Nielsen ratings (2 Viewers)

[d'kid]

John, First off, I've been surveyed both for Radio and TV, kept the log books for a week, ect.

Except for drag racing, haven't watched much TV since Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air... which lead to my two comments below.

TV Commercials are a time to go fix a snack, use the bathroom, talk to people in the room... and if I happen to really 'see' one, more than likely it is so absurd, that I note the advertiser and tell myself not to use their product or service...

Radio is worst in some ways, which is way I listen to FM stations with 20 in a row... If I don't just put in a CD and not do Radio...

 

[Rat]

I can't take anyone seriously that doesn't know the difference between 'their' and 'there'.
I've been an NHRA fan for 40+ years. I remember when the NHRA races were broadcast on a 3 month delay and shared time on 'ABC's Wide World of Sports' with log-rolling and figure-skating. And by the way, the only two races that were on TV were the Winternationals and the US Nationals, and each race was shown for about 20 minutes per broadcast.
For all of the 40+ years that I've been a fan, various paranoid people have predicted the imminent demise of the NHRA. The NHRA is still here, is still strong, and will be here and prospering in another 40 years, in my opinion.

First of all thank you very much mr. english grammer. Who gives a rat's ass about your little point. Call me when this board is taken seriously when post's are important as credit scores! Now back to your actually point no one said anything about the nhra not being here 10, 20...40 years down the road, it's like any form of business tho, if what we have now is not improved on or even attempted to make better, we may lose it. You really think espn is gonna care so much for a 10 mil check when they work so hard to produce a program that's not even returning the viewership?

 

[Ugly one]

90 minutes shows
broadcast the following weekend
get rid of Page








Hey D-Mac are you still available to do some booth work

 

[Rat]

How about some LIVE Friday night qualifying?

That's a genius idea, you give 2 hours of programming friday night it can be done.

 

[Draw 3D]

That's a genius idea, you give 2 hours of programming friday night it can be done.

Yea, and a couple of oil downs later, you now have a live show with Page and Dunn trying to "wing" it and more JFR as-the-wheels-spin fabricated drama.

Oils downs are going to happen, and the chance of it happening when it is being broadcast live will most likely rise exponentially!

 

[Rat]

The problem is not the same teams or drivers week in week out going to the money round. I feel it's the length of the show being 3 hours. I know I am not alone when you would love to watch racing, but you see you have to be at the tv 7-10. It's not about watching another show, it's about having other things to do, watching drag racing should not feel like a streched out theatric play.

The only time the problem is the same drivers and teams are the drama filled interviews. I don't want to know how ashley is every week, I don't want to speak to force after he lost the race because some underfunded guy beat him who will never get an interview!

 

[Rat]

Yea, and a couple of oil downs later, you now have a live show with Page and Dunn trying to "wing" it and more JFR as-the-wheels-spin fabricated drama.

Oils downs are going to happen, and the chance of it happening when it is being broadcast live will most likely rise exponentially!

But as strict as the oildown rule is right now, I must say it is working.

 

[Fuel FC Fan]

I could be wrong but,
I don't think NHRA is growing new fans while the loyal die hard fans that have been there for years are getting bored of the same ole-same ole.
Specially the 4 car Team thing, and the shortened track.

The die-hard's know way too much about the sport and it's takes a lot to be impressed and excited these days.

I think ESPN is doing most everything they can....if people are losing interest for one reason or another then you can't park all the blame on ESPN.

Jus sayin.

 

[mick]

what i think would help nhra's tv ratings, among other things, is to
have either traditional or non-traditional sponsor/s activating not only their
brand, but a high profile driver as well, away from traditional drag racing
broadcasts......winning on the track is not the key ingredient to success.
(aka what danica patrick has done for nascar/nationwide ratings)
(what kurt busch did for gators cross over fan attendance)

article on compplus a few weeks back discussing toyota's
nhra's program - hit on R2B2 racing & m. troxel's potential with toyota;
now l. pruett joining same team.
get those ladies on national commercials for their brand, toyota or otherwise.

- j. force - nhra's greatest personality, but his time is fleeting.
- a. force - needs to be replaced (melanie? leah? courtney?)
- r. capps - napa spots still only during drag racing broadcasts?
- s. massey - please get this guy in the national spotlight
- a. brown - again, toyota - what an amazing magnetic personality
- g. scelzi - we all miss him.....for now?

so much untapped potential.

 

[Rat]

what i think would help nhra's tv ratings, among other things, is to
have either traditional or non-traditional sponsor/s activating not only their
brand, but a high profile driver as well, away from traditional drag racing
broadcasts......winning on the track is not the key ingredient to success.
(aka what danica patrick has done for nascar/nationwide ratings)
(what kurt busch did for gators cross over fan attendance)

article on compplus a few weeks back discussing toyota's
nhra's program - hit on R2B2 racing & m. troxel's potential with toyota;
now l. pruett joining same team.
get those ladies on national commercials for their brand, toyota or otherwise.

- j. force - nhra's greatest personality, but his time is fleeting.
- a. force - needs to be replaced (melanie? leah? courtney?)
- r. capps - napa spots still only during drag racing broadcasts?
- s. massey - please get this guy in the national spotlight
- a. brown - again, toyota - what an amazing magnetic personality
- g. scelzi - we all miss him.....for now?

so much untapped potential.

I completely agree with everything. Spencer Massey needs to be used, I thought that's the whole reason fram replaced Mac for him. Right now the only thing he's doing for fram over cory is cutting better more consistant lights, yet at least use him to sell the product. Spencer is great, but I can't lie about not feeling for Cory. Fram/Prestone should use him in national advertising cause right now it made no sense to push cory out

 

[Muddy]

The only reason Spencer replaced Cory is Spencer brought a BIG brown paper sack full of cash to the table courtesy of....

 

[.]

OK, I've been working a ton of hours lately and I'm a little out of it, but did the broadcast start later than scheduled today?
It was also shorter than scheduled too, right?

btw, I couldn't see

the extra compressed screen graphics for sh!t either.
Can't be good for Neilsen numbers or sponsors.

 

[Johnny Mopar]

I could be wrong but,
I don't think NHRA is growing new fans while the loyal die hard fans that have been there for years are getting bored of the same ole-same ole.
Specially the 4 car Team thing, and the shortened track.

The die-hard's know way too much about the sport and it's takes a lot to be impressed and excited these days.

I think ESPN is doing most everything they can....if people are losing interest for one reason or another then you can't park all the blame on ESPN.

Jus sayin.

Mike,

Excellent post. Your points are excellent and accurate.

 

[mick]

anyone notice how 'arena rally racing' aired immediately following nhra broadcast
with intro lines similar to 'don't put down that remote' and 'hey nhra fans, we've got acceleration for you' ??
definitely intentional buy to follow nhra @ zmax.

 

[George.]

I just don't see TV coverage even competing with Nascar for a race enthusiests attention anymore.
The NHRA is boring to the casual race fan.

Nascar racing has the drivers who put on a show each and every weekend. Talladega and Daytona were great, great finishes that could excite any race fan. Stuff that propels legends.
Who is going to pay attention to a 3 second squirt that comes across the tube as slow, with this year's version of some hot blonde rookie as a driver?
Sorry if this sounds sexist because it's not my intent, but it looks as if anybody in the world with money to buy a star crew chief can compete and instantly win in the NHRA. That removes the aura from the NHRA drivers that Nascar enjoys and deserves. To the casual fan, it looks like it takes far, FAR more talent to compete in any Nascar sanctioned race than it doe in Fuel, and I can't disagree.

So you name your poison..
1,000', 3 second long racing? It's a joke folks...
The influx of nobody drivers with zero personality?
The loss of, or the participation of the greats which carry instant name recognition when drag racing was in it's glory years like Big, Snake, Shirley and Ace and others from that time period with nobody stepping up and taking their place of respect in the racing world?
Too, too much reliance on Force, creating Force overload with nobody else helping out except the Ped Brothers once in a great while?
Four car teams in a sixteen car field where two owners own half of the field?

The NHRA has seemed to develop the perfect storm of redundancy in the world of racing, and it comes across on TV loud and clear.

 

[none]

I just don't see TV coverage even competing with Nascar for a race enthusiests attention anymore.
The NHRA is boring to the casual race fan.

Nascar racing has the drivers who put on a show each and every weekend. Talladega and Daytona were great, great finishes that could excite any race fan. Stuff that propels legends.
Who is going to pay attention to a 3 second squirt that comes across the tube as slow, with this year's version of some hot blonde rookie as a driver?
Sorry if this sounds sexist because it's not my intent, but it looks as if anybody in the world with money to buy a star crew chief can compete and instantly win in the NHRA. That removes the aura from the NHRA drivers that Nascar enjoys and deserves. To the casual fan, it looks like it takes far, FAR more talent to compete in any Nascar sanctioned race than it doe in Fuel, and I can't disagree.

So you name your poison..
1,000', 3 second long racing? It's a joke folks...
The influx of nobody drivers with zero personality?
The loss of, or the participation of the greats which carry instant name recognition when drag racing was in it's glory years like Big, Snake, Shirley and Ace and others from that time period with nobody stepping up and taking their place of respect in the racing world?
Too, too much reliance on Force, creating Force overload with nobody else helping out except the Ped Brothers once in a great while?
Four car teams in a sixteen car field where two owners own half of the field?

The NHRA has seemed to develop the perfect storm of redundancy in the world of racing, and it comes across on TV loud and clear.

George...... I hope this means that you are finally going to leave the sport and this site.

 

[mick]

George...... I hope this means that you are finally going to leave the sport and this site.

why would you say that? - george's posts are always articulate
and worth reading, regardless of subject bias.

 

[George.]

George...... I hope this means that you are finally going to leave the sport and this site.

Well, thanks for the flowers.
If I weren't a drag racing fan, I wouldn't show my concern, nor care about the direction of the sport.
The thread subject concerns TV ratings, and that is my take.
I never think I am the "be all, end all", it's simply how I see it, and I believe the television ratings and track attendence demonstrates that I'm not alone in my opinion.

 

[Greg]

I just don't see TV coverage even competing with Nascar for a race enthusiests attention anymore.
The NHRA is boring to the casual race fan.

Nascar racing has the drivers who put on a show each and every weekend. Talladega and Daytona were great, great finishes that could excite any race fan. Stuff that propels legends.
Who is going to pay attention to a 3 second squirt that comes across the tube as slow, with this year's version of some hot blonde rookie as a driver?
Sorry if this sounds sexist because it's not my intent, but it looks as if anybody in the world with money to buy a star crew chief can compete and instantly win in the NHRA. That removes the aura from the NHRA drivers that Nascar enjoys and deserves. To the casual fan, it looks like it takes far, FAR more talent to compete in any Nascar sanctioned race than it doe in Fuel, and I can't disagree.

So you name your poison..
1,000', 3 second long racing? It's a joke folks...
The influx of nobody drivers with zero personality?
The loss of, or the participation of the greats which carry instant name recognition when drag racing was in it's glory years like Big, Snake, Shirley and Ace and others from that time period with nobody stepping up and taking their place of respect in the racing world?
Too, too much reliance on Force, creating Force overload with nobody else helping out except the Ped Brothers once in a great while?
Four car teams in a sixteen car field where two owners own half of the field?

The NHRA has seemed to develop the perfect storm of redundancy in the world of racing, and it comes across on TV loud and clear.

Absolutely dead on.

 

[Dave]

Scooter mileage + cat racing doesn't count?

Anyone remember what happened the 1st live telecast? Bernstein crashed hard-45 minute clean up. Steve Evans + big Mac killing time without alot of prior coverage to fall back on.
Count me as one of the "DVR+ff" crowd.

Hmm. I am pretty sure the first live broadcast was the epic 1992 Motorcraft Ford Nationals in Phoenix on TNN. The Kenny Bernstein crash you may be remembering was from the 1993 Winternationals. However, with that being the final run of the day, TNN was actually going off the air right after it, so there wasn't any filler needed. Also of note, that race was actually run on the saturday after the original date due to a rain out during the first round of top fuel.