Bestwick Back In The Saddle At Nashville

Last week at Dover, the new host of NASCAR Countdown spent almost the entire thirty minutes asking questions of her ESPN2 on-set analyst, Dale Jarrett. Suzy Kolber was new to NASCAR, and decided that asking questions about anything and everything was the only way to get through the Busch Series pre-race show. She got through it just fine, but for NASCAR fans, it was tough.

This week, the Busch Series stopped at Nashville for a Saturday night race. Allen Bestwick was returned to the NASCAR Countdown anchor chair with Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty alongside. The big story of the week was obvious. Our good friend Bill France Jr. had passed away, and this was the first Busch Series race since his death. Luckily, ESPN had all the right people in all the right places to deal with this issue.

Bestwick let Rusty Wallace talk about Bill France as a "fan" of the sport. Then, he let Brad Daugherty explain that France could also be a very good personal friend. After an excellent video tribute by Mike Massaro, ESPN's play-by-play announcer Dr. Jerry Punch and analyst Andy Petree shared their memories of Mr. France. Over the years, Petree was no stranger to the NASCAR trailer and the "up close and personal moments" crew chiefs often had with the NASCAR boss.

Each of the ESPN announcers had a truly unique perspective on this one man. It was exactly the kind of honest and emotional outpouring of respect which Mr. France deserved. It also required each on-air "talent" to step-away from the script and speak from the heart on possibly the most difficult topic of the year.

The network had all their NASCAR "big boys" on display, and they each lent credibility to ESPN's NASCAR Countdown with their years of NASCAR experience. This was the type of beginning to this show that fans deserve to see each and every race. This was not a week for Suzy Kolber to ask Dale Jarrett how it feels to go fast or if the race car has air conditioning.

Last week at Dover, Kolber switched the focus of NASCAR Countdown almost totally to the NEXTEL Cup Series. Not knowing anything about the sport, one might feel that this could be expected. Unfortunately for the Busch Series, this is their only pre-race show, and they were basically not even mentioned.

The Daly Planet has a column from June 2nd detailing the fact that somehow ESPN had decided the big story of the week was that Dale Earhardt Jr. had signed Jeremy McGrath to a driver development contract. This story was weeks old, and had absolutely nothing to do with the Busch Series. All the actual Busch Series stories were sitting right there at the track, untold and ignored.

This week at Nashville, Bestwick introduced the starting line-up right out of commercial. Rusty's son Steve was on the pole, and he has been exciting and controversial all season long. Bestwick then did a full track description, and even recapped qualifying with video highlights. With lots of NEXTEL Cup drivers trying to pull double-duty, Mike Massaro interviewed Carl Edwards who had arrived by helicopter with only minutes to spare for his qualifying effort. This was strong Busch Series information provided without the feeling of being overshadowed by the NEXTEL Cup gang.

This stand-alone Busch race allowed ESPN to finally focus on the series that they paid millions to acquire, and they did. Rusty Wallace shared his memories of how the Busch Series "saved" his career and gave him the toe-hold in NASCAR to become a superstar. He said "the Busch Series builds character." That is the message that The Daly Planet has been trying to get to ESPN all season long. No one is tuning-in to see a NEXTEL Cup practice session with a checkered flag at the end. Fans want to know who the new guys are, why there are here, and where they came from. The stories are right in front of ESPN's face.

As Bestwick transitioned to the team in the announce booth, once again it was clear that this role as the host of NASCAR Countdown is perfect for him. What problem ESPN has with him is unknown. Why the network is inserting a busy "non-NASCAR" football reporter into the mix is unknown. What is known is that ESPN has tried Chris Fowler, Brent Musburger, and Erik Kuselias in this role since February and they have all failed miserably.

ESPN adamantly refuses to accept a "NASCAR guy" like Bestwick as their host. It must be an "ESPN guy" like Fowler, Musburger, Kuselias, or now Kolber. This is despite the fact that all the "ESPN guys" have known absolutely nothing about NASCAR. Let me say that again. The "ESPN guys" assigned to host NASCAR Countdown have known absolutely nothing about NASCAR. I think Chris Fowler might still be in shock.

What does that tell the NASCAR fans? What does that tell the NASCAR management? ESPN was the network that promised to "partner" with NASCAR and continue the growth of the sport. Now we see flat TV ratings and empty stands at Busch races. How is it possible that the "2 + 2 = 4" concept is somehow lost on this network? Would ESPN take an "ESPN guy" who knew nothing about Major League Baseball and have him host Baseball Tonight? Never. The fans and the media would eat him alive.

But, this is NASCAR. The Daly Planet is the only site currently dealing with NASCAR TV issues on a regular basis. ESPN will never criticize itself, and the other networks will never criticize it. To NASCAR writers like Jenna Fryer and Ed Hinton, its all about the racing, not the TV shows. There will be no help from the NASCAR Media Center, even though The Daly Planet is read there every day. Thanks again for the "anonymous" notes of encouragement.

With TNT starting NEXTEL Cup coverage Sunday, ESPN continuing Busch coverage, and SPEED covering the Trucks, don't look for any open and honest discussions of these TV topics anywhere else...but right here. Only you can make a difference in what you see on TV when NASCAR is the subject matter. This season, many NASCAR TV issues have been affected, and many changes have been made, because of your feedback.

Instead of sending an email to ESPN's NASCAR Now and taking a chance that someone is reading it, post your comments here and know that top TV executives, NASCAR journalists, and influential people in racing stop here every day. Let's give praise where it is due, and work for change where it is needed.

The Daly Planet invites comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below. There is nothing to join, no passwords to select, and no reporting of IP or email information. We just want to hear what you have to say.

If you would like to forward email, but not be published, please email editor@thedalyplanet.tv anytime. Thanks again for stopping by and reading our discussion about the NASCAR TV partners.

"Fast Cars And Superstars" Is An Informercial Disaster

Promoted as a way to "extend the brand," ABC led into the NBA Finals Game One with a thirty minute paid advertisement called "Fast Cars and Superstars." The success of the Gillette Young Guns advertising campaign in NASCAR led to the creation of this "concept" in programming. Unfortunately, success is a word that will never be associated with "Fast Cars and Superstars."

Created by the ad agency that handles the Gillette account, this series is paid for by the sponsors and is no different than an infomercial for "The Firm" or George Foreman's "Miracle Grill." In today's chaotic TV marketplace, broadcast networks are proving to be the new playground for paid and sponsor-driven programming.

"The creative concept and the brand are intertwined...really, the show is the ad" says Steve Fund, a Gillette business executive. This means that not only did Gillette help conceive and create the series, but its company is constantly featured throughout the entire thirty minutes, from logos on driver's suits to commercial advertising and signage at the track. Somehow, the information that this "primetime series" is really just another "Ab Roller" style infomercial was not passed along to the viewers...imagine that.

B-grade celebrities were recruited for this series with specific stereotypes in mind. Serena Williams, William Shatner, and John Elway serve three very different demographic groups. The remaining celebrities fill-in the gaps. Apparently, being a celebrity enables people who have absolutely never followed NASCAR before to suddenly be very impressed by the sport and then drive fast. Perhaps, national TV exposure and a very healthy paycheck for just showing-up does not hurt either.

Kenny Mayne, quite possibly the most bizarre on-air "talent" in sports broadcasting, acts as the host for the series. He is joined by Brad Daugherty, who quickly surrenders the credibility he built up on the ESPN/ABC NASCAR broadcasts. One website refers to Mayne as "an over-caffeinated lap dog." He spews sponsor plugs and ridiculous commentary while pretending to somehow keep his dignity...or what's left of it. Daugherty is completely mis-cast in his racing role, and no one even mentions what connections Daugherty has to this sport. He is just plain lost.

The "Superstars" get to follow one of the Gillette Young Guns a couple of times around Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte. The suggestion is that they are trying to "keep up" with the NASCAR veterans, and record a winning qualifying time. Kurt Busch leading Serena Williams around an oval track at a slow speed is not exactly going to set the world on fire. In fact, it was kind of embarrassing.

As the show progressed, it became clear that this was pretty much a disaster. Yet, this was only the first "episode," as if infomercials have episodes. There was Kenny Mayne, standing on pit road with his blue dress shirt untucked between three sweaty celebs in driving suits and one "Young Gun." Serena Williams was the slowest at following Kurt Busch around the track, so she had to be eliminated.

But really, no one cares. The myriad of sponsors have had their logos and commercials splashed on broadcast network TV for thirty minutes without the usual "restrictions" of actual TV programming. Without all the hassle of somehow generating actual "content" or "skill" or "excitement." Without the pesky limitations of "good taste" and "dignity." Everyone got paid, everyone had fun, and the checks cleared for Radical Media, the company with low enough self-esteem to produce this infomercial.

In the broadcast promotions for this series, ABC and ESPN try to generate viewer interest by showing "accidents" and suggesting that these celebs spun out wildly or hit the wall hard or "lost it" in the high speed turn. In reality, there was NASCAR NEXTEL Cup veteran Kurt Busch with Serena Williams slowly following him down the back stretch. There is just no way to hide really bad TV.

The first episode generated a tiny 1.9 Nielson rating, and was destroyed by Jeff Foxworthy and his whole "smarter than a 5th grader" franchise. Kenny Mayne exclaimed "We're making history here!" early on in the program. There is absolutely no doubt that when ABC takes a look at the damage this series is doing to its sports and NASCAR credibility, it is going to realize that Mayne was right. They are making TV history for all the wrong reasons. Look for clips of this series to live forever on YouTube. Another classic case of putting the wallet before the brain.

The Daly Planet 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.

Dish Network Ruins "The Dream" For NASCAR Fans

Wednesday night was intended to be one big dirt-track racing party for fans across the nation. Tony Stewart and twenty-five of his racing buddies were going up to Eldora Speedway in Ohio to have some fun. Tony had put together a night of NASCAR and NHRA drivers taking to the half mile dirt track in Late Model Stock cars. The idea was to have that fun while raising funds for the Victory Junction Gang Camp. This is a cause near and dear to the hearts of many in NASCAR, especially Tony.

This was the third year of this "one night stand," but this time something was different. Television had come to Eldora, in the form of "the pros" from Fox Sports and the facilities of HBO. This year, the entire evening of The Prelude to the Dream would be on pay-per-view. A one time fee would get viewers an exclusive night of racing the likes of which had never been "seen" before.

While HBO was the "host" for the pay-per-view event, other companies that offer satellite feeds directly to viewers also participated. One of those companies was the Dish Network. This twenty-five year old company offers high-tech direct satellite service to homes and commercial facilities. They serve over thirteen million customers nationwide.

The Prelude to the Dream was a live sporting event that was scheduled for 7PM to 10PM Eastern Time. As with most sports, there are always circumstances that cause a program to run a bit longer than scheduled. This was especially true for this pay-per-view offering, because it only had a "created" format. There was no shot clock, there were no referees keeping track of the quarters, and there was no scoreboard in the end zone telling everyone how much time was left in the game. This was auto racing, and much like baseball, when it was over...it was over.

The Dish Network broadcast went on the air without a glitch. Subscribers paid their fee and ordered an exclusive night of racing under the lights in the Midwest. As the evening continued to showcase exciting racing action, it was clear that "the Feature" was going to occur after the scheduled "off" time of 10PM. This was absolutely not a problem, because the organizers had told the satellite companies that this was a live charity sporting event. Everyone understood that The Prelude to the Dream would be over when the last lap of "the Feature" was complete.

Apparently, someone at the Dish Network Operations Center was asleep at the wheel. Dish Network subscribers nationwide have emailed The Daly Planet to say that at 10PM, the suggested "end time" of this event, their screens went black. This suggests that the "computer" had been scheduled to end their pay-per-view access at a certain time, as if they had ordered a movie, and not a sporting event. Any Network Operations Coordinator monitoring this event would have had plenty of time to determine that it was not going to end at the "suggested" off time.

The correct course of action would have been simply to enable the computer to continue the pay-per-view access on this channel to the subscribers who were watching a sporting event in progress. Readers have stated that this occurred after the "B Main" and that only after a black screen for thirty minutes did a graphic appear telling them to turn to another channel for the end of the event.

Several readers immediately tried to call Dish Network, but were kept on hold for over thirty minutes. This is not a hard problem to fix, unless the manpower was not available and all that was running the show was a computer programmed earlier in the day. Most cable and satellite companies have Network Operations Centers specifically to avoid this type of problem. As the program progressed, it was obvious it was going to run long. It never should have been scheduled by the Dish Network with a "hard off" as they say in the business. It was live sports.

Eventually, Dish Network allocated another channel and told viewers to turn to it for the rest of the event. There was only one problem. The event was over. Dish Network viewers missed "the Feature" and the Dish Network did not have the decency to store the program and then play back the part that everyone missed. Even if they had played back "the Feature," everyone who had set a DVR or VCR for one specific channel to tape this event would have come up empty. Simply put, this was an on-air operations foul-up compounded by continual bad decision-making and poor customer service.

Many Dish Network subscribers that emailed The Daly Planet said that they went black after the "B Main" and never came back again. They liked what they had seen, but they might have missed one of the best dirt-track races in years when they missed "the Feature."

On a night that made TV racing history, it is simply a shame that a logistical and technical error by one satellite company could cause so much pain for racing fans. Almost everyone who emailed stated very clearly that they loved the show, and look forward to next year's event. Everyone said it was the charity aspect that drew them in, and then it was the awesome racing that kept them glued to the screen.

The Daly Planet would respectfully suggest that one way Dish Network executives might put a positive spin on a very bad situation is by helping to support the very cause for which their subscribers paid their hard-earned money. Perhaps, a donation to the Victory Junction Gang Camp from the Dish Network would go a long way in healing the pain that this technical glitch inflicted on racing fans nationwide. Then, Dish Network could replay this event from start-to-finish for all their subscribers without any additional charge. At least let them see the whole program once.

If the folks at the Dish Network Operations Center took the time to watch the replay, they might even become race fans. That way, next year the Dish Network employees would be part of the solution, instead of part of the problem.

The Daly Planet 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.