ISU Publishes 2007 - 2008 Season Schedule

[Joesitz (RIP)]

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I'm also betting that these 2 events will end up being just single day events ... they can hardly get folks to come to SA as it is.
I just wish more people loved figure skating like we do.

Not so. Hartford was quite well attended, and I watched the 3 hour show ESPN did on tape.

Your last sentence is the crux of the matter. We lost those folks with the scandal of SLC, although many contests are not doing well lately. We are now in an era of reality TV with the fans at home participating by calling in their vote.

Figure Skating tried that but the fans just voted for their favorites not for what they saw on TV. Casual fans were just disillusioned. Figure Skating should never have tried that. It made the situation worse.

Joe

 

[nymkfan51]

I was at Hartford too, Joe ... and I guess maybe we just have different ideas about what good attendance is. The fact is they even had trouble finding a venue that wanted to host this year's SA.

And as far as NBC "not wanting" to televise an international event, we don't know that yet since ESPN has that contract already through the 2007/2008 season. My feeling is NBC will get that one too, once it becomes available.

 

[R.D.]

Why describe ABC/ESPN with the the use of the word 'denigrate'? when they showed 12 skaters LIVE at the Nationals since 2000 since I remember. NBC will show more? Better you give a description on how NBC handled the Scandal of 2002.

I can't speak for years up to 2002 but I know in '03, '04 and '05 ABC's 3-hour primetime Nats coverage consisted of the ladies short program taped, then the free dance taped, then live coverage of the final group of ladies. in '06 they showed the last two groups of ladies live. In '07 they showed the last one and a half groups live in the afternoon.

I don't know about the men but I think coverage has always been two hours. ABC had live coverage of the men up to '06, then it was shoved over to late-night ESPN.

IIRC ESPN has always had decent coverage of Nationals, and it has gotten better with every year. Hopefully NBC's coverage won't have us longing for those days again.

It is international events which they have treated badly*, IMO. Unfortunately, that type of coverage is typical for any American network.

The only thing I see NBC as doing worse is its total discregard for international skating unless it is held in the US. This is what I will be looking forward to when NBC takes over, and will it continue after the Olys in a Worlds outside the USA?
I mean, NBC is not interested in international GPs outside of the USA. Are they?

We can't tackle this issue until the ISU contract is up for grabs after next season.

I think we should be thankful that *A* television network is willing to pick up SA and Nats after ABC/ESPN passed on it. While ABC/ESPN may have more coverage/whatever, bottom line is it wasn't making $$ for them, and so there ends that franchise.


* This is mostly referring to coverage in 03, 04 and 05. I have noticed slight improvement in their coverage this past season; I think they are learning how to televise skating. Now we just need to push for live coverage of North American events and same-weekend coverage of events outside of North America.

 

[SeaniBu]

* This is mostly referring to coverage in 03, 04 and 05. I have noticed slight improvement in their coverage this past season; I think they are learning how to televise skating. Now we just need to push for live coverage of North American events and same-weekend coverage of events outside of North America.

I second that opinion.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I was at Hartford too, Joe ... and I guess maybe we just have different ideas about what good attendance is. The fact is they even had trouble finding a venue that wanted to host this year's SA.

And as far as NBC "not wanting" to televise an international event, we don't know that yet since ESPN has that contract already through the 2007/2008 season. My feeling is NBC will get that one too, once it becomes available.

nymkfan - I think we do have different ideas about what good attendance is. I didn't find it any less in attendance in Atlantic City and Pittsburgh. I think you might be comparing it to Nationals and yes that does have more in attendance than GPs. Do you think Reading this year will pack them in? But St. Paul just might. Nothing to do with the networks. It's just about the venues.

Seems like we all want NBC to do well. I'm on that bandwagon but I am not going to count on it. That's the difference between us. We'll see.

Joe