Ando pulls out of ice show with knee injury

[debdelilah]

If DOI was a volunteer event for Japanese skaters while the fed's embezzlement was going on, it seems like feigning injury is understandable(though not really justified now that the corrupt officials are gone). In the past, they would have volunteered, only to have the money from the shows essentially stolen.

 

[rutinia]

What has changed since last year is the power relations between skaters and the federation. Ando was the fifth among japanese ladies and didn't have much say. Mao Asada was by far the most polular but still a rookie in the senior rank.
Now, they are the world champion and the silver medalist. Without presence of Asada and Ando, broadcasters can't afford to air this kind of events anymore.

 

[PolymerBob]

Without presence of Asada and Ando, broadcasters can't afford to air this kind of events anymore.

There is no doubt that Miki and Mao would have made the show more popular, but it seems to have been a great success without them.

 

[Mathman]

There is no doubt that Miki and Mao would have made the show more popular, but it seems to have been a great success without them.

Hard to say. The audience loved the show.

But I assume that Japanese TV networks, like U.S. mainstream networks, would be more interested in the ratings. Did the show attract millions of casual television viewers in addition to the hard core skating fans?

In the U.S no one dared put on a show without Michelle and Sasha.

 

[R.D.]

TV is a business and no matter where you are, and how you broadcast (cable? premium? over-the-air?) ratings matter most.

There are lots of skating shows sans Cohen/Kwan. Many are even televised. The only shows you are referring to would be the pro-ams on ABC. They made sure they had either one or the other (or both) for those shows, and (I think you have a point here) formatted them so that they could participate easily.

 

[rutinia]

TV ratings of figure skating in Japan

2007 Worlds Ladies FS 38.1%
2005 Japan Nationals Ladies FS 31.8%
2006 Torino Olympics Ladies FS (Final6) 31.8%
2007 Worlds ladies SP 28.9%
2005 Japan Nationals Ladies SP 27.2%
2006 Japan Nationals Ladies FS 27.2%
2005 GPF FS 26.0%
2006 Japan Nationals Ladies SP 22.0%
2007 Worlds Exhibition 23.3%
2005 GPF SP 20.8%
2006 Skate America FS 20.4%
2006 Worlds Ladies FS 20.1%
2006 GPF SP 19.3%
2006 Worlds Ladies SP 19.1%
2007 Worlds Men FS 19.1%
2006 NHK Trophy Ladies FS 17.6%
2006 NHK Trophy Ladies SP 16.9%
2006 Skate America SP 16.8%
2006 Campbells 15.2%
2006 Dreams On Ice 14.6%
2006 Japan Open 14.5%
2006 NHK Trophy Exhibition 14.0%
2005 NHK Trophy FS 14.0%
2006 GPF FS 13.2%
2005 NHK Trophy SP 12.4%
2005 NHK Trophy Exhibition 10.9%
2007 Japan Open 11.2%
2005 NHK Trophy Exhibition 10.9%
2006 Cup of China 10.8%
2006 Skate Canada 10.3%
2006 Medalists On Ice 9.9%
2006 Eric Bompard 9.2%
2007 Japan Super Challenge 8.5%
2007 Stars On Ice Japan 7.4%
2007 Dreams On Ice 7.1%
2006 Four Continents 5.7%(midnight)

I must say it was a complete disaster for Fuji TV.

 

[Hsuhs]

2007 Worlds Ladies FS 38.1%
2007 Worlds Men FS 19.1%

Fail to understand why. How can one prefer those booooring, monotonous, sugary, weak, silly... ah nevermind.

 

[debdelilah]

Fail to understand why. How can one prefer those booooring, monotonous, sugary, weak, silly... ah nevermind.

I would love to hear all the adjectives all the women who skated at Worlds this year would throw back at you.

 

[Hsuhs]

I would love to hear all the adjectives all the women who skated at Worlds this year would throw back at you.

Sure, it'd be entertaining!

I don’t see it happening, though. 97% of the ladies are too busy practicing their flutzes and lethargic routines for the season to come. And the remaining 3 percent won't feel offended, since those adjectives don't describe their activities, and they know it.

 

[champs]

Thanks rutinia for the list.
I do not doubt that the absence of Asada and Ando had an effect on the ratings, but the list seems to just reconfirm the general belief that competitions and competition concluding galas tend to get higher ratings, and since the only purely gala-type program in the list prior to 2006 Japanese Nats EX is 2006 DOI which dates all the way back to last summer, one can possibly attribute the drop in the ratings to the decline of the the boom in FS interest among the general public in Japan triggered by Arakawa's OGM. Not much more in terms of "who's to blame for the drop?", at least to me.

(Not to mention that ratings can also be affected by what's being shown at the same time or what's going on in the country, because the ratings are about the general public's interest and not the FS fans')

Btw could you also find the ratings of 2005 DOI and JIC or were they N/A?

Ito's job is a team manager. If he doesnt have any REAL experience in the sport, and has been appointed through a dubious way, players hardly respect him. Ando and Asada have already made precedences for this. All he can do is just to blame Ando, since his position is in apparent jeopardy.

Have Asada and Ando teams explicitly stated discomfort with this guy, or is it just a speculation? And will receiving not-so-great TV ratings for a FS show just once "due to" withdrawal of injured top skaters cost his position? Also, could you elaborate on the "dubious" nature of his appointment? I still don't quite get the "he is a very problematic person" thing from all the information given to us.

 

[Mathman]

Fail to understand why.

And yet...

When all is said and all is done,
Laddies 0, Ladies 1.

 

[Mathman]

TV ratings of figure skating in Japan

2007 Worlds Ladies FS 38.1%
2005 Japan Nationals Ladies FS 31.8%
2006 Torino Olympics Ladies FS (Final6) 31.8%
2007 Worlds ladies SP 28.9%
2005 Japan Nationals Ladies SP 27.2%
2006 Japan Nationals Ladies FS 27.2%
2005 GPF FS 26.0%
2006 Japan Nationals Ladies SP 22.0%

The most interesting thing to me is that four of the top eight are national championships rather than international competitions like the Olympics and Worlds.

I always knew it! More people are interested in nationals than in these other things. The same is true in the U.S.

Numbers don't lie. People who think nationals are not important and who only care about Euros, Worlds, etc. are all wet.

The major exceptions were 2007 Worlds, dominated by Japanese ladies, and the Olympic ladies free skate, with Arakawa going for the gold.

 

[Hsuhs]

Laddies 0, Ladies 1

You have an amazing talent of explaining complex concepts in a way that
makes them seem simple, Mathman.

 

[sorcerer]

Just curious, if she were tactical what would she have done instead in the recent situation she was in?

If she weren't "far from being tactical" she would have had Morosov make press comments on the 12th to insure that the information of her absence from the DOI would reach everyone, than the information to be hidden by the organizer (and the JSF or whoever) to the last hour before the show on the 14th and let those guys shock her fans, who went to Yokohama without knowing it, to the bottom of hell.

If Morosov (or Miki) were tactically making things up from none, he would have chosen to make Miki's appearance in Italy to please the JOC, to which this guy Ito wants (IMO) to show his good job.

Where does this come from? Is there any source or at least a hint of it in someone's comment, or is that merely a speculation among "many fans" in japan?

I would imagine that rutinia might know well about it. For me it's a hearsay that I often read in forums here.

..........
Anyway, quite simply, if Morosov (or Miki) wanted just to pull out of one or two events, such a specification as "laceration in ligament" isn't necessary at all as a diagnosis.
They all know Miki has a chronic shoulder trouble and if its condition is bad, that's enough reason for any withdrawal from exhibitions, skaters must take cautions not to spoil his/her competitive skills.

 

[Tak]

This is very worrying for long time skating fans like me. Skating in Japan was never this popular as to invite "turf war" between different management companies.
With regard to TV Ratings, please note that 2006 DOI which did have Mao, Miki and Yukina unlike this year, did not score high either. It is the OFF season after all, and Fuji TV did not actively promote this show event as much as they promoted the Worlds or Nats.

It is interesting that the program being sold (2000yen) at the Rink did not contain any photos of Mao, Mai Asada or Reeds. However, it did contain Miki Ando and Aki Sawada photo as well as their messages to the fans. Dreams on Ice Home Page also promoted Miki almost up till the first performance on 14th.
I do believe the timing of notifying JSF and DOI organizers about the withdrawal by Ando Camp could have caused "misunderstandings and misgivings" leading to this rather harsh response by JSF.

 

[PolymerBob]

If she weren't "far from being tactical" she would have had Morosov make press comments on the 12th to insure that the information of her absence from the DOI would reach everyone, than the information to be hidden by the organizer (and the JSF or whoever) to the last hour before the show on the 14th and let those guys shock her fans, who went to Yokohama without knowing it, to the bottom of hell.

Many standing ovations were achieved. From the reviews and video clips, it does not sound like the bottom of hell.

With regard to TV Ratings, please note that 2006 DOI which did have Mao, Miki and Yukina unlike this year, did not score high either.

The 2006 DOI got over twice the viewers as did the 2007.

 

[z4mboni]

It would surprise me if Miki's injury was fake. Firstly, she really is injury-prone, and shortly before getting injured she announced she is going to work on fixing her lip (and started doing Biellman again in shows even before that). The injury was sudden, it might seem, but it was hardly the first time she started experiencing problems suddenly (GPF, then dislocating her shoulder during the LP at Japanese Nationals).
Secondly, she always seemed lonely and missing her friends while training in America. She contributed a part of her sucess to support from her friends and feeling a part of the Japanese team. Plus, she enjoys skating in shows. I doubt she would give up the chance to do both (meet her friends and skate alongside with them) not only at DOI, but also at the Japanese traning camp which takes place right now.

About the TV ratings - I wish we had ratings that good in my country during Worlds and Olympics!
The ratings might be lower than last year, but I think it was to be expected. The event wasn't as well promoted as last year, the main starts withdrew, and it is not a post-Olympic season. Plus, I have read at few blog entries from people who were not able to watch the show and asked anyone who was able to help to share the Youtube links... I think quite a huge number of people watched the event online or downloaded the recorded shows when they were not able to watch in on TV.
From those people who watched the show and wrote about it I haven't seen anybody who was dissastisfied. Personally I thought the show was better than last year, with much greater variety of music, a lot of really entertaing programs and skaters that improved a lot since last year.
If there's one thing that I feel the Fuji TV could have done better, is cut the Asada sisters fluff shorter (as a part of it was a repeat of footage that was already aired) and show more of actual performances. A lot of people were really impressed with Akiko Suzuki, Yasuharu Nanri and junior boys, and I was horribly dissappointed when I didn't get to see them.

 

[R.D.]

Is Fuji TV a broadcast or cable channel?

 

[sorcerer]

Many standing ovations were achieved. From the reviews and video clips, it does not sound like the bottom of hell.

Oh well, apologies. Please replace it with an adequate adjective. Engish isn't my mother tongue and I unconsciously used a colloquial Japanese phrasing in a bad translation.

"Naraku-no-soko" means bottom of a trap cellar of a stage and spoken to express a great dissapointment, despair, heartbreak, etc.

I just want you to know that I wrote of HER fans; in the Miki-fans' message board here, you can read that her fans took great pains to get the hard-to-obtain DOI tickets (sold out in moments), that they prepared banners, flags, and T-shirts to support her in the arena even though it was a show, how they were really shocked to see the notice put up telling Miki's injury and absence, how the show and the skaters were magnificent but that for them they couldn't enjoy themselves from their hearts.

I thought it was reported no encores on the 14th, ...?

Is Fuji TV a broadcast or cable channel?

It's a broadcast. There'll be a replay on BS-Fuji on the 22nd probably in a longer version.

 

[PolymerBob]

I just want you to know that I wrote of HER fans; in the Miki-fans' message board here, you can read that her fans took great pains to get the hard-to-obtain DOI tickets (sold out in moments), that they prepared banners, flags, and T-shirts to support her in the arena even though it was a show, how they were really shocked to see the notice put up telling Miki's injury and absence, how the show and the skaters were magnificent but that for them they couldn't enjoy themselves from their hearts.

Yes, I can see where that would be a great disappointment. When something like that is done intentionally, we call it "bait and switch".

What really gets me suspicious is the fact that Miki, Mao and Mai all got injured at the same time.