| Author | Message | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
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Does Speedvision come off the satilite as well? | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
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As much as I understand why they are doing it, I also do not understand why they are doing it. Broaden the base of viewers through channel programming. All well and good but the last time I checked it was the profile of the viewers that made a difference when it comes to advertising. I will rather advertise in a magazine with 40,000 subscribers/readers of affluent nature than 1 Mio Jokels. I am not sure that this was the right move long-term for them. Too bad. | ||
| David Bob� Jr. (Supraoz)
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Speedvision posted a open letter to viewers. http://www.speedvision.com/pub/articles/racing/08INews/011130a.html | ||
| Ernie Bonilla (Ernie)
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That is sad to hear, cause I accutally changed cable companys at one time just to get speedvision. In the very begining they used to air the European and German touring cars, what a wild racing series. They do still air from time to time the World Rally Championship. In my opinion those guys are the best drivers in the world, opinions may vary, but no doubt they are the Freakin Craziest. But the bottom line of any television station is to make money selling commercials, bye airing what they think with draw the highest number of viewers. The more viewers at one time the more they can charge. Sad thing for us is that there are more people in the US that are willing to watch NASCAR than there are the other serires. But I will say this for speed vision they did add the re-run of the F1 races later in the day. I used to get up a 4:30am just to watch the race live, and would sometimes fall asleep with only a few laps left. So I hope they at least keep that in the program. | ||
| David Bob� Jr. (Supraoz)
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To me racing is racing. I prefer F1 because of its technology and level of driver skill but I also enjoy NASCAR. The first time I went to the Daytona 500, I went down to fence and watched the cars coming one behind the other from turn 4 to turn 1 in a blink of an eye. I've been hooked on all forms of racing ever since, except the Lawnmower racing on TNN!! | ||
| '75 308 GT4 (Peter)
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Money talks. Look at the tens-of-thousands of individual petetions we signed a while ago to Speedvision to keep their exsiting format and broadcast REAL racing. Who did they listen to? Some people may find this harsh of what I'm about to write, but frankly, I couldn't give a rat's ass about professional (read big salary) sports and I haven't followed much of F1 in the last couple of years either. I have a much better time watching in person a local club/vintage/hillclimb race than sitting on the couch at the crack of dawn. I will say I did enjoy watching the WRC season coverage a few years back and will enjoy the last couple of episodes of "Motorsport Mundial" on Friday nights. Oh well, lets hope some other channel will pick up where Speedvision left off. | ||
| Scott Anderson (Srandrsn)
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When I went to my first nascar race a couple years ago I was shocked at how the fans would boo and make obscene gesture towards other drivers! I have been to basically every major auto racing series, trans-am to F-1 and the only place you get that kind of behavior is at a nascar event. To me thats plain and simply low class. I mean these guys (some of which are decent race car drivers) are risking their lives for our/their entertainment and these people boo them and cheer when they crash. Which brings me to this little story; I hadn't been to a nascar race since 99 and my brother in law's brother (whose big into nascar) had an extra ticket for the daytona 500 back in febuary so I was in FLA and said sure I'll come up. Well we all know what happened and when Dale crashed people cheered. I wonder how they felt a few hours later? Since then I couldn't care less about the sport. I'm an american, I love america, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. But to me nascar is just such a typical american sport. I know the cars have gotten more sophisticated and they spend millions on engine development, but come on theres really not that much to think about. What draws me to the other forms of racing, F-1, Cart, endurance sports cars, are the cars, the sophisitcation of the machines, the history of the marques... Nascar is something the general public can identify with. Its entertainment for the masses and with the masses comes masses of money. People are just following the money, and until there are more people like us there is not much we can do. | ||
| Mark (Study)
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NASCAR understanding My friend tells me people in the Country like NASCAR because it gives them a chance to see a 5:00 big-city rush-hour traffic jam. I guess living in the city Tampa/Detroit I get to see plenty of long lines of ordinalry shaped cars moving nose to ass. So maybe when I sit down to relax and watch some TV... I like Cart or F1 because I get to see sexy shaped cars taking a ride out in the country. Its all about doing something differnt to get away from the weekly grind.  I like my Women- sexy, unusual, and exotic I guess... I like my race cars that way also. | ||
| Richard Stephens (Dino2400)
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I seemed to remember Fox announcing that they would not change the format of Speed Vision when they bought it and that it wouldn't become a NASCAR channel. I guess they were lying or changed their minds...either way, we suffer. | ||
| Adam Goldman '86 TR (Icnsltmfg)
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Guy's; I just went home and spent 5 min searching speedvision upcoming schedual with my TiVo and set all of the great shows including the F1 year in review next week. I you do not have TiVo get it. It will record all those shows we like at weird hrs now that NASCAR will be on in Primetime. | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
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Martin, I have a profanity checker on here, but I have to manually add the word, so sometimes people get words by that I haven't added. For example, you can say suck or sucks, but you can't say ••••, even if it is a guys name. You could say •••••, but then that's not a name except for wimpy people. There are some other words I can't quite remember if the profanity checker will catch, damn, my memory is going to hell. Well ••••. Anyway, you get the point. Now •••• off. ;) | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
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Don't know if you were watching that: Simpsons episode when they discovered the race track.... If you ever see that watch for the comments. The Simpsons have the purest commedy. It is sarcasme pure. Find out what Homer thinks of NASCAR. ...not that he is right all the time :-) | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
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Concerning a sport for the masses: F-1 has more followers than NASCAR, Indi, IRL and all other US race sports combined. WAY MORE! Can they do better, SURE. Bernie sucks. (Rob, can I write that?) | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
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Frank, when did a driver strat in the back of the grit and had a chance to win F-1? 2001 twice. David and Montoya. Started last and ran through the field to win points. 200 rounds of NASCAR, you could have lead all 1999 and there is a crash in the end and the whole field comes back together, WHY? Becaus eit does not count that you have gained hundreds of yards during the laps before? I am not saying this is right or wrong. Just not my cup of tee. It is boring as hell and basically you can watch a NASCAR race onle the last 2 minutes or last 2 laps for that matter to see exciting action that actually counts. I could create a TV Channel with NASCAR that fills 5 Minutes of covering. Everything else I would assume that I am boring my viewers to death. Inteligent drivers as well.... Jeff Gordon at the Today Show: "It is great to win a Championship and come to all these big shows". Now here is a statement. | ||
| Willis Huang (Willis360)
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Umm, I never really thought of NASCAR as a race for the masses and F1 as a snobby sport. OK, maybe F1 is rather elitist but it doesn't mean the "common man" can't get into it either. I don't like stock cars because they only turn left with big cars on little tracks. I will agree that Bernie and F1 could do a much better job in promoting the sport in the U.S.. American drivers in F1 would help too. | ||
| Frank Parker (Parkerfe)
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Speedvision does not have the 2002 F1 broadcast rights yet per Bernie in an article in the most recent issue of F1 magazine. Also, while I prefer F1 and other types of road racing to Nascar, F1 could learn a lot from Nascar. The way Nascar promounts its sport and puts on wheel to wheel racing is much better than F1 has done in decades. When is the last time you seen a driver start in the back of an F1 grid and have any chance of winning ? F1 needs to get rid of some of the rear wing in its car so drivers can pass rather than parade around the track until a pit stop. Hey, I love F1 and have gone to at least 1 race a year for the last 5 years. But, it could be better with just a few technical changes to the cars. And , Nascar is no longer the "red neck" sport it once was. Most of its drivers could compete in any other motor sport including F1 and are multi millionaires as well. The cars are sophisticated and the difference between first and last place is often less than a lap. The fact that it attracts the masses, unlike F1, does not necessarily mean that it is not great racing. I understand that several of the Nascar drivers including the late Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon have more than one Ferraris in their garages. Remember, the masses love Ferraris too. | ||
| Willis Huang (Willis360)
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Years ago, I actually dated a girl who like short-bed pickups and stock car racing (non-smoker and non-chewing (tobacco,that is)). She could never explain why she liked stock car racing. I couldn't explain Formula One to her either. | ||
| Nunja Bitness (Jaxfl)
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To enjoy NASCAR I think you are required to have a smoking/ chewing habit, a pick up truck (the bigger the better), some facial hair, and own a confederate flag. Bonus points for the fewest teeth and the most tattoos. A lobotomy helps out also. | ||
| Willis Huang (Willis360)
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I've never understood the appeal of NASCAR or stock car racing on an oval in general. Go fast and turn left. How stupid is that? | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
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At least for next year we're still getting F1, Speedvision World Challenge, Grand Am, American Le Mans, Le Mans 24, Daytona 24, and other good road racing. However, I am worried about 2003. | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
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Fairwell to a good channel. Thanks Mr. Murdock, you have done it again! | ||
| Charles Gault (Knox_Charles)
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What a pain in the ass. I am not a NASCAR fan, although I live in the South. If I wanted to race oval tracks, there are several within an hour of my house. Instead, I drive four hours to Road Atlanta, six to VIR, seven to Roebling Road in Savannah, and thirteen to Sebring,etc. I like watching the varity of programs that Speedvision has/had. I have even watched the boats and planes! This sucks! | ||
| Adam Goldman '86 TR (Icnsltmfg)
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Fox Sports will bring NASCAR up to Speed Updated: Fri, Nov 30 8:04 AM EST By John Dempsey NEW YORK (Variety) - Having struck Nielsen gold with its 2001 coverage of NASCAR races, Fox Sports has signed a deal that will give NASCAR control of nine hours per day of the Speedvision cable network's programming schedule. Under the umbrella title NASCAR TV, the 3 p.m.-midnight block will kick off Feb. 11, the date that Fox Sports officially relaunches Speedvision with a new name, the Speed Channel. NASCAR VP of broadcasting Paul Brooks said the block will consist of buildups and post-mortems to weekend NASCAR races, up-to-the-minute news and information programming centered on auto racing, talk shows and footage of classic races from the past. Speed Channel also will start scheduling events such as qualifying races and various regional races, many of them not now televised. NASCAR officials termed the arrangement with Speed Channel an unprecedented channel-within-a-channel strategy devoted to a single sport. "It's about as far as you can go without actually creating a brand-new 24-hour network," said one NASCAR insider. Fox Cable's affiliate-sales execs plan to use the NASCAR block as the highlight of a sales pitch to woo recalcitrant cable operators into taking on the Speed Channel, which reaches 46.5 million homes. That number falls well short of what a network with critical mass can generate. ESPN, for example, gets into 85.6 million. Fox Network and its siblings FX and Fox Sports Net have just completed the first year of an eight-year, $1.6 billion contract with NASCAR to cover the association's key weekend races from February to June. The broadcasts on the Fox Network reached an average of 19.9 million viewers for the period, a million more than watched the comparable broadcasts on ABC and CBS in 2000. Coming off these results, "the Speed Channel deal was a no-brainer," said Brooks. He's convinced that the year-round programming block on Speed Channel will serve as a massive promotional vehicle for the actual races on Fox and, during the second half of the year, on NBC and TNT, which are also finishing their first year of a six-year contract worth a combined $1.2 billion. Reuters/Variety |