Uncle pressdog's Fireside Chat -- That's Kinda Wack Edition

OK, number 1, have you tried Shift pale lager from New Belgium Brewing? Dude. I dig it big time. Here's what the marketing folk say ...

New Belgium employee-owners work in shifts to brew to life world-class beers. Those efforts are rewarded daily with a shared end-of-shift beer. We’re passing that welcomed occasion onto beer drinkers in this Shift Pale Lager. Think American pale ale meets American lager. It’s easy to drink, crisp and congratulatory. So, clock out and crack open a Nelson Sauvin-hopped Shift Pale Lager to reward your work. Or play. Or, if you’re like us, combine the two and surround yourself with drinking buddies.

Well then DRINK, ye BASTARDS® and let's discuss all things super important ...

NBC Sports Network is Wack -- I'm sorry, but things are goofy at NBC Sports Network. IndyCar is ripping down a massive 0.2 (250,000 ish viewers) for its races and (this is the wack part) that's the highest rated show on the entire network. When 0.2 is your HIGH MARK, you got issues. Especially when virtually the same identical racing -- if not actually less interesting -- was getting 0.6s on Versus a year ago.

Did some googling, and in March after Comcast decided to ditch the "Versus" name and call the station NBC Sports Network, ratings dove 22 percent across the board. (Story.) Not saying those two things are related. Just saying that was the timing of the dive. Ratings for the Olympics were higher than expected on NBC and its affiliated stations, including NBC Sports Net. The Mighty New York Times did a story in mid-August about how NBCSN hopes to ride better-than-expected ratings for the Olympics to more viewers for it's network. Story here. Now a hockey lock out threatens to "Freeze NBC's sports momentum" per the Chicago Tribune (story here.) If 0.2 is "momentum," ah, well, not so good.

Since ABC owns the broadcast rights to IndyCar, it's not going to be on NBC broadcast TV for several years, so put that hope out of your mind. I wonder if IndyCar could negotiate online rights back from NBCSN and try some nutty stuff like streaming races, etc. Get out in front of the techno curve. Lots of people think TV and Internet are converging more and more all the time, so maybe get in front of that wave?

Of course they'd have to have the infrastructure need to do that first, and not hype streaming races and then have a contract with Jimmy's Servers which can handle "upwards of 19 viewers at one time!!" CRASH. Major brand damage. I've been really really slow to blame NBC Sports Net for the the abysmal ratings -- and they by no means are the only issue -- but when 0.2 is your big show, that's a problem.

Bitching about NBC Sports Network All the time is Wack -- I just did it! I just bitched about NBC Sports Network. So I'M WACK! I'm a wack hypocrite! It's a festival of wack. Here's the deal: yeah, the ratings on NBC Sports Network are abysmal. Yeah, the ratings for IndyCar are toilety. But if you think that's the ONLY reason that IndyCar has issues, you too are wack. That's just one of many, and many of them still sit with IndyCar. So it's really easy to toss NBCSN under the bus -- call it NBC Scapegoat Network -- but even at the halcyon (for IndyCar) 0.6 days on Versus, at the end of the day, albeit halcyon, 0.6 don't make the network much.

PLUS, it's not like NBCSN went to the moon when it became NBCSN. It's still in roughly the same place on my Dish dial (actually 159 instead of 151). I think it's still in the same number of households and the same tiers as Versus was (plus or minus a few, probably). If IndyCar fans who tried the product back on Verus were mega enthralled by what they saw, there's no way in the world they shouldn't be able to find it on NBCSN. Packaging and shelf positioning play a role in product sales, but end of the day the product drives 85% of the deal. So if I love the race, I go to IndyCar.com. I see the schedule and it's on NBC Sports Network and I find it because it's either in the exact same place as Verus or close to it. And I loved the racing in 2011. If "going to IndyCar.com" derails your fans, you're product ain't that awe-inspiring.

And always remember, there isn't exactly a line of networks that want to carry IndyCar. Actually there is no line. You got ABC/ESPN who is mainly intersted in the Indy 500 and then you got NBC Sports Network who enherited a TV contract from Versus. After that you got ... crickets. So, again, before you bail out of a functioning airplane, make sure you have a parachute. Drivers, teams, fans (and me, today) who bitch about NBC Sports Network need to consider it's still superior to the alternative (that being zero or super crashy online video).

Finally, I'm no Harvard Business School brad, but screaming "YOU'RE SHIT!!!" at someone and then turning around and saying "how can we work together to get these ratings up" is a less-than-effective way to collaborate.

The Stewart Butt Grab Thing is Wack -- OK, seriously, what is up with that? Tony Stewart grabbs DeLana Harvick's butt for luck. Here's a story with video from The Mixer (Bob Pockrass).

Turns out Tony grabs a handful of buttcheek frequently. Stewart and the Harvicks, including DeLana's husband Kevin, are good pals! Apparently they are, since he gets to grab her thusly. DeLana had no issue with it, Kevin had no issue with it, so I guess I have no issue with it. Except it kind of looks a little untoward. Not quite pervy, but kind of uncouth. Improper. Irregular. Not that Stewart cares what stuff looks like. That's Tony's style ... does what he wants. His fans love him for it. So why was it news? Video of a celebrity athlete like Tony Stewart grabbing a married woman's ass on the grid. Who's seriously shocked that it generated headlines?

Chase is Underway! -- I couldnt' tell you who is leading right now. Again, tough for me to watch NASCAR Sprint Cup races since I don't have the spare four hours. BUT it was good to see Chicagoland much fuller than usual last weekend. Relatively full. Still not full, but closer. The place holds 75,000, so it's a pretty big barn. I heard there were 60,000 to 65,000 ish there. And TV ratings continue to be up.

Sounds like Chicagoland got busy and worked on its traffic flow situation to provide better customer service. Yeah, America. They retweeted several complimentary tweets from customers after the race. I think I'm heading to Chicagoland for the race in person next year. I miss the track big time. IndyCar put on some breath-taking races there. That style of racing in IndyCar is gone for ever (I guess), so everyone has moved on. Although maybe the magical New Car (!) that made other tracks safer and/or more intersting could save Chicagoland too. Still, it will be good to get back to the scene of my first in-person IndyCar experience ever even if it is to watch Fendered vehicles. 

Shake Up at JR Motorsports -- The Eurys -- Tony Jr. and Sr. -- are out at JR Motorsports. It's ALL DANICA'S FAULT!! No, it's not. Haters want it to be, but it's not. It may be that Danica (and her sponsorship money) moving to NASCAR Sprint Cup next year that has something to do with it though. Nate Ryan had a great analysis of the breakup here. Nate's got skillz. And he's a snappy dresser.

In that story Nate talks about what happens next year when Danica and GoDaddy are elsewhere. Tension! So very much in racing these days revolves around money, so I would not be shocked even slightly if the moves to cut the Eury's lose didn't come down to cash, specifically the company's attempt to generate more of it.

I enjoyed listening to Eury Jr. work with Danica in her Nationwide ride this year via the online scanner. He made a few brilliant calls during some of her races. I can't speak to how well he sets up the car. End of the day, personnel changes are usually not personal. I've been Euryed (let go) a couple times in my life, and it actually turned out for the best. It sounds like the Eurys will get handsome parting gifts (buyouts), so weep not. Maybe they start their own teams or go to another team like Darrian Grubb and have success. WHAM. That would be cool.

HEY, gotta go. Beer to be drunk. Dogs to be walked. I'll try to get up to speed on the NASCAR stuff more now that IndyCar has gone into its six month hybernation. Check out the Kentucky schedule at NASCAR.com and tune in. October 20 I'm inbound Kansas Speedway. Me and TJ Patrick are gonna have chips, salsa and margaritas* (*TJ Patrick has no idea who I even am.)

Cheers.

Comments

[Chiefswon]

Big smile :) from Chiefswon. Classic example of your Humor and your understanding of racing. Got to Love Tony! It's going to take years before IndyCar is back on the grid if we don't get our kids to the track.... TV Ala Carte. It's just a matter of chargebacks vs allocations..and that is just from a dumb old semi retired accountant...folks only want to pay for what they use...nothing wrong with that.

Thanks PDog!

[KenSpi]

The problem isn't NBCSN's coverage quality, it's penetration . NBCSN isn't on many systems, or it's on an expanded tier that less people subscribe to. Speed TV is usually available to more people. And why limit it to a sports network? How about USA Network? It's owned by NBC Universal, too, and is available on more systems without expanded tiers. If not all NBC races, maybe a portion of them? They carried some Olympic events and carry tennis, so sports coverage wouldn't be unprecedented. It would also be interesting to know what the cumes were when ChampCar was on Spike.

[Jeremy from Harrisburg]

USA Network might be a good call. If they don't want to make the switch for the races, maybe put IndyCar 36 on after RAW on Monday nights.

[redcar]

Indycar needs to be on one of the "big three" networks or maybe espn and they need--like Nascar--to be programmed on one of those networks at a predictable time. Saturday afternoons or nights or whatever. Same Bat-time, Same Bat-channel. Anything else is just more invisi-ratings. I don't even know if that would draw an mass audience for Indycar. They signed a bad deal with ABC when they couldn't sell broadcast rights for races outside of the ABC 5 or 6 races. That should have been easy--let us sell the others or give up the 500...

As far as streaming on internet, all I know is I wouldn't watch it. Streaming may be the future, but right now it's not as legitimate as network or even cable tv.

[the american mutt]

Chill...just chill...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioeutEu1_8s

[Sabrina]

In terms of the shake-up at JRM, it sounds like crew chiefs wanted an Elliot Sadler type to help out rookie Whitt and essentially a rookie Danica to sort out the cars. It seems like a good idea to me, but I'm not JR asking favors from his Cup rivals or spending my $$ on a NNS team.

Also, just for you - I figured out the perfect driver comparison for Danica (hint: not Johanna Long) in NNS. Brian Scott! who is also having an underachieving season in good equipment.

Speaking of NASCAR, pressdog since you are NASCAR newbie, what do you think of the Dillon brothers?

Finally, Shift is excellent - had it when I went back to the Midwest for the Kansas NASCAR race.

[Scott]

Tony Stewart and the Harvicks have openly talked about Tony's pre-race ritual for years, it just finally got caught directly on camera.

Stewart often tells another story involving the Harvicks where he woke up to his alarm clock and got ready only to discover his clocks had been set ahead. Assuming he had been pranked he proceeds to enter the Harvick's motorhome and upon realizing Kevin is in the shower decides to crawl into bed with DeLana in hopes of getting a rise out of Kevin when he finishes his shower.

What are the chances of something similar ever happening in IndyCar? Have I missed Scott Dixon regularly giving Ashley Judd a squeeze? Given that we have learned NBC Sports has no ability to drive viewers to IndyCar because they have no excess viewers. Which is pretty much the current problem for main NBC channel as well. Their current viewship is so reduced that even if they have a really good show they can't drive viewers to it because none of their programming has enough viewers to be the engine.

So there have to be mini-controversies that are going to force coverage across media platforms. In a couple of seconds you get a clear impression of the personalities of both Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. A Will Power offering the double #1 moment makes it to a wider audience.

For better or worse IndyCar needs those organic controversial moments, but they are a lot harder to generate when the sport's best drivers are racing less than 20 times per year.

[Scott]

As for the Eury's and JRM the core of the issue in my opinion really stems from the introduction of the new car into Nationwide last season, which made the Nationwide cars much more like the current Cup cars. Eury Sr. basically got of the Cup series at the time the new Cup car was being introduced. And Eury Jr. pretty clearly never had a good handle on the new Cup car.

The new Nationwide car being more like the Cup car gave a much bigger advantage to the cars being built in Cup garages. The Eury's have never had a handle on the CoT and as Dale Jr. admitted the Eury's weren't real interested in asking for help from Hendrick.

Now having two rookies this season certainly didn't help, but I don't think it absolves them either.

[pressdog]

Appreciate the comments, Scott. My personal reaction to the Steward grabass deal was that I, personally, think it is weird/off-putting for any man to grab any woman in that way. That does not mean I think Tony should be restrained or punished for said maneuver in any way. He's free to grab her if he wants and I'm free react how I want. Freedom is awesome. You are right, it does give an instant impression of Stewart's personality, which I continue to be not a fan of.

[Scott]

Thanks. Just to be clear I didn't intend to be defending Stewart's actions in a moral sense. Villains attract viewers just like heroes, and it takes moments where the drivers reveal their personalities. And that typically happens when somebody decides to color outside the lines. Moments that force an opinion even if you don't know a single thing about IndyCar or Nascar.

As far as my own feelings about the incident itself I have mixed feelings due to my own moral relativism. I certainly disapprove in a global sense, but I don't have much of a problem in this specific case because I'm fairly confident that DeLana has the power to smack even a bully like Tony Stewart on the nose if she wanted to put an end to it. And I had heard the story at least a year before so I immediately had a context to put it in when I first saw it. So I chuckled when I saw it the first time because I already knew what was happening and how all the parties felt about it, but I also recognize that it would have made me very uncomfortable in just about any other context.

[Ron Ford]

I am one of those folks who think that TV and the internet are rapidly converging. As you suggested, I think IndyCar needs to ride that wave. I miss watching an IndyCar race from inside a driver's car. I usually watch a Nationwide race on their "Race Buddy" feature.