What am I paying for? (1 Viewer)

[Baron]

Once again, thanks to the slack-jawed knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers at ESPN and Comcast, the first 20 minutes of the Sportsman race from Charlotte was taken up with a beisbolgame. I have gone to baseball games, yes deliberately, but since my insomnia has subsided I've not found any need to do so.
That these people maintain this serial incompetence and get paid for it, is another indication of the decline of American exceptionalism.
There, now I feel better.
Cheers,
Ed

 

[mw6789]

Take a couple of Tylenols and drink a couple of beers, Ed. It will be OK.

 

[Baron]

Take a couple of Tylenols and drink a couple of beers, Ed. It will be OK.

Thanks, Mike!
I'm just enjoying knowing that the US Navy SEALS don't work for Comcast.

 

[clwill]

I believe the more accurate question is "what is NHRA paying for". Clearly not a priority spot that won't get bumped...

 

[indidad- The Guy- Uncle Steve]

If you have Comcast, why not watch it on ESPN3? That's what I do now. You see the whole show live, and you can go there now and see the replay. I no longer pay for Dish/Cable, I just watch what I need to online.

 

[vegasnitro]

I believe the more accurate question is "what is NHRA paying for". Clearly not a priority spot that won't get bumped...

I have given up trying to explain it Chris. Everytime one of the NHRA shows starts late, there is a thread on here. People always forget 2 things ... NHRA is paying for the privilege, and whatever show is running long will have MUCH higher ratings than the drag racing. It's DEFINITELY NOT incompetence on the part of ESPN ...

Now where is that animated gif of beating the dead horse when you need it?

 

[Baron]

I have given up trying to explain it Chris. Everytime one of the NHRA shows starts late, there is a thread on here. People always forget 2 things ... NHRA is paying for the privilege, and whatever show is running long will have MUCH higher ratings than the drag racing. It's DEFINITELY NOT incompetence on the part of ESPN ...

Now where is that animated gif of beating the dead horse when you need it?

You have given this same excuse for their incompetence in previous posts Chris. You have not offered an explanation. I'm sure that you believe that your inside broadcasting take is explanation enough. Despite your effort here, I remain unconvinced that competent people cannot fix the problem, especially given that the NHRA programs are broadcast from video recording.
I looked up "schedule" in the American Heritage Dictionary. There is no mention of "ratings."
Attempt to justify their continued incompetence in scheduling as you will, in most professions these sorts of difficulties are anticipated by the professionals and accomodations are made. Apparently, in broadcasting this level of performance is considered adequate.
It is, manifestly, inadequate. The number of times you have responded to this complaint should alert you to the fact that there is a problem.
The race, by the way, was bumped for some college baseball game. There's a ratings monster.
I will continue to press for changes, not excuses.
Cheers,
Ed

 

[clwill]

I think the only reasonable option is to go to a channel where drag racing has a chance at having a higher priority. Like Speed. But NHRA won't.

One problem is that apparently Forrest Lucas hates Speed (hence his support of MavTV) and he is a big benefactor of NHRA.

But probably, someone in Glendora has done some math and figures that random rotating and frequently bumped time slots on ESPN are worth more than a fixed and reliable spot on Speed. Maybe it's a prestige thing, maybe it's wanting to be like the other big boy sports, maybe it's a "that's where NASCAR is", maybe it's that they hope the people bleeding over from college baseball will stick around and watch NHRA, maybe it's something else. But it's not the number of eyeballs, because Speed is on just about every box that has ESPN2. So that's not it.

 

[vegasnitro]

You have given this same excuse for their incompetence in previous posts Chris. You have not offered an explanation. I'm sure that you believe that your inside broadcasting take is explanation enough. Despite your effort here, I remain unconvinced that competent people cannot fix the problem, especially given that the NHRA programs are broadcast from video recording.
I looked up "schedule" in the American Heritage Dictionary. There is no mention of "ratings."
Attempt to justify their continued incompetence in scheduling as you will, in most professions these sorts of difficulties are anticipated by the professionals and accomodations are made. Apparently, in broadcasting this level of performance is considered adequate.
It is, manifestly, inadequate. The number of times you have responded to this complaint should alert you to the fact that there is a problem.
The race, by the way, was bumped for some college baseball game. There's a ratings monster.
I will continue to press for changes, not excuses.
Cheers,
Ed

Ed, I appreciate your measured response.

You say I provide excuses, but I have also provided solutions in many other threads. (switching networks, shortening the program, 3 hours is too long, contract language with ESPN, etc).

I don't see any solutions in your response ... I just see someone throwing up their hands and saying "someone competent fix it". Mark Twain once said "Everyone complains about the weather, but no one seems to do anything about it". Complaining about NHRA's priority on ESPN is like complaining about the weather.

Technology mitigates all of your concerns. Get a DVR. Set it to record 1 hour past the show's end time. Watch it at your leisure, fast forwarding thru the commercials and fluff. Or watch on ESPN3. I know these have greatly enhanced the pleasure I derive from NHRA broadcasts. Then you will not be bothered by women's basketball or college baseball or whatever the long running program du jour is.

 

[mick]

if a nat. event draws a .5 - .8 nielsen rating, most likely the same 90% plus
of households tuning in week after month after year to establish this bleak,
yet stable number, i can only imagine the low rating number held by the
the sportsman broadcasts and can't imagine the number holds any power
when trying to stick to a schedule.

maybe try and be scheduled in the middle of or end
of a series of recorded shows that start and end exactly
on the half hour or hour......i.e. fishing, tractor pulling, poker, gymnastics,
lumberjack, squash world finals, etc.
espn should recognize each of their pay to play niche' sports carry with
them this same small, yet stable following; put their sportscenter shows
at the end of live programming which can easily be cut short and
re-establish on the hour programming afterwords.

and also package a few nat. events per year for network television.
hold the finals on sat. night - run your 1 - 1.5 hour tape delayed show on
sunday just before the nascar race on fox, the golf tournament on cbs,
or the nhl game on nbc.........or just use espn's brother network abc;
they could stand to spice up their sunday sports offerings.

 

[yoda]

XBox360, WiFi, 60" WideScreen, Cox High Speed Internet and ESPN360....The makings of a perfect NHRA Sunday (or Monday. Or Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or...)

Bypasses ALL those silly baseball/ tennis/ football/ lumberjack/ etc. issues

Now if Forrest would just talk to CBS about the LODRS series....

 

[jackass]

there is a channel out there that could do great for the NHRA.. they show auto repair and customizing shows on the weekends, their main target viewer is in the 18 to 34 bracket.... and caters to them alot..... SPIKE TV....i would bet they wouldnt charge to air the events and they are on a ton of carriers....

i cna see it now.. following this episode of Manswers will be the NHRA LIVE from Pamona......


laugh if you want it does fit the right need for the NHRA.. viewer wise and cost wise.....

 

[Crash]

You have given this same excuse for their incompetence in previous posts Chris. You have not offered an explanation. I'm sure that you believe that your inside broadcasting take is explanation enough. Despite your effort here, I remain unconvinced that competent people cannot fix the problem, especially given that the NHRA programs are broadcast from video recording.
I looked up "schedule" in the American Heritage Dictionary. There is no mention of "ratings."
Attempt to justify their continued incompetence in scheduling as you will, in most professions these sorts of difficulties are anticipated by the professionals and accomodations are made. Apparently, in broadcasting this level of performance is considered adequate.
It is, manifestly, inadequate. The number of times you have responded to this complaint should alert you to the fact that there is a problem.
The race, by the way, was bumped for some college baseball game. There's a ratings monster.
I will continue to press for changes, not excuses.
Cheers,
Ed

What change would you like to see? Should ESPN schedule dead air before the NHRA broadcast so that there will be no extra-inning baseball eating into race coverage? There is no way to plan for every contingency. What if the race has multiple oil downs and runs long....aren't the semi-pro badminton fans going to be upset when their broadcast is delayed? This is not an exact science. So, I would love to hear it, what is YOUR solution to the problem?
By the way, I am willing to bet that the College Baseball game had more viewers and more paying advertisers than the dismal broadcasts NHRA consistently puts out.

 

[none]

Once again, thanks to the slack-jawed knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers at ESPN and Comcast, the first 20 minutes of the Sportsman race from Charlotte was taken up with a beisbolgame. I have gone to baseball games, yes deliberately, but since my insomnia has subsided I've not found any need to do so.
That these people maintain this serial incompetence and get paid for it, is another indication of the decline of American exceptionalism.
There, now I feel better.
Cheers,
Ed

Just curious.......HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY ??
And WHO did you pay it to ??

 

[Mooseman]

I don't understand this whole coverage thing, down here in New Zealand there is a racing series called the v8 supercars basically it is circuit racing with v8 sedans. The series is mostly competed in australia with one race in the series here in new zealand but the point im getting at is the coverage for series is about must be a good 6 hours of television coverage each race and its on public tv.

I find the nhra coverage weird in how it works how come other racing series can have coverage that goes all day and covers everything yet the nhra coverage is at oddball hours and gets bumped by the weirdest stuff.

 

[Baron]

What change would you like to see? Should ESPN schedule dead air before the NHRA broadcast so that there will be no extra-inning baseball eating into race coverage? There is no way to plan for every contingency. What if the race has multiple oil downs and runs long....aren't the semi-pro badminton fans going to be upset when their broadcast is delayed? This is not an exact science. So, I would love to hear it, what is YOUR solution to the problem?
By the way, I am willing to bet that the College Baseball game had more viewers and more paying advertisers than the dismal broadcasts NHRA consistently puts out.

"Dead air?" That's the best you've got? A reductio ad absurdum?
Further, no semi-pro badminton fan will ever be disappointed when their broadcast is delayed, the NHRA broadcasts are taped - and often cut to fit a shorter time slot.
My complaint was in the nature of blowing off steam. This "scheduling" difficulty happens often on ESPN with respect to NHRA events.
As to how many viewers watched the baseball game or how many paid advertisers it might have had I will accept, arguendo, that you are correct. What difference does that make in scheduling?
It is clear that ESPN has no real interest in meeting the market, nor does Comcast. It is also clear that some are willing to accept it.
Cheers,
Ed

 

[Baron]

Just curious.......HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY ??
And WHO did you pay it to ??

Hi John,
ESPN is paid buy the cable and satellite companies. I pay Comcast - a lot.
Might be considered a whole lot in Tightwad, Texas.
Cheers,
Ed

 

[Crash]

"Dead air?" That's the best you've got? A reductio ad absurdum?
Further, no semi-pro badminton fan will ever be disappointed when their broadcast is delayed, the NHRA broadcasts are taped - and often cut to fit a shorter time slot.
My complaint was in the nature of blowing off steam. This "scheduling" difficulty happens often on ESPN with respect to NHRA events.
As to how many viewers watched the baseball game or how many paid advertisers it might have had I will accept, arguendo, that you are correct. What difference does that make in scheduling?
It is clear that ESPN has no real interest in meeting the market, nor does Comcast. It is also clear that some are willing to accept it.
Cheers,
Ed

Sarcasm doesn't show up well on a forum, does it? Obviously dead air is not the solution, what I am looking for from you is YOUR solution to the problem....what do you think they should do? I am not trying to be a dick, I am truly wondering what you think should happen. I rarely have that strong of an opinion without a solution in mind.

 

[Chi-Town Brown]

there is a channel out there that could do great for the NHRA.. they show auto repair and customizing shows on the weekends, their main target viewer is in the 18 to 34 bracket.... and caters to them alot..... SPIKE TV....i would bet they wouldnt charge to air the events and they are on a ton of carriers....

i cna see it now.. following this episode of Manswers will be the NHRA LIVE from Pamona......


laugh if you want it does fit the right need for the NHRA.. viewer wise and cost wise.....

Now there is someone who thinks without tunnel vision. The reason the ratings are so poor is because of the lack of promotion. There's some real Turds out there that get polished up and Huge numbers think its better than sliced toast. Surely I don't need to list the CURRENT programming that networks PAY Millions to have on there network that are absolute junk !! But have the marketing help to cram it down our throat and say "Boy does that taste good" . Put it out there on alot of differant venues for Millions to see and watch it grow in Big numbers. What does "Nitrojam" pay for there programming? What are there CURRENT numbers compaired to NHRA?

 

[jackass]

. What does "Nitrojam" pay for there programming? What are there CURRENT numbers compaired to NHRA?

is Nitro Jam even aired anymore?.. i havent seen one in a LONG time on Speed.....

when the ADRL was shopping around for tv.. i mentioned SPIKE to them... and one person told me.. that Spike did not fit the demographic that the then sponsor, National Gaurd, was looking for... and he said it with a strait face.... lol

Dont you think that a company selling a "Energy" drink would be interested in the same 18 to 34 demograph?...lol