StevePark Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Yet again I have to ask why this constant, simplistic assumption by some on the BSF that you have to choose between watching at home and actually going to meetings? I do both and I'm sure I'm not alone. Anyway, while we're on the subject of media luddism I take it the sport's supposed to turn its back on all media, after all if people ccan read or hear what's going on surely that'll also stop them going? Speedway is the only sport I know that is stupid enough to resent and distrust media coverage, thankfully. It's an incredibly short-sighted approach. It's always the simple glib answer, never proper consideration of the real problems. I know it's only a minority, but don't forget there are fans who can't do both, for various reasons (e.g. ill health, distance to travel, lack of transport etc., etc.). But those able to do so should be encouraged to do both and we all know who's job that is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruiser McHuge Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Any sport that is worth anything these days has to have some live TV coverage in my opinion...if it doesn't then it falls further and further into the sporting backwaters and even further out of the public eye..speedway needs TV despite what anybody thinks.......it is then up to speedway to get its own house in order to progress again...but it is certainly not TV that is holding speedway back...far from it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conkers in Gravy Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Regardless of the payment (or lack of it) from the broadcaster, what kind of amateurish, incompetent organisation would give up the chance of a two-hour weekly advert for their product (repeated a couple of times the following day)? Probably best not to answer that. Also, imagine you're in a meeting with a speedway promoter/rider asking your firm for sponsorship, what's your first question? You're going to be far more likely to hand over some cash if your potential audience is counted in tens of thousands, rather than a few hundred. I know it's dangerous to compare football with speedway, but my point was that live TV was a catalyst for the revival of interest in the game, helping to make an unfashionable way of spending a Saturday afternoon into something people are prepared to spend a significant amount of their income to be a part of. Rugby Union, Rugby League and cricket have had similar transformations (I know there are some financial problems in certain RL clubs, but I'm making comparisons with the 80s). Cricket has responded to the TV age and transformed itself with the introduction of T20 and a sharper version of the 40/50 over game. The result is crowds and income at the gate has increased. When did a county cricket club last go out of business? As far as live TV putting people off going to matches, Brentford v Gillingham was on Sky last night and the crowd was 7,713 - 700 more than the average gate at Griffin Park. Live TV is a valuable asset whether you get a fee or not. It's up to the promoters now. We need more of the Berwick v Newcastle and less of the Belle Vue v Poole. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george.m Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Are some of us being realistic on here? Because we love our speedway, it doesn't mean there are potentially thousands of others just waiting to discover speedway for the first time and fill our stadiums weekly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Who's pockets ? I claim the Fifth Amendment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsunami Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 I claim the Fifth Amendment. I only asked because, if you are implying that the promoters would be lining their pockets, it would only be the replace what has already been taken out of that pocket beforehand. Nobody is making money as a promoter except a handful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 I only asked because, if you are implying that the promoters would be lining their pockets, it would only be the replace what has already been taken out of that pocket beforehand. Nobody is making money as a promoter except a handful. Might it be those that I am on about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 In my case it was Sky that rekindled my interest in Speedway. As a youngster I went every Saturday night to watch the likes of Craven, Mauger, Briggs etc. at Belle Vue for many years. But growing up my interest waned and I lost touch with it. It was through TV that my interest returned and now enjoy most of it. Looking to the future Sky will be interested as long as advertisers want to show their products during the relay. But the fact is that with each match being 15 races and each race lasting approx 1 minute - thats only 15 minutes of actual racing which takes roughly two hours to complete - in my opinion you need more racing and less faffing around waiting for the riders. So improve the product to keep the viewers interest and wanting to watch which keeps the advertisers on board 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 In my case it was Sky that rekindled my interest in Speedway. As a youngster I went every Saturday night to watch the likes of Craven, Mauger, Briggs etc. at Belle Vue for many years. But growing up my interest waned and I lost touch with it. It was through TV that my interest returned and now enjoy most of it. Looking to the future Sky will be interested as long as advertisers want to show their products during the relay. But the fact is that with each match being 15 races and each race lasting approx 1 minute - thats only 15 minutes of actual racing which takes roughly two hours to complete - in my opinion you need more racing and less faffing around waiting for the riders. So improve the product to keep the viewers interest and wanting to watch which keeps the advertisers on board Good Post. How RIGHT you are. :approve: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsunami Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 Might it be those that I am on about? So a successful business man makes speedway pay and he is 'lining his pockets'. Strewth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Eye Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 In my case it was Sky that rekindled my interest in Speedway. As a youngster I went every Saturday night to watch the likes of Craven, Mauger, Briggs etc. at Belle Vue for many years. But growing up my interest waned and I lost touch with it. It was through TV that my interest returned and now enjoy most of it. Looking to the future Sky will be interested as long as advertisers want to show their products during the relay. But the fact is that with each match being 15 races and each race lasting approx 1 minute - thats only 15 minutes of actual racing which takes roughly two hours to complete - in my opinion you need more racing and less faffing around waiting for the riders. So improve the product to keep the viewers interest and wanting to watch which keeps the advertisers on board Good Post. How RIGHT you are. :approve: It's about time riders were banned from the sport. They obviously get in the way of peoples night out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pedaler Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 I know it's only a minority, but don't forget there are fans who can't do both, for various reasons (e.g. ill health, distance to travel, lack of transport etc., etc.). Any sport that is worth anything these days has to have some live TV coverage in my opinion. But the fact is that with each match being 15 races and each race lasting approx 1 minute - thats only 15 minutes of actual racing which takes roughly two hours to complete All these points are making the case for a weekly summary show and NOT "live" speedway. Those who "can't" go for whatever reason will get their fix, and it can still be repeated whenever the broadcaster has a loose moment. Those who don't want all the faffing around will get speedway in a "concentrated format". Loads of sports do well without live coverage. I think that an edited summary show will show the sport in a far better light. It won't stop the fans from going to the stadiums and those fans that do go won't be messed around waiting in a cold wind for Sky's advert breaks to end. Anyone who's been to a play-off will also know that being on the terraces in one of those meetings is an endurance not an enjoyment. Some people I brought along to Birmingham last year won't ever come back to speedway again after what they had to go through to see 15 minutes of racing just to appease the SkySports programme makers. Are some of us being realistic on here? Because we love our speedway, it doesn't mean there are potentially thousands of others just waiting to discover speedway for the first time and fill our stadiums weekly! More a case of kiddies thinking that their toys are being taken away from them and having a big blub about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsunami Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 All these points are making the case for a weekly summary show and NOT "live" speedway. Those who "can't" go for whatever reason will get their fix, and it can still be repeated whenever the broadcaster has a loose moment. Those who don't want all the faffing around will get speedway in a "concentrated format". Loads of sports do well without live coverage. I think that an edited summary show will show the sport in a far better light. It won't stop the fans from going to the stadiums and those fans that do go won't be messed around waiting in a cold wind for Sky's advert breaks to end. Anyone who's been to a play-off will also know that being on the terraces in one of those meetings is an endurance not an enjoyment. Some people I brought along to Birmingham last year won't ever come back to speedway again after what they had to go through to see 15 minutes of racing just to appease the SkySports programme makers. More a case of kiddies thinking that their toys are being taken away from them and having a big blub about it. You allegedly 'have to go though 15 minutes of racing' every meeting every week, even when SKY has nowt to do with the meeting. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 You allegedly 'have to go though 15 minutes of racing' every meeting every week, even when SKY has nowt to do with the meeting. Fair comment Dave. But I honestly believe that we spend too much time freezing our 'bits and pieces' off on a cold March/April Night whilst Riders go back to the Pits for whatever reason following a Tape break or a false Start. Nobody seems to think or care about the Folks who pay to get in - as long as they attend. It should NOT take two hours to run a Meeting of Fifteen Heats and Fifteen Minutes Racing. Just GET ON WITH IT for heavens sake. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWitcher Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 All these points are making the case for a weekly summary show and NOT "live" speedway. Those who "can't" go for whatever reason will get their fix, and it can still be repeated whenever the broadcaster has a loose moment. Those who don't want all the faffing around will get speedway in a "concentrated format". Loads of sports do well without live coverage. I think that an edited summary show will show the sport in a far better light. It won't stop the fans from going to the stadiums and those fans that do go won't be messed around waiting in a cold wind for Sky's advert breaks to end. Anyone who's been to a play-off will also know that being on the terraces in one of those meetings is an endurance not an enjoyment. Some people I brought along to Birmingham last year won't ever come back to speedway again after what they had to go through to see 15 minutes of racing just to appease the SkySports programme makers. More a case of kiddies thinking that their toys are being taken away from them and having a big blub about it. You should go on tour around some business schools, you'd make a great stand up show for them. You still haven't come back to me on your ridiculous Radio WM claims, mainly because I've blown them out of the water. You mock the idea of free tickets, you should email Vince McMahon and let him know about that, let him know it simply won't work and that the concept of getting on national TV and then ensuring he presented shows with capacity crowds simply won't work. He'll never transform his business from a small (ish) regional operation to a world wide multi million pound entertainment business. I'm looking forward to the list of the 'loads of sports' that do well that don't have live coverage. Weekly sports mind you, not ones that are run once every couple of months, that's a different situation entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pedaler Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 You should go on tour around some business schools, you'd make a great stand up show for them. You still haven't come back to me on your ridiculous Radio WM claims, mainly because I've blown them out of the water. You mock the idea of free tickets, you should email Vince McMahon and let him know about that, let him know it simply won't work and that the concept of getting on national TV and then ensuring he presented shows with capacity crowds simply won't work. He'll never transform his business from a small (ish) regional operation to a world wide multi million pound entertainment business. I'm looking forward to the list of the 'loads of sports' that do well that don't have live coverage. Weekly sports mind you, not ones that are run once every couple of months, that's a different situation entirely. The only thing that you blow out of water are bubbles. Nowhere have I said that speedway shouldn't be on television, either national or international. What I have said is that speedway will be better served with a highlights programme on a weekly basis or even two or three nights a week, and not live speedway. That's my opinion. You don't have to like it. Feel free to kick and scream about it all you like. What would be less boring though is for you to prove how 10 odd years of live speedway on SkySports on a weekly basis has benefited the sport. If you are correct that SkySports has been good for speedway then there should be plenty of evidence. Feel free to present all that evidence to your hearts content. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 As I see it - Speedway has been on the Television now for about FIFTEEN YEARS. The Sport itself has not improved one iota as a spectacle. Television has actually diminished our Sport with the Rules the BSPA has brought in at the behest of the Television Companies. This is proved by the fact that Speedway Support is sadly decreasing and not increasing. It can only harm the Sport if folk are encouraged to 'stay in' and watch their Speedway on Television. Speedway desperately NEEDS people to come through the Gates, at present this is NOT happening. Why? Because of Austerity Cuts (in my opinion the main reason), Television (it is far easier to watch Speedway from your armchair), Alteration of Rules (you know what THEY are), Lack of Promotion (at some Tracks), Lack of LEADERSHIP at the BSPA and finally and, again sadly, the lack of any truly International Class Riders (apart from Tai Woofinden - even HE cannot carry the Sport on his own). To sum up - Speedway needs MONEY to run and be successful. The new TV Deal (if there is one) is rumoured to be possibly free of charge to SKY to get us in the public eye - why should that work now, when it hasn't for the last FIFTEEN Years? I am not against Television per sé - I just do not see where the benefits of fifteen years of TV coverage are. Simply, as far as I can see, there aren't any. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 The only thing that you blow out of water are bubbles. Nowhere have I said that speedway shouldn't be on television, either national or international. What I have said is that speedway will be better served with a highlights programme on a weekly basis or even two or three nights a week, and not live speedway. That's my opinion. You don't have to like it. Feel free to kick and scream about it all you like. What would be less boring though is for you to prove how 10 odd years of live speedway on SkySports on a weekly basis has benefited the sport. If you are correct that SkySports has been good for speedway then there should be plenty of evidence. Feel free to present all that evidence to your hearts content. It's almost impossible to say that Sky Sports has not benefited the sport ..just because speedway has gone downhill during it's time on sky there is school of thought that it could have been in an even worst place without it . The biggest problem for me is keep putting meetings on off race nights like Lakeside v Belle Vue on a Monday with no crowd there . this is when live speedway does the sport no favours 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted January 25, 2014 Report Share Posted January 25, 2014 (edited) As I see it - Speedway has been on the Television now for about FIFTEEN YEARS. The Sport itself has not improved one iota as a spectacle. Television has actually diminished our Sport with the Rules the BSPA has brought in at the behest of the Television Companies. This is proved by the fact that Speedway Support is sadly decreasing and not increasing. It can only harm the Sport if folk are encouraged to 'stay in' and watch their Speedway on Television. Speedway desperately NEEDS people to come through the Gates, at present this is NOT happening. Why? Because of Austerity Cuts (in my opinion the main reason), Television (it is far easier to watch Speedway from your armchair), Alteration of Rules (you know what THEY are), Lack of Promotion (at some Tracks), Lack of LEADERSHIP at the BSPA and finally and, again sadly, the lack of any truly International Class Riders (apart from Tai Woofinden - even HE cannot carry the Sport on his own). To sum up - Speedway needs MONEY to run and be successful. The new TV Deal (if there is one) is rumoured to be possibly free of charge to SKY to get us in the public eye - why should that work now, when it hasn't for the last FIFTEEN Years? I am not against Television per sé - I just do not see where the benefits of fifteen years of TV coverage are. Simply, as far as I can see, there aren't any. simply those that run the sport havent used the medium to deliver growth... thats not tv's fault.... fifteen years of prime time advertising should have delivered organic supporter growth,, instead it has been used to pay (per minute pro rata) barclays premier league wages to riders on skrill league attendances...... can't blame sky for that.... Edited January 25, 2014 by mikebv 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWitcher Posted January 26, 2014 Report Share Posted January 26, 2014 The only thing that you blow out of water are bubbles. Nowhere have I said that speedway shouldn't be on television, either national or international. What I have said is that speedway will be better served with a highlights programme on a weekly basis or even two or three nights a week, and not live speedway. That's my opinion. You don't have to like it. Feel free to kick and scream about it all you like. What would be less boring though is for you to prove how 10 odd years of live speedway on SkySports on a weekly basis has benefited the sport. If you are correct that SkySports has been good for speedway then there should be plenty of evidence. Feel free to present all that evidence to your hearts content. The sport going downhill is not the fault of television. I have outlined already the problems and how they could quite easily be resolved, however you, being utterly ignorant of the power of TV and how to use it, thought the idea was foolish. I have then given you examples of other sports/entertainments that have used it and reaped the rewards. You however, when challenged are unable to respond. For the 5th time I will ask what evidence you have to state that Birminghams crowds improved BECAUSE Radio WM were no longer broadcasting live. I have also asked for the 'loads of sports' that are successful without live TV, you have as yet failed to come up with one. So come on, back up your words. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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