NHRA & ESPN must HATE sportsmen.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

The trouble here isn't that we're boring or don't have an audience. We see shows about disfunctional biker families, disfunctional Funny Car families, Ice Road Truckers and crab fishermen and maybe it's just me but they have managed to find an audience. The trouble is that Sportsmen haven't (or can't or won't) found anyone to put down the money to produce a show. For what advertizing costs I have to believe that a Sportsmen biased company (Jegs, Summit, Edelbrock) can't or hasn't looked into producing a Sportsmen related show in lieu of paying for the commercials. Hey, Musclecars, Hot Rod TV and Car Crazy are just half hour infomercials.
Now I'm not a TV producer by any stretch of the imagination but I'll bet that somebody in the Sportsmen community is in some way involved in TV production and can maybe explain to me why this can or can't be done.

OK, I guess I'll ask again. Why can't something like this be done?

[Bob Pagano]

Ted Jones with "Inside Drag Racing" mite be the only way it would happen, last episode showed 2 super comp cars and what they go through to qualifiy at a national event. Set up a show and try selling it to them, use Fletch and a new cj for contrast and show what S and SS go through at a national event. It would be a start.

[Signman]

Billy,

Money is all it takes.

Have a friend who runs limos Connecticut. Carts around executives from ESPN and being a good driver is sociable. When discussing class racing and big money bracket racing the answer was: "Great stuff but we need money to get production going and develop marketing"

The interest is there. They want to produce TV that people watch but it is money driven.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Signman

Billy,

Money is all it takes.

"Great stuff but we need money to get production going and develop marketing"

The interest is there. They want to produce TV that people watch but it is money driven.

Hi Frank, Ok then why can't (won't) one of the above mentioned companies (or another), in their advertizing budget, find away to do something? I know that the companies that I've mentioned already do more than enough for Sportsmen racers (Bracket racers included) but I refuse to believe that somebody won't step up.

[Randall Klein]

A reason the putrid NHRA Pro show is even on, is that cable networks have hours to "fill" with anything...I believe that ESPN only picked up NHRA after they lost NASCAR; although money is a driver, one must wonder why poker, aerobatic plane racing, bowling,strongman contests, wood chopping, LeBron, etc get on the tube....cable has a voracious appetite to show "something"

I'm probably wrong, but a concept of sportsman racing/traveloge/reality show could be as entertaining as any of the above...think travails of Fletcher (with his commentary) or "on-the-road-with-the Hills", our group is full of "characters" and human interest stories, brought to you by "California Car Cover" or Lucas Oil (they sponsor everything else), or as somone mentioned a paid info-mercial....with Dodge and Ford flexing their race heritage, maybe they could be approached

Would take someone connected along with deep pockets and time to run some concepts by the cable channels....heck if food network, and house sales can consume a whole channel, certainly an hour long sportsman show should be attractive to Speed, or any of the ESPN family....it certainly can and should be done by NHRA, but they are too shortsighted

[Bob Don]

"American Stocker" starring Billy Nees and his cast of 'characters'.

[Signman]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Hi Frank, Ok then why can't (won't) one of the above mentioned companies (or another), in their advertizing budget, find away to do something? I know that the companies that I've mentioned already do more than enough for Sportsmen racers (Bracket racers included) but I refuse to believe that somebody won't step up.

The group or individual would have to want to do it and believe in the concept, meaning turn them a profit.
The numbers involved may be large. Equipment and personnel are extensive, although it could be done on a small privateer scale but ESPN is not. ESPN people are nitro crazy right now. Just like any other new fan to the sport. They will evolve possibly turn their interest toward lower classes.

Bottom line there is not a lot of money on the street, hasn't been for longer than you may think and what there is is tough to convince to take the risk.

Don't know if you remember the drag racing message board I believe was part of Sports Channel years ago. There was discussion about drag racing on TV and began e-mailing someone who claimed to work for the networks. Proposed a half hour, fast moving show with wheel standing super stockers and stockers along with fast and exciting comp and alcohol runs. Don't even try to show a race make it be an exciting fast moving show of great runs. Just entertainment. Broadcast it during the week when racers are home looking for something good to watch not on weekends when everyone is at the track. Racers would watch, car enthusiasts would find out about it and tune in. Once the show could get a footing then expand it to let the public know what drag racing is really about and develop an audience.

Well the answer was over and over "it will never work".

Again the money people, the producers, the broadcasters, advertisers, promoters must believe in the concept and feel there will be a much wider audience for the programming than racers. And turn everyone involved a profit.

NHRA knows that through the years top fuel and funny car are the only eliminators to receive any regular attention by the press, TV and radio. At this time it is the only product they have to sell. Once fuel racing grows in the public mind, the fan base evolves in their knowledge of the sport, hopefully the product line will expand.

Keep in mind this is not a selfless endeavor, there will need to be lots to skim off the top to make the effort worth while. But the power people in the NHRA are not all seasoned racers who came up through the system they are managers interested in feathering their beds and those that are are old fuel racers set in their ways. It will take open creative minds, a pile of money and a perfect storm.

[Alex Denysenko]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

OK, I guess I'll ask again. Why can't something like this be done?

It can be done Billy.

How do I know?

Because we did it!

USCN was broadcast on ESPN2 and it was not that expensive to produce.

Granted Ted Jones and Bret Kepner gave us a huge break, but in the grand scheme of things a monthly show can be done for peanuts by MEG with a couple of paying sponsors.

[Alan Roehrich]

Alex, the important questions are:

Could it be done again?

Would you do it again?

Would you help someone else?

Would enough racers show up?

Could it be done as a series?

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Alex Denysenko

It can be done Billy.

How do I know?

Because we did it!

USCN was broadcast on ESPN2 and it was not that expensive to produce.

Granted Ted Jones and Bret Kepner gave us a huge break, but in the grand scheme of things a monthly show can be done for peanuts by MEG with a couple of paying sponsors.

And Alex, Thank you again for doing it I'll never forget it.