SPEED Officially "Jumped the Shark"

[planetarygear]

Apparently, there is a 12 hour marathon of “Pimp My Ride” this Sunday. Hey, at least they stopped showing NASCAR for little while.

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[domestic_abuser]

12 hour...are they trying to get the lowest ratings ever....

[flyboymike]

"A 1992 Honda Civic gets vertical doors."

[leecea]

At least NASCAR is motorsport. Stuff like "Pimp my Ride" and "Unique Whips" is just ****.

[artkevin]

*shakes head in shame*

[Hotrodguru]

It's just so sad really. I would f'ing cancel Speed but where else will I get my F1 come a few months.

They suck mad monkey balls and don't even reply to constructive criticism with nice subject lines such as: SPEED SUCKS and real races turn right!

[MPME]

So...I'm guessing you didn't like the 12hr 'Unique Whips' marathon on Xmas, then?....

[blue blurr]

Wasn't this an MTV show a few years ago?

[Storm]

Just like I remember when MTV actually showed music videos, Speed has finally picked up on that formula for success. Abandon your core fanbase and cater to the lowest common denominator.

Maybe we will see a SPEED2 or SPEED-Europe.......

[KC]

Programming for TV is based on sponsorships of programs, paying the race series to carry it, and most importantly, advertising revenue.

If ad revenue has declined, but you need to stay afloat, you're going to have bloks of programming paid for by advertisers that want something like this.

And what's sunday? Some football game is on someplace... A good majority of the nation are going to be prepping, travelling to, watching, and ravelling back from festivities based on the game.

Viewership is greatly decreased and why try and have some expensive programming up agaist anything Superbowl related? Really?

Sure, you may not care about football, along with many... but it makes sense to program something stupid against it, and get paid.

It doesn't make any sense, programmitically speaking, to have anything that's expensive up against the SB tomorrow. This sow is cheap, but pais the ad dollars.

--kC

[MPME]

Originally Posted by KC

Programming for TV is based on sponsorships of programs, paying the race series to carry it, and most importantly, advertising revenue.

If ad revenue has declined, but you need to stay afloat, you're going to have bloks of programming paid for by advertisers that want something like this.

And what's sunday? Some football game is on someplace... A good majority of the nation are going to be prepping, travelling to, watching, and ravelling back from festivities based on the game.

Viewership is greatly decreased and why try and have some expensive programming up agaist anything Superbowl related? Really?

Sure, you may not care about football, along with many... but it makes sense to program something stupid against it, and get paid.

It doesn't make any sense, programmitically speaking, to have anything that's expensive up against the SB tomorrow. This sow is cheap, but pais the ad dollars.

--kC

Dude, why did you have to go in add some common sense? It takes all the fun out of bitching when you do stuff like this.

I mean, every other channel shows exactly what I want to see 24hrs a day. There's nothing I don't like on other channels that ever makes me want to change channels.

Like when I watch ESPN and they show an Indycar race, but then they follow it up with bull riding or golf, I NEVER change the channel.

When they show a day full of college football, I never switch to another channel. I love everything they show.

Everyone knows a TV channel should just show what their audience wants, despite the fact that few advertisers right now want to pay for it. Who cares if it costs money -- a lot of money -- to produce TV shows. I think TV channels should spend their own money to entertain me even if advertisers can't be found. Makes perfect business sense to me.

And for the few shows that advertisers are lined up to pay for, I say we get rid of those because some of those popular shows are not exactly my favorites.

I know it would take a basic understanding of business to realize that by running things like marathons of the shows I don't care for (yet have solid advertising), the racing series I do like are able to be bought or licensed and aired for my pleasure.

Who cares if they go out of business because of it. It will be a glorious few months of programming until all the $ stops coming in and the doors are shut.

[KC]

Don't like it? Start your own channel!

By the way... the days of Cable and TV are numbered. I give it less than 20 years where Cable and Satellite stop airing 'tv', switch all their bandwidth to internet and all shows are streamed throgh the net.

You thought you had too many choices now?

--kC

[eselred]

Ugh. That makes me sick to my stomach. I don't get cable at home, so I used to get really excited when I'd go home to visit my parents and watch Speed over the holidays. Now, every Christmas, I see nothing but Pinks and Unique Whips. I remember once, about 6 years ago, I recorded the entire SCCA Runoffs over break and had races to watch for months. Those were the days.

[nhat]

you guys got something against x to the z xzibit?

[chkltcow]

Originally Posted by MPME

Like when I watch ESPN and they show an Indycar race, but then they follow it up with bull riding or golf, I NEVER change the channel.

When they show a day full of college football, I never switch to another channel. I love everything they show.

Poor example.... you see... ESPN actually shows sports.
When they start filling their schedule with full days of "Pimp my Uniform", you might have an argument. In the meantime, they at least live up to what their name implies.

[Jay911]

I have to laugh at the "When racing fans talk, we listen!" line in the ad for the "SPEED Performance Awards" junk.

MPME (are you Ventured?) - No one is saying any particular channel shows what they are interested in 24/7. However, channels that tout themselves as the "authority on motorsports" should actually show some motorsports once in a while. Racing shouldn't be the odd, infrequent event that it is on SPEED these days - stuff like Pass Time and Unique Whips should be. Otherwise, call it something other than SPEED or a "motorsports" channel.

[flyboymike]

[skimobile]

I'm MORE suprised when they televise something actually worth watching...it doesn't happen very often, I guess they finally wore out all the Barrett Jackson episodes....
Nothing like watching hours upon hours of a bunch of filthy rich buying cars they'll never drive.

[chkltcow]

Originally Posted by skimobile

I'm MORE suprised when they televise something actually worth watching...it doesn't happen very often, I guess they finally wore out all the Barrett Jackson episodes....
Nothing like watching hours upon hours of a bunch of filthy rich buying cars they'll never drive.

I don't mind the Barrett Jackson stuff, typically. I know a lot of people really enjoy it... my father-in-law being one of them. The 24-36 hours or whatever it is of coverage when the event is happening is fine by me. However, watching re-runs of highlights of the Barrett Jackson gets a bit old after a while.

What gets me is that they replaced what used to be great "filler" with pure bull**** programming. Victory by Design, Legends of Motorsport, Motorsports Mundial.. even Two Wheel Tuesday (and I don't even like bikes)........ all that is gone and replaced by Pinks, Unique Whips, Living the Low Life, Wrecked, etc. Just get rid of the lame "reality" crap and show some sort of racing!

[MPME]

Originally Posted by chkltcow

Poor example.... you see... ESPN actually shows sports.
When they start filling their schedule with full days of "Pimp my Uniform", you might have an argument. In the meantime, they at least live up to what their name implies.

Yes, I forgot, you're the master of well informed arguments. Thanks for the laugh!

Enjoy 'Rome is Burning,' 'Pardon the Interruption,' 'Around the Horn,' and 'Big East College Basketball presented by Budweiser' tomorrow. Also don't miss 'Best of Mike and Mike in the Morning,' 'NASCAR Now, Women's College Basketball, and the '2008 World Series of Poker: Europe' tomorrow as you're enjoying their hardcore sports offerings.

I'm hoping for a fascinating 'Stump the Schwab' marathon on ESPN Classic, personally. Gripping stuff. Totally lives up to what their name implies.

How about more Kenny Mayne reality shows? 'Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL,' maybe?

[MPME]

Originally Posted by Jay911

I have to laugh at the "When racing fans talk, we listen!" line in the ad for the "SPEED Performance Awards" junk.

MPME (are you Ventured?) - No one is saying any particular channel shows what they are interested in 24/7. However, channels that tout themselves as the "authority on motorsports" should actually show some motorsports once in a while. Racing shouldn't be the odd, infrequent event that it is on SPEED these days - stuff like Pass Time and Unique Whips should be. Otherwise, call it something other than SPEED or a "motorsports" channel.

I have to laugh at the "When racing fans talk, we listen!" line in the ad for the "SPEED Performance Awards" junk.

Really? Cause that line applies to the award where people cast their votes, and those votes are used to determine the award winners. Do fans' votes not count towards the award determination? I'd welcome the input.

MPME (are you Ventured?)

Do you mean 'vested'?

However, channels that tout themselves as the "authority on motorsports" should actually show some motorsports once in a while.

I think SPEEDtv.com uses the 'authority on motorsports' tag, not the TV channel.

Racing shouldn't be the odd, infrequent event that it is on SPEED these days - stuff like Pass Time and Unique Whips should be. Otherwise, call it something other than SPEED or a "motorsports" channel.

Good point on needing more racing being aired. Tell me, how many major series are racing this weekend, the last week in January, to be aired? F1? NASCAR? ALMS? Grand-Am? MotoGP? SCCA? Drag? Shopping carts?

Just curious.

[chkltcow]

Originally Posted by MPME

Yes, I forgot, you're the master of well informed arguments. Thanks for the laugh!

Enjoy 'Rome is Burning,' 'Pardon the Interruption,' 'Around the Horn,' and 'Big East College Basketball presented by Budweiser' tomorrow. Also don't miss 'Best of Mike and Mike in the Morning,' 'NASCAR Now, Women's College Basketball, and the '2008 World Series of Poker: Europe' tomorrow as you're enjoying their hardcore sports offerings.

I'm hoping for a fascinating 'Stump the Schwab' marathon on ESPN Classic, personally. Gripping stuff. Totally lives up to what their name implies.

How about more Kenny Mayne reality shows? 'Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL,' maybe?

So your list involves talk shows about sports, actual sports, and poker. That's really all you've got?

Seriously man... why do you take it so personally when people diss SpeedTV? You even said yourself that you work for the web side, not the TV side. Can you appreciate that we've watched Speedvision go from a BRILLIANT channel about all things racing to an MTV wannabe showing "car lifestyle" crap all day sprinkled with occasional bits of actual racing? Like I said.. great shows like Victory by Design, Legends of Motorsports, WRC coverage, DTM coverage, V8 Supercar coverage, even the Lost Drive-in movies... they all got canned in favor of what can only be classified as crap. Why?

Good point on needing more racing being aired. Tell me, how many major series are racing this weekend, the last week in January, to be aired? F1? NASCAR? ALMS? Grand-Am? MotoGP? SCCA? Drag? Shopping carts?

Just curious.

WRC

[Jay911]

Originally Posted by MPME

I have to laugh at the "When racing fans talk, we listen!" line in the ad for the "SPEED Performance Awards" junk.

Really? Cause that line applies to the award where people cast their votes, and those votes are used to determine the award winners. Do fans' votes not count towards the award determination? I'd welcome the input.

It takes a lot of balls for SPEED to say that they 'listen to racing fans' when they have, under the management in place since they were scooped up by FOX, ignored all of us faithful viewers who watched them since the days of C-Band dishes ages ago and provided the almighty ratings that brought them to the point where they were a channel worth talking about.

Originally Posted by MPME

MPME (are you Ventured?)

Do you mean 'vested'?

No, I mean Ventured, the snotty, arrogant, egotistical moron on the SPEED boards who either lives a very sad life of defending SPEED's poor programming decisions for free, or is paid by SPEED to sit on the boards and argue with all those who are displeased with the motorsports channel that shows virtually no motorsports.

Originally Posted by MPME

However, channels that tout themselves as the "authority on motorsports" should actually show some motorsports once in a while.

I think SPEEDtv.com uses the 'authority on motorsports' tag, not the TV channel.

Nope - Erik Arneson was using that in the 'about us' blurb on all his press releases about the channel, as recently as just before the SPEED website went through its most recent disastrous remodel.

Originally Posted by MPME

Racing shouldn't be the odd, infrequent event that it is on SPEED these days - stuff like Pass Time and Unique Whips should be. Otherwise, call it something other than SPEED or a "motorsports" channel.

Good point on needing more racing being aired. Tell me, how many major series are racing this weekend, the last week in January, to be aired? F1? NASCAR? ALMS? Grand-Am? MotoGP? SCCA? Drag? Shopping carts?

International Rally Championship Monte Carlo - last weekend.
World Rally Championship Rally Ireland - this weekend (the 'last week in January').

Those two are pretty major. Spend a couple of bucks and get the NA rights already instead of making 14 more episodes of Unique Whips at $2,000 a pop. (Note: I don't mean to imply that either or both of the above rally series' rights costs anything remotely close to $28,000 - I mean that if you spend chump change for low-quality crap, you're going to get low-quality responses - but if you spend a lot, you'll get that much more (in the way of tons of viewers) in return.)

How about the missing coverage of the 2008 season of V8 Supercars? Am I going to get the same bull answer that V8SC priced themselves "at F1 levels" out of SPEED's spending ability that Ventured claims WRC did in 2005?

I noticed that SPEED aired Targa Rally Newfoundland a few days ago. It was the 2007 race, not the 2008 edition, but who cares, it's just to fill an hour between Unique Whips and Pass Time, right? Now I know TV2GO and/or ATV are not asking for zillions of dollars for the Targa and/or Canadian Rally Championship footage. Or is it that since it's already aired (months ago) on Canadian TV channels and being provided by the producers on their website, it's of no interest to SPEED?

Another major motorsport that occurs in January is the Dakar Rally. Of course, you might have been caught off guard by the fact it's not actually in Dakar any more, but for a channel/web site/whatever proclaiming it's the 'motorsport authority', you should be able to find your way to Buenos Aires well enough. Watching Dakar on the Outdoor Life Network (which is what it is still called in Canada; the 'Versus' name hasn't come up here yet) makes about as much sense as scuba diving being shown on the Golf Channel. Or, god forbid worse yet, on SPEED.

January might be the 'off-season' for the big money-maker in SPEED's stable - NASCAR, of course - but that doesn't mean that you/they shouldn't be able to air some other stuff that runs concurrent to NASCAR that couldn't be seen due to NASCAR or other (F1, etc) obligations. People looked forward to the winter months on SPEED in years past when DTM, V8, and other racing series that had run their seasons over the year would get recap shows - because it was real racing, even if it was a six-hour race compressed into a 48 minute recap show. This year we didn't even get that, because it's easier (lazier) to run 16 hours of Wrecked and Unique Whips.

I gave up trying to convince anyone at SPEED about the errors of their ways long ago. All I get are baloney answers about how people want dreck like Pass Time and Pimp My Ride. I just had to vent when I saw this thread, and hope that the almighty sponsors hear people like me who are saying, publicly and in correspondence to them, "I used to watch SPEED all the time.. now I only look at it once a week or less because there's nothing but garbage on".

[Storm]

Jay911 pretty much summed up everything I'm feeling toward speed channel, plus a few things I hadn't thought of yet.

Jay

[Draken]

Last weekends 24hrs of Daytona coverage was the first time in a long time I watched anything live on SPEED. I usually spend 15 minutes or so each week going through the program guides trying to find anything worth while to DVR. Lately, I find more interesting programs to DVR on the food Network or the Travel Channel.

Chris H. <------ had Speedvision literally the first year it was available in Socal, and loved it. Even the all Boat Wednesdays