as media members, Sprint Cup Series drivers and even NASCAR executives. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook don't care who you are, they just post the content delivered by the user.<br />
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All of this has led to a very interesting dynamic that came to a head this Sunday during the race in Texas. The pre-race chatting on Twitter and Facebook quickly moved from cheering to downright surly once the race began. Following the postings to the #NASCAR hashtag on Twitter and the comments on NASCAR's Facebook page became an exercise in watching pent-up frustration boil over.<br />
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Some of the targets were familiar ones. Mysterious caution flags for debris where none was shown on TV. The dominance of Jimmie Johnson in a sport where cars are supposedly equal. The lack of passing when the cars were racing at speed. The frequency of TV commercials shown under green flag conditions and, of course, NASCAR's Chase playoff format.<br />
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What is perhaps important to keep in mind is that this is the time of the NASCAR season when the focus should be on the racing. Sunday, it was once again a race that looked a lot like practice. Single cars were spaced out and once in a great while, carefully passing each other. Pit stops and two-tire calls made for the only storylines until late in the event.<br />
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The problem is that none of this makes a dent in the marketing spin. What will be sent along through channels is the final lap mini-drama of two drivers actually racing. In a nutshell, that type of basic racing action is what NASCAR fans want to see throughout the race. It is what NASCAR and the tracks promote as being at the heart of the sport. This season, nothing could be further from the truth.<br />
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This week pay attention to what you hear on NASCAR's SiriusXM radio channel. Keep an eye on what topics are raised on SPEED's daily <strong>Race Hub</strong> show. Check Jayski's media links page and scan the headlines for the reality of what you saw on Sunday. It should be an interesting exercise.<br />
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Tackling issues head-on and getting public feedback was once said to be a priority. The NASCAR Fan Council was going to change the sport and opinions from the fan base were going to be the primary influence. It seems ironic that efforts this season are to control the message, spin the reality and slap a happy face on what so far is a sport desperately in need of fundamental change.<br />
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We welcome your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderate prior to posting.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-34916068076495758892012-10-31T22:06:00.002-04:002012-10-31T22:08:32.624-04:00Numbers Tell The Tale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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ESPN updated the weekend ratings from the Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville. Here is the info:<br />
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ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 28, earned a 2.8 household coverage rating (2.4 U.S. rating), averaging 3,617,199 viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. Last year’s telecast earned a 3.6 household coverage rating, while the rating was the same as the 2010 race telecast. (via pressdog).<br />
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That puts the final TV rating down some 22% from the previous year. <br />
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<a href="http://www.jayski.com/pages/tvratings2012.htm">Click here</a> to view the Jayski TV ratings page for the entire 2012 Sprint Cup Series.<br />
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Texas is up next for ESPN. As we discussed here in several past columns, the Chase has handcuffed the TV coverage into a single storyline and the NASCAR fans and sports TV viewers are not buying it. <br />
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Talking about this topic does not make us bad NASCAR fans or enemies of the sport. As Mike Helton said in his Sunday interview on SPEED's <strong>Wind Tunnel</strong>, things tend to go in cycles with motorports and NASCAR is working on various changes to help the current negative cycle end. <br />
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This big dip in the TV ratings, despite the fact Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced and the small track made for good TV pictures, should certainly be a wake-up call. It's time to talk about making things better in terms of the final product delivered to TV viewers. <br />
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ESPN still has 11 on-air voices trying for air time in an event with no time-outs. Even with Tim Brewer and his Tech Garage parked, ESPN's attempts to integrate all these personalities on a short-track telecast was rough. Add-in the sponsored elements and in-program promo's and the result is short segment of coverage leading again to a commercial of at least two minutes in length.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cawsnjaws.com/">Click here</a> for a link to our friend Cheryl and her cawsnjaws.com website. It shows ESPN ran 31 of the 56 minutes of total commercials in the full-screen format. On this size track and with the Chase playoff in progress, there is little doubt that all commercial breaks during green flag racing need to be shown in the side-by-side format that is called ESPN Nonstop.<br />
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NASCAR will never defeat the NFL for total viewers because of the home team factor and the vast difference in the TV dynamics of the two sports. What perhaps could be done is to bring NASCAR into the current sports TV viewing culture by making substantive changes in the presentation of the Chase races on TV.<br />
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After the numbers for Martinsville, it certainly makes some sense to look at a wide variety of items to stem this tide of lost viewers. We welcome your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting. Thanks for stopping by <strong>The Daly Planet</strong>.Daly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.com31