- Joined
- Jan 23, 2004
Figure skating championships spread over 9 days, 2 weekends in 2010
Full details in this report from Phil Hersh today!
Full details in this report from Phil Hersh today!
New Format scheduled for 2010 U.S. Championships
- Thread starter visaliakid
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
I don't really like this schedule. I understand wanting to get my televison vewers but what about the people who go and see this even in person? It seems that they didn't think about them with this schedule. It's almost like you have to choose...pairs and men or women and dance.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
so glad I'd already decided I wasn't going to another nationals in the US for a while....
Between this schedule and the entire event on IceNetwork, why would fans want to spend 11 days on a trip to Nationals? (9 for the event and one day of travel each end.) Will the gain in TV revenue (if there is any) offset the loss in revenue from an empty arena? They better pick a city where the local people are highly motivated to buy tickets.
Keep in mind this is only for 2010 leading into the Olympics. Is this just a cynical ploy by NBC to pump up it's Olympic broadcast at the expense of USFSA?
Keep in mind this is only for 2010 leading into the Olympics. Is this just a cynical ploy by NBC to pump up it's Olympic broadcast at the expense of USFSA?
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
I've just decided to get to an International Tennis Tour instead of going to the US Nationals, and if it happens to Worlds, I'll go to two Int'l Tennis Tours.
I love the tensions at Nats and meeting so many friends that I made there.
I'm sure NBC is up to this, but will they cover international championships? I think much money will go down the drain at the Arena box office. ESPN360 will be the thing.
Joe
I love the tensions at Nats and meeting so many friends that I made there.
I'm sure NBC is up to this, but will they cover international championships? I think much money will go down the drain at the Arena box office. ESPN360 will be the thing.
Joe
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
I agree. I don't think that they realize that they are going to need to find a really good place with a super fan base that will buy the tickets. I suspect that the 2010 Nationals, regardless of being an Olympic year, will have many empty seats at the arena where ever it may be. Either that or it will be empty for the mens and pairs and many there for the ladies and dance. Thankfully it seems like this is only going to be for 2010. I think that many of the cities that are going to be bidding for this nationals best not have a hockey team or basketball team playing at their arena as almost two weeks on the road for those teams might make them very unhappy. Should be interesting to see how this transpires.
As for the Olympics....I personally don't really enjoy the Olympics on NBC. The only good thing about it is that you get to see great coverage on MSNBC, CNBC USA and the other channels.
As for the Olympics....I personally don't really enjoy the Olympics on NBC. The only good thing about it is that you get to see great coverage on MSNBC, CNBC USA and the other channels.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I wonder if USFS has any attendance statistics to bolster this decision. It seems possible that only a few people travel great distances to attend nationals anyway.
If instead they pour a lot of resourses into the local market, plus plan for twice as much weekend television coverage, maybe they figure the trade-off makes sense.
If instead they pour a lot of resourses into the local market, plus plan for twice as much weekend television coverage, maybe they figure the trade-off makes sense.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
It's an Olympics qualifying year. You know that this It will be quite a batte for the (hopefully) three Men's spots, if, minimally, Weir, Lysacek, Abbott, and Carriere remain healthy, and if Rippon is on the same course as Chan, who, two years ago, didn't have a triple axel.
The question is, if Lysacek/Weir-Weir/Lysacek are perceived as givens, will a battle for bronze bring people in? I'm sure any of us could come up with a great series of lead-ins to generate TV viewership and to sell tickets locally, and I'm willing to bet that NBC will squander the opportunity with 1000 fluff pieces about the to-be reigning US Ladies champion's Hello Kitty collection.
Pairs could be a wonderful battle and have great lead ins: Will Keauna McLaughlin's first championship event be the Vancouver Olympics? The young and dynamic vs. the mature and elegant vs. the quad throw, etc. etc. However, I'm not sure that many people care enough about pairs to follow the store.
Ladies is pretty much a slam dunk, and dance will get a great ride.
Assuming that whoever bids on this will create weekend packages and dual weekend packages, they might not lose that much in attendance, but the hotels and restaurants will lose the mid-week business. (And hotels would be clever if they made corresponding packages sweet for the weekend ticket package buyers.)
The question is, if Lysacek/Weir-Weir/Lysacek are perceived as givens, will a battle for bronze bring people in? I'm sure any of us could come up with a great series of lead-ins to generate TV viewership and to sell tickets locally, and I'm willing to bet that NBC will squander the opportunity with 1000 fluff pieces about the to-be reigning US Ladies champion's Hello Kitty collection.
Pairs could be a wonderful battle and have great lead ins: Will Keauna McLaughlin's first championship event be the Vancouver Olympics? The young and dynamic vs. the mature and elegant vs. the quad throw, etc. etc. However, I'm not sure that many people care enough about pairs to follow the store.
Ladies is pretty much a slam dunk, and dance will get a great ride.
Assuming that whoever bids on this will create weekend packages and dual weekend packages, they might not lose that much in attendance, but the hotels and restaurants will lose the mid-week business. (And hotels would be clever if they made corresponding packages sweet for the weekend ticket package buyers.)
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2004
Send your emails of complaint to USFS Executive Director David Raith. He is the man representing U.S. Figure Skating in negoiations with NBC.
[email protected]
[email protected]
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
this is terrible. Again, trying to get better TV rating by broadcasting live on the weekends.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Good post, Hockeyfan!!
If NBC dreamed this up, there must be something going on in favor of their own Network. I would like to hear it from them rather than Hersch. BTW, there is a space on that Hersch article where one can give his opinions of this idea. Use it.
MM - Other than the Sunday Gala, you can depend on locals buying full weekend tickets. They do not make up the bulk of the audience. Yes, we do know about Spokane but that was a one time thing. It didn't carry over to St.Paul.
Joe
If NBC dreamed this up, there must be something going on in favor of their own Network. I would like to hear it from them rather than Hersch. BTW, there is a space on that Hersch article where one can give his opinions of this idea. Use it.
MM - Other than the Sunday Gala, you can depend on locals buying full weekend tickets. They do not make up the bulk of the audience. Yes, we do know about Spokane but that was a one time thing. It didn't carry over to St.Paul.
Joe
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
that's because the Event coordinators weren't very coordinated from what I understand...
locals did not understand the packaging of the tickets for the last weekend at all...
locals did not understand the packaging of the tickets for the last weekend at all...
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2008
I enjoy watching skating on TV, but viewers are going to get bored of it 2 weekends in a row. Also, besides television, did they think that such a long competition might not be the best for skaters especially in an olympic year heading into another long competition, the olympics.
I beleive that USFS is doing this for media help but it may harm the skaters in the long run.
If I were USFS, I would worry more about publisizing 09 worlds but we could go on for days about that topic................................
I beleive that USFS is doing this for media help but it may harm the skaters in the long run.
If I were USFS, I would worry more about publisizing 09 worlds but we could go on for days about that topic................................
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
Well two events would happen over one weekend (men and pairs) and then the other two events would happen the next weekend. Skaters from the first weekend wouldn't have to stick around for the second weekend, and skaters for the second weekend wouldnt have to get there the same time the first weekend skaters do.
so it's not going to be any longer for the athletes, I would assume.
so it's not going to be any longer for the athletes, I would assume.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I could see a simple marketing campaign based around a pep rally to Cheer on Your Olympians!!!!! Give Them a [City X] Send-off to Vancouver!!!!! to bring in locals to the arena. A few key radio spots during the city's NBA or NHL or WHL or WNBA games or post-game jock talk could get the female fans as well as husbands/fathers to think about taking their wives and daughters, plus get some patriotic spirit going. Offer group sales to civic groups, high school groups, etc. in the area to celebrate the Olympians. Get a bunch of local high school and college bands to make some noise, including during the zamboni breaks -- makes good arena shots -- have a local synchronized skating team do a big presentation -- and some batons-a-twirling and color guards whipping around those guns.
Geez, this is bringing me back 35 years
Geez, this is bringing me back 35 years
True. But pity the coach who has boys and girls and has to be there for nearly two weeks (or has skaters at different levels). And pitty the skaters who have to pay for the lost lessons if the coach is gone for nearly two weeks.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
true, I'm not saying it's the best option, in fact this is just stupid in my book
but it's not like coaches haven't ditched one skater/team over another...
but it's not like coaches haven't ditched one skater/team over another...
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
I think there is too much talk about the LIVE audience which we agree will decrease with this set-up. I think it is more about TV ratings which we haven't said much about, and which NBC needs to make a profit. NBC has nothing to do with the LIVE adience. That's a USFS headache. NBC wants to get high ratings which will bring them in high paying spot commercials for the Olys.
NBC is a profit making organization and they are doing homework to ensure a profit. NBC is not there for the fans but for the sponsors.
Comments on Ratings?
Joe
NBC is a profit making organization and they are doing homework to ensure a profit. NBC is not there for the fans but for the sponsors.
Comments on Ratings?
Joe
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2006
This is a welcome news for me and for the people like me who don't have a plan to go to the Nationals. We were talking about live coverage on TV. Now we will have live coverage on TV like other popular sports.
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