It’s May in Indianapolis.
So where’s new IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard?
New York, of course. Well, that’s where he’s been the last two days.
And what took him to New York when you think he’d be soaking up the atmosphere at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
Discussions with TV executives at Versus, and a quick meet-and-greet with ESPN folks.
It’s just as well. There hasn’t been much to soak up here the last couple days besides rain, and most agree that
paramount to the series’ success is getting its TV rating up. Way up!
Though the IndyCar Series has seen its ratings bump up during this—its second—season with Versus, those Nielsen
numbers are still well below the 1.0 to 1.5 that sponsors and potential sponsors are clamoring for. A 1.0 Nielsen rating means
1.1 million households are tuned in nationwide.
So how did Bernard’s meetings with Versus executives go?
“I have more confidence today than I did last week,” Bernard told me yesterday as his flight was preparing to
depart from New York back to Indianapolis.
Bernard admits he departed for his trip to New York with a skeptical eye on the Versus relationship.
“Am I pleased with our ratings? No,” he said.
But Bernard added that after talking with Versus officials and seeing what the Comcast-owned cable channel did to increase
National Hockey League ratings this year, he is beginning to believe that Versus is the right partner for the open-wheel race
series.
Versus and NHL have been crowing recently about double-digit percentage TV rating increases this year over last on games
airing on the cable channel. It should be noted that NHL ratings on NBC also are up this year.
When I asked if Versus was the sole reason NHL ratings increased this year, Bernard chuckled, and said, “They’re
taking credit for it.”
“I’m pleased with our TV partners,” Bernard added. “It’s clear to me, Versus is doing something
right with the growing NHL ratings.”
It’s good Bernard is pleased with Versus. Because when I asked him if there is an opt-out clause for the IndyCar Series
in it’s deal with Versus, Bernard said he wasn’t 100 percent sure, but he didn’t think so. That would mean
the IndyCar Series and Versus are locked together for eight more years after this one. Even if the ratings, for some reason,
completely bottom out.
That might not sit too well with a number of team executives and sponsors.
“The TV contract is something that needs to change,” Penske Racing Tim Cindric told IBJ this morning. “We
need to try to get on a network with a larger viewing audience. That’s the bottom line. For our sponsors we have to
do anything we can to drive ratings.”
Cindric’s team is in an interesting position, trying to replace the long-time Marlboro sponsorship on two of its cars.
Cindric added that a stronger TV package is one of the most critical elements in moving the needle on sponsorship sales.
“A stronger TV package is something all [IndyCar Series] teams need,” Cindric said. “The series has some
momentum and we have a guy in Randy who understands marketing, so it’s time to make it happen.”
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Welcome to The Score, your place for hard-hitting sports business news, fast-breaking updates and fuel-injected debate. Buckle up. I'm your host, Anthony Schoettle, IBJ sports reporter.
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First, the Athenaeum is going to have to get past the hurdle with the Lockerbie residents and the agreement that the parcel would be residential. Second, and in my opinion, this prime piece of property should include parking, PLUS, a black box theater(s), some market rate and affordable artist housing and a plan to renovate and reconfigure the second story theater. I would negotiate to add the DeHaan property surface parking lot into the development mix, place a one story surface parking garage on the DeHaan lot on the street level (for the Dehaan tenants use during the daytime) and add a second story to the garage that would become an addition to the current second story theater and then change the direction of the theater by moving the stage across the alley and on top of the DeHaan lot parking. You can add all the stage elements that are currently missing from the Athenaeum stage to make it more attractive for use by Ballet, Opera and traveling productions. Plus, the theater changes would probably help solve some of the soundproofing issues. Alas,it does not seem to be a part of the strategic plan to conduct a study to determine best use of the property. Seems like the current plan is a quick and easy move that ignores the property best use/potential and any strategic property planning for the effect on future generations.
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I recall that MSA's pilings are still in the ground and hard to remove. It’s not likely any proposal will include significant underground construction/parking because of this. Start adding 2 floors of retail, 8 floors of parking and 5-10 floors of possible hotel, and/or 10-20 floors of residential, and you are at 30 floors already with possible expansion of all the uses. But then again I could be wrong.
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Accoriding to their website there is no deadline to the Do Not Call list. What is this article referring to??
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On what planet are they entitled to this largesse from the stockholders? These people make multi-million dollar salaries: Pay for your own personal travel.
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It matters because they're already paid enormously fat salaries: Pay for your own personal travel. Being "taxed on it" isn't a valid excuse--so what? They're still being gifted a raft of luxury perks from somebody else's money on top of an enormous, lavish salary.
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NASCAR has the same situation. All the cars are virtually the same and the Hendrick team has won the last four championships in a row. Come to think of it, their TV ratings are going down too.
See a pattern here?
if Mutoh or matos win, that would be huge for the asian market. look what Dixons win did for nz and aussie land. Lots of pub and marketing. with the possible race in china, that would be a promoters dream. So i share your hope for an Asian win.
CART/CC had those evil foreign markets and some drivers who were (aghast) not American, and had to be dispatched by King FTG. So, why are the damn foreign drivers and international markets important now???
I believe the vision called for giving American drivers a chance, something cart ran into the ground. While IRL has strayed some from the vision, there are still Americans running the IRL (something that was absent from cart in the later days) and the chance for underfunded teams and drivers to compete. John Andretti, Sarah Fisher, Dreyer Reinbold etc....
While I would be against having a lot of foreign races, a handful provides international exposure, ratings and money. 2 or 3 pacific rim races, China, Japan, and Aus trip for example would make sense. Another jaunt could be a Mexico and Brazil races which would maintain IRL visibility down there. I am not a fan of going to europe as their markets are pretty full with their series. Maybe one or two, but would rather not.
5 foriegn races (I do not really count Canada as foreign, more like US North) in a 25 race series does not take a away from the racing here. It builds international support which is good for sponsors, tv, teams and tracks.
Folks like that can justify anything because they are place fans...which is why the sport stinks like limburger cheese in the kitchen on hot summer day. BUT THEY LOVE IT as long as they can have their Indy, they'll put up with Asians and Pacific Rims. How wonderful of them....it's like re-inventing the wheel with square tires. They LOVE the ride...because it's theirs.
Burl do you have a clue how the world works? Either the haters are so blinded by hate, they cannot think straight, or they are not very inteligent.
You do realize that IMS gets money for everyone of the 212 countries the race is broadcast in. And if the country gets electrified by an Asian driver like NZ and Australia did by Dixon, they may pick up more IRL races so their citizens can watch their favorite son and that means even more $$$$. You do know that is why the NBA is pouring millions into the Asian market to market Yao Ming and other budding Asian stars. That is why the NFL puts on games in London, right? You sound rather clueless how the sports world works.
That is why I was against carts plan to deemphasize Indy and make it just another race. I guess you are not a "place fan" but a what? A series fan? A fan of cart and since it no longer exists you do not know how to go on? Or are you a racing "genre fan"? A fan who loves OW racing? If so, there is plenty of OW racing around. F1, Sprint, midgets, IRL take your pick.
So what kind of fan are you?
Burl, put down the hater glasses, they are blinding you.
Tell me what the ratings are for the race in the pacific rim, I have not seen them. Tell me how many aussies and kiwis are coming this year, I have not been watching the airport. Next weekend i will see 250k fans as i watch the greatest spectacle in racing. sorry, you lose yet again.
They attack the IRL for having a couple of teams dominate every year when I do not know of a series where two or three top teams do not win the most races and championships. That includes cart which was dominated year in and year out by a couple of teams.
They will attack the IRL as if the problems are theirs alone, ignoring the fact that this is a common issue among most series.
F1, the highest cost and most open series there is and NASCAR, one of the most spec series are both dominated by a couple of teams. But don't point that out to the haters, they will just claim you do not understand.
The paranoia you are referring to is the plan hatched by Speedway types who coerced Tony George to start the IRL and thus the AOW split. Aj Foyt was behind this as well as others...it's been documented.
Haters understand the "diminished" Indy 500 and subsequent IRL series (complete with 10 year versus TV contract) is of the speedway's OWN doing, not the responsibility of CART, CCWS or any one else. EVERYTHING is NOT coming up roses as the PLACE FANS accept Pacific RIm jobs and Brazillian races and brazilian sponsors and foreign ride buyers and evil japanese engine leases and 8 year old chassis which have the worst safety record EVER.
CART had no PLAN to de-emphasize Indy, it's plan was to grow the series that supported the Indy 500...Indy was at it's highest point because of it. ANY de-emphasis came at the hands of the "VISION" and it's failure to deliver it oval based series goals with American drivers. So, again, everything that was CART then equaled BAD, everything CART now (as long as the speedway is in charge) is GOOD. Hypocrites....the split wasn't necessary and the Speedway would have been better for it. $644 million and counting BETTER....and so would AOW.
It's 2010 and everyone still runs the same 2003 equipment, Foyt is still a backmarker and always will be and the speedway spent $644 million for a series that stinks. Undisputable.
He still can't run with them IRLers today.
You are quite a humorous guy. From the person who rarely provides any links, including the $600 mil number and the quote supposedly made by Fred Nation about it, you now want me to provide a link? that is pretty funny on several levels.
We are 15+ years after the fact and you want a link from a time when little info was on the net. And if i post something, you will claim the writer or the person making the comment is an IRL shill. finally, you make a claim that AJ caused the split without posting any kind of proof. you my friend, are a funny man.
Well here are some quotes from that era.
From John Menard "He has good vision of what's happened in racing and what will happen in the future. He could see this coming, CART trying to minimize the importance of the Speedway to that series. If I have any criticism of Tony, it's that he should have done this a year ago."
And In a letter to the Indianapolis Star that the Speedway circulated nationally, George wrote that the IRL was formed for "the long-term protection of the (Indy) 500." He wrote that the 500 depends on "a solid series of top-level, open-wheel, oval-track races. CART provided no long-term guarantees to the `500' or to oval-track racing. I care deeply about the history and traditions of the `500,' but I care more deeply about the future of the `500.' "
Now of course the Cart folks deny the claims, but that is how these things work. Oh by the way, here is the link. Well written story by the way.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GEORGE'S+BIG+GAMBLE+COULD+RUIN+INDY+500.(SPORTS)-a064944105
Great article in the IBJ today. I encourage all on both sides to buy a paper so they can read it. It really talks about a possible future for the 500 and IRL and the problems it poses. Good read. I will be curious to see what the other side thinks.
Look Indyman, Indy has fallen upon hard times...not from the economy nor CART, but from it's own stupidity. The Speedway has shot itself in BOTH feet...in fact emptied more guns upon themselves by themselves. You all seem to revel in reinventing the wheel, the CART wheel, which you simpletons will never be able to achieve.
I listened to THEFAN for qualifying...and this kid Tagliani...it's like he dropped from the heavens upon Indy....never before ever heard of. What's up with that? How come no one will mention CART? Why?
The song sez "NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE". The injustice the speedway has placed upon itself and the AOW world is fitting in exchange for the bumbling goof ups you see daily in the IRL. We watch it all crumble away with some joy as you toil with Menard quotes and Tony George mantras. Tony got ELIMINATED by his own family for his crimes against the family fortune. Placefans like yourself can't see the forest through the trees. And then you turn to Anthony's newest piece for the newest savior named Bernard. Fools gold and you are panning like theres no tomorrow. Keep squirming little buddy....those turbines back in the 40's and 50's were something to behold...weren't they?
it is funny that now the cart irl split is some social injustice for you. I can imagine you and a couple of haters on race day holding hands and singing kumbaya.
it is interesting how you feel cart should be praised and anything about it should be sanctified. strange from a person who admits cart killed itself.
it is ironic you would mention Tag. He was just on Channel 8 saying that he loved where he is today and having the most fun he ever has had. He could have mentioned cart, but maybe he does not have the warm fuzzy memories you do.
The IRL is a pathetic failure, and so is the Indy 500, all in the hands of the SPeedway's control. I saw, you saw, WE all saw the HORRIBLE attendance at the track this past week. Boring dronefest of single car spec parade with a new qualifying face painted on it. It's all gone budddy...Indy is dead.
Not sure what quals you watched this weekend, but many media outlets, and more importantly fans thought these were some of the more exciting quals in many years.
I am still not sure about the shootout, but it does make for good tv. They do need to cut it to an hour and limit the time the drivers have.
But Sunday was one of the most exciting bump days I have ever seen, especially the last hour (as usual). Saavedra gets in while waiting on an MRI after being bumped twice and crashing. Tracy pulls a brave/boneheaded move withdrawing his time and gets bit. Same with Fishers driver. The only thing that would have made it more exciting was a Bigelow or Ongais type hanging it out on a 6:01 banzai run.
Add to it, TK's multiple crashes and last hour qual, a record 4 women qualifying, heck 2 would have been a record in any other series, AJ firing AJ and Danicas Faux pas and there was plenty of excitement, certainly better than the snooze fest that is qualifying for any other race series.
From ESPN "In short, the drama returned to Indy 500 Bump Day this year. There may have been only 37 entries competing for the 33 grid positions, but what was lacking in quantity was made up for in quality after an emotional final hour at the old Brickyard."
CBS Sports "Fans embraces the new format, which eliminated the dull mid-afternoon hours when drivers waited for the track to cool so speeds would increase. Qualifiers spent nearly the entire 6½ hours of available time on the track"
USA Today "Excitement, strategy define Saturday's Indy 500 qualifying"
As usual, the major press is not agreeing with your slightly biased opinion. So how do you know what the attendance was like if you were not there?
I only saw some pics from pole and bump days, but attendance looked pathetic.
While the fans there may have loved it, there aren't enough fans to support it.
I watched Superleague race online, at Magny-Cours on Sunday rather than the HIRL.
Next Sundy, I'll watch the Turkish Grand Prix for my OWR fix.
Outside of Indy, nobody cares about the league or the 5 hundrit. It's not worth watching. Judging by the crowd shots, even the folks there are losing interest too...
You started out well with some good questions and then you went into typical hater form. I am glad you like F1. Truly a rich teams sport with little passing and little intrigue other than watching the pit crews sip tea as they wait for their car to come in. I do find it good that you watched some of the Indy quals on tv. Probably more than most American race fans watched of F1.
And I think ratings and attendance are both good questions, but since anyone who has been around Indy knows, IMS has never given out attendance and never will. That said, attendance was good on Bump Day. Not mid 70's and 80's good, but solid. Most of the seats in the upper turns were filled and infield turns had good crowds on them as well. Definitely solid, and probably better than attendance at quals at most other ovals for any style of race.
I think ESPN commented on the large numbers in the stands compared to previous years.
Probably Iman has no clue about what he's talking about. 2010 will be the worst attended month of May in modern speedway history. And that is a CERTAINTY, no matter what speedway mouthpieces tell you.
Not only can you not provide links to back up your stories, but now you claim to know the secret meanings behind news stories? can you hear the black helicopters buzzing your house?
I've been unable to find an objective news outlet reporting the claims you've made. I did not see the past weekends content on ABC nor have I heard of any claims by IMS or Versus of ratings increases. Typically (as wil the Brazil race) IMS trumpets the triumphant ratings news proudly the next day. All I hear is about the grand claims you have made.
Now, I did read about bump drama and the faux drama surrounding the 9 car qualy runoff but nothing else.
And, in all TV I saw, there was a near empty Turn 4 grandstand....which used to be the indicator of crowd size. There was none. Or turn 3...there were no one seated there...or on exit of turn 2...there were no folks there. And the exit of Turn 1....a spare smattering of folks there. In the turn 1 there appeared to be folks up under the eves of the roof. And on the front straight, it was even sparely populated on the pit side...unheard of even in the early IRL years.
Strange, during CART years I recall pictures of almost the ENTIRE facility FULL to the rafters, all the way around the track.
So, Iman, you really are grasping at straws, aren't you? You take a month of May, reduce it to 2 weeks, toss in some rain and some sun and come up with less is more....quite a tale you constructed, isn't it?
You claim "I've been unable to find an objective news outlet reporting the claims you've made". ESPN, CBS Sports and USA Today are not credible? Or is it that your difficulty using Google translates to finding news stories?
For a subject you pontificate on, you do not seem to follow it closely. Good thing you did not look to ABC for quals, they were all on VS. While I am sure ratings suffered, coverage was the best ever. 7 hours+ on Pole Day and 6.5 hours on Sunday. ABC never carried that much, even in carts "glory" years.
I am not sure I ever trumpeted ratings, because I have no idea what they are, and neither do you.
"Now, I did read about bump drama and the faux drama surrounding the 9 car qualy runoff but nothing else." And considering all we have had is pole day and bump day, that makes sense that is what you have heard. And I bet on race day you will hear about the race.
Strange that you "did not see the past weekends content" yet you say "in all TV I saw, there was a near empty Turn 4 grandstand...." so did you watch coverage or did you not? I know, you saw non existent sports coverage of quals, but somehow you did not watch it? Sounds like I voted for the bill before I voted against it.
If what you say is true, "Strange, during CART years I recall pictures of almost the ENTIRE facility FULL to the rafters, all the way around the track.", it had to be race day, because the largest attendance outside of the race is Pole day when they would boast crowds of upwards of 120,000 or so which is less than half full. A far cry from "of almost the ENTIRE facility FULL to the rafters, all the way around the track."
Chief, spend less time "creating" stories about how bad you imagine it is, and spend some time doing something useful. You never did say what current race series you enjoy. My guess is none of them are up to your standards.
Who's the AP stringer for the 500? Bruce "Taser" Martin? Saw a Frachitti remark that it was good to see people in the stand in T1. How'd that legal matter workout for Martin....you know when he destroyed a Speedway vehicle one evening a few years back? Is that public record, isn't it? He's the stringer, isn't he? Certainly a respectable journo...not on Speedway dole or anything. Ha!
Ok bud, here's a picture you might find interesting...I'm off to MCL's to get the fried pork tenderloin!
2010:
http://i48.tinypic.com/2wlvrs6.jpg
Before the IRL:
http://www.deepthrottle.com/images/indy_turn1.jpg
Are we back to the 5 D's from you?
the entire autoracing world knows of the injustices that the IRL's existance has wrought upon the sport....yet you merrily tote the company word. How odd...
I have disagreed with many things. Shortening the month of May is one. I have stated on here that I am not sure I like the 9 car shootout. I just heard that they are allowing push to pass which is a joke and should not be used. So I guess once again you are wrong. Chief, a couple of weeks ago you said you were over it. Apparently that is not true. You really need to move on and either back the existing sport of find another one to follow. Obviously the powers that be do not share your vision of a race series, and apparently no other series does either.