NASCAR TV News Page 3

May 2005 - June 2005

June 30, 2005

NASCAR Sonoma Ratings Record and more: NASCAR concluded its first half of the season on Fox on June 26, with its race from Sonoma, Calif., producing a 5.7 national household rating, up 21 percent over the same race last year. The figure assures a new record household rating --a 6.0-- for this year's 13 races on Fox and a record average number of viewers, at 9.6 million.   In announcing the Nielsen Media Research data results, Fox crowed that its broadcast of NASCAR is the first major professional sports TV package to post a regular season household ratings record since Monday Night Football on ABC in 1981. The ratings gains were not perfect, however, with some of the younger demos on the Nascar telecasts down in the single-digits. (MediaWeek)

June 29, 2005

NBC NASCAR coverage to be tweaked: Bill Weber, NBC's prerace host, replaced Bestwick on play-by-play. NBC producer Sam Flood liked what he saw: "It was fun, different, dynamic." And it proved to be an audition: Weber replaces Bestwick, who becomes lead pit reporter. Weber is still the prerace host but will do that show from track roofs, not trackside, so he can make it to the TV booth for race starts. Flood, saying NBC's coverage will only be "tweaked" this season, suggests a notable change will come with pit stops. Rather than just replaying stops that were "blatantly" bad, NBC will now focus on them "like a fourth-down play" and dissect them "like you'd break down a golfer's swing." Drop a lug nut now and there's nowhere to hide. (USA Today)

France on TV negotiations: The current $2.6 billion television contract with Fox and NBC runs through 2006, but negotiations for a renewal have been ongoing. "As it stands now, there's not any time urgency. Negotiations or discussions that we're having are all ahead of schedule," he said. "We're having those kind of conversations you want to have with good partners about figuring things out." (USA Today)

New Ads to be unveiled: NASCAR will debut two versions of its "Race to the Chase" television ad campaign this week, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports. Writer Scott Warfield says the ads, prepared by the Martin Agency of Richmond, Va., will feature Jeremy Mayfield and Mark Martin. One of the ads is scheduled to appear during TNT's airing of Friday night's Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway, and the second will appear in Speed Channel's coverage of Saturday afternoon's Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. Both will also be shown in NBC's coverage of Saturday night's Pepsi 400 Nextel Cup race at Daytona. The ads are scheduled to run through the first week in September. (NASCAR Scene Plus)

June 28, 2005

Sonoma Dodge/Save Mart Ratings down: Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Dodge/Save Mart 350 Nextel Cup race at Infineon Raceway earned a 4.6 overnight rating from Nielsen Media Research and a 10 market share, Street & Smith's Sports Business Daily reports. The rating is 4.2 percent lower than the 4.8 the race drew overnight in 2004, when it went on to earn a final 4.7/11.(NASCAR Scene Plus)

June 27, 2005

NASCAR TV contract no expected huge increase: NASCAR officials may have backed off a little on their initial demand, quietly asked for earlier this year, for a 50 percent fee increase from the television rights holders on the next rights package. But in the aftermath of record household ratings for the first half of the season on Fox, those officials expect to be appropriately rewarded by whichever networks win the next package, which will take effect at the start of the 2007 season. "In a market where it has become increasingly difficult for sports to maintain their ratings, NASCAR continues to grow its ratings, and we expect to get a fair value back from our partners for this growth," said Dick Glover, NASCAR's vp of broadcasting and new media.. But the TV partners may not be so quick to open their wallets much wider. "I can understand the NASCAR folks saying, look at the growth, but they also have to look at the reality and economics," said Ed Goren, president of Fox Sports. He believes the current TV partners may have overpaid a bit five years ago under the existing agreement, because advertisers were slow to recognize the value of the Nascar telecasts and brand. (Media Week)

June 25, 2005

NASCAR TV Guides on Newsstands: This week, the June 26th issue of TV Guide is featuring four pairs of teammates: #38-Elliott Sadler and #88-Dale Jarrett from Robert Yates Racing; #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and #15-Michale Waltrip of DEI; #48-Jimmie Johnson and #24-Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports; and #99-Carl Edwards and #6-Mark Martin of Roush Racing.

Fox Daytona 500 Exclusive? In NASCAR's negotiations for a new network package, some expect Fox to push for exclusive rights to the Daytona 500, since it doesn't have a shot at carrying NASCAR's new 10-race championship playoffs. (Salem-Journal)

June 23, 2005

Fox Happy, Goren dismissed buying second half, and side by side:  FOX Sports president Ed Goren can afford to be coy when talking about his relationship with NASCAR.  It was easy for Goren to joke around during a Wednesday teleconference that reviewed the first half of the season. FOX projects its season ratings to rise 5 percent from last year, which would set a record for any NASCAR TV package. It's the first time a major professional sport has recorded an all-time season high since the NFL in 1981. Goren dismissed suggestions that FOX could buy the entire season contract (NBC currently broadcasts the second half). The network's NFL telecasts in the fall would be an obvious conflict, and placing the Chase for the Cup races on cable channels FX or SPEED doesn't make sense, he said. "It would be a mistake for NASCAR to make a deal like that," he said. "I believe in the end that the place for the Nextel (Cup) Series is on network television." Goren also addressed the complaints of fans who say FOX misses too many restarts and shows far too many commercials. "I'm convinced that there must be something that happens on the track when the drivers know we're in commercial," he said. "The only way to avoid that is to get rid of the commercials, and we're not PBS."  (Rocky Mountain Telegram)

June 22, 2005

Ratings Up, NASCAR TV Boom Again: With the new racing season now well under way, ratings are back on their climb. Just why isn't entirely clear, but it appears part of it is the delayed effect of new championship rules introduced last year. At first many fans were unhappy with the new playoff-like format, but this season they seem to have embraced it. Another reason for the bump may be the bad fortunes of love 'em or hate 'em driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., who's struggling this year. That opens up the field for other drivers and gives fans someone to root against. All this excitement over NASCAR has given a big boost to advertising. Rates are up and many races are sold out, with an increase in new and more mainstream advertisers. Coors, Office Depot, FedEx, State Farm, and Paramount Pictures are among the new advertisers on Fox this season. Season-to-date Fox has averaged a 6.1 household rating for its coverage of NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, up 5 percent from 2004. The network has set or tied ratings records for six of its 12 races, including a 10.9 rating for the Daytona 500. Cable household ratings for Nextel Cup races on FX are up 18 percent. (Media Life)

June 18, 2005

NASCAR NYC Ratings Up: Sorry, New York, but your dirty little secret is out: You've been watching NASCAR.  NASCAR's first nine races this season have drawn a 6.2 national rating on Fox, more than double the 2.7 average the network posted for its Major League Baseball game of the week last summer.  NASCAR'S numbers aren't as impressive in New York, where it is drawing a 2.2 rating, but its Big Apple numbers are on the rise - ratings are up 10% here for the season, compared to a 5% national jump. "Anytime you see an increase of that magnitude in the No. 1 market, it's very encouraging," says Fox Sports communications manager Tim Buckman. "This is also a market that doesn't currently have a NASCAR venue."  "I think there needs to be a race track in the area for New Yorkers to come and watch a race," says NASCAR's current points leader Jimmie Johnson, who keeps an apartment in New York and met his wife here. "More and more New Yorkers are watching on TV, every cab is racing from stoplight to stoplight, and if there was a place to go watch racing, I think people would go. I think that would take the sport to the next level." (New York Daily News)

More Ratings, Pocono Final Ratings Up: Fox's broadcast of last Sunday's Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 5.6 and a 14 share, Street & Smith's Sports Business Daily reports. The rating is 7.7% higher than the 5.2 Fox drew for the June 2004 race at the track. (NASCAR Scene Plus)

June 13, 2005

Pocono Ratings Up: Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway earned 5.1 overnight rating and a 12 market share from Nielsen Media Research, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 8.5% higher than the 4.7 Fox drew for the June Pocono race last year. (NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)

June 12 2005

Speed Channel names CEO: Veteran cable TV sports executive Hunter Nickell will take the over at Charlotte-based Speed Channel beginning next month, replacing the recently departed Jim Liberatore, according to sources familiar with the move.  Neither Nickell nor Speed Channel executives could be reached for comment, but an announcement confirming Nickell's appointment is expected Monday. His title will be executive vice president and general manager. Liberatore ran the locally based national cable network for four years before parent company News Corp. decided in April not to renew his contract. During Liberatore's tenure, the network more than tripled its revenue, to $200 million annually, and became one of the fastest-growing properties in cable. Speed Channel now reaches 63.7 million U.S. households (out of 110 million overall).  (Charlotte Business Journal)

June 8 2005

Dover FX Ratings Up: Ratings for FX's live NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series races for the first half of the racing season which FX airs, along with sister broadcast network, Fox, are the highest ever on the network since it has been airing Nascar races in 2001.  FX's final Nextel Cup race this season, the MBNA 400 from Dover, Del., last Sunday, was the network's highest-rated race ever, posting a 4.9 household rating and drawing in 6.1 million viewers.  For the 2005 season, FX's three Nextel racing events posted an 18 percent increase in household rating (to a 4.5 from a 4.0 last season), a 14 percent gain in viewers to 5.7 million from 5.0 million, and a 6 percent hike in adults 18-49, reaching 2.8 million viewers per telecast vs. 2.5 million last year. (Media Week)

June 6 2005

TV Contract Negotiations: Only half the NASCAR TV renegotiations story with Fox came out last week. NASCAR officials said they had decided not to renew the final two-year option with Fox for 2007 and 2008.  But the real story, according to sources, is that Fox has proposed canceling that two-year option in order to sign a new six-year contract with NASCAR, for 2007 through 2112, for a slight bump in money. And Fox executives are reportedly pleased with David Hill's work last week at Charlotte in his negotiations with NASCAR.  Hill is Fox's sports boss; his duties have also expanded to include running DirecTV, the satellite network. It is unclear what role DirecTV might play, if any, in any new Fox-NASCAR contract. NASCAR officials are very interested in expanding their sport's international television coverage. (Salem-Journal)

June 5 2005

NASCAR Declines FOX TV Option: NASCAR, the second-most watched sport on U.S. television, declined an option to extend its TV contract with Fox Sports past the 2006 racing season, said Dick Glover, NASCAR's vice president of broadcasting and new media.  Fox, NBC and Turner Sports are in the fifth year of a six-year, $2.4 billion contract to televise NASCAR races. NASCAR had to decide by May 31 whether to pick up its option with Fox through 2008. Glover said the move was made to end all of its television contracts simultaneously. (Tennessean)

June 4 2005

Coca-Cola 600 Rating Up: Final Nielsen Media Research numbers show that Fox's broadcast of last Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway earned a 6.1 rating and a 13 share, Street & Smith's Sports Business Daily reports. The rating is 22.0 percent higher than last year's 5.0, and the Daily says 10.2 million people watched this year's race, up 22.9 percent from the 8.3 million last year. For the first time since 2001, however, the NASCAR race earned a lower rating than ABC's broadcast of the Indy 500, which drew a 6.5/18. (Scene Plus Daily Newsletter)

June 3 2005

NASCAR Primetime Races hurting short tracks: NASCAR went prime time in May, running Nextel Cup events under the lights before sellout crowds in Darlington, Richmond and Charlotte.  However, some short-track operators have not embraced NASCAR's shift to night racing, as they find themselves shortchanged at the box office. Charlie Cathell, track promoter at Delaware International Speedway, said his track loses about 200 from its average attendance of 2,000 when NASCAR races on Saturday night.  With the Nextel Cup Series scheduled to run 10 night events this season, that means the half-mile dirt track will lose about 2,000 from its overall gate - at $10 per ticket - plus concessions.  "It's a shame that NASCAR has kind of forgotten the roots of short-track racing across America," Cathell said. "They put in these night races knowing that the vast majority of short-track races are run on Saturday nights. (The Tennessean)

June 1 2005

Tweeden Joins NASCAR Nation: Speed Channel has hired Leeann Tweeden as a host of its "NASCAR Nation" program and she will debut with the network on June 27, Speed officials have confirmed.  Tweeden has most recently appeared as a regular on Fox's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" and has appeared on several other Fox programs, including "High Octane," "Blue Torch" and FX Network's Toughman Contest.  A native of Manassas, Va., Tweeden, 31, has been featured in several magazines and calendars, including Playboy and Frederick's of Hollywood model calendars.  (ThatsRacin)

Indy drivers past NASCAR in TV Ratings: Danica Patrick's fourth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 was a break for Bombardier Learjet.  Patrick's next race is the IRL IndyCar Series' Bombardier Learjet 500, which ESPN will carry in prime time June 11. Now it undoubtedly will draw more than the 0.5% of cable TV households that ESPN/ESPN2 has averaged for its IRL races this year.  The Indy 500 got its first overnight ratings win in four years over NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, also staged Sunday. The Indy 500 drew 6.6% of TV households in 56 major markets, up 40% from last year. The Coca-Cola 600 drew 5.1%, up 13% from last year - and the race's highest overnight ever.  But the IRL's top race has a ways to go to catch up with NASCAR's: Fox's Daytona 500 overnight this year was 62% higher than ABC's Indy 500 overnight. (USA Today)

May 30 2005

NASCAR Talks Television, New TV Contract by end of the year: Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 ended a stretch of four consecutive Nextel Cup night races where some of those events saw a ratings increase. Will NASCAR add more night races next year? Glover also says talks continue for the next TV contract. NBC's contract expires after the 2006 season. Fox and NASCAR have an option through 2008. Glover says the goal is to have the next TV contract done by the end of the year. It's typical for sports to have network packages finished a year before they begin.  "What we've said all along continues is that we'd like to work something out with the current partners and we're optimistic that we will," Glover said. (Roanoke)

May 27 2005

Jack Roush Gong Show News: Jack Roush's annual Gong Show tryouts for potential NASCAR drivers will be carried as a TV series this fall on the Discovery Channel, Roush said yesterday.  The show will follow 25 drivers vying for a ride with Roush. (Salem-Journal)

May 20, 2005

R.  Wallace to Replace M.  Waltrip on Trackside: RUSTY WALLACE REPLACING MICHAEL WALTRIP ON SHOW Rusty Wallace will replace Michael Waltrip as host on Speed  Channel's "Trackside" program for the second half of the Nextel Cup  season, thatsracin.com reports. Speed Channel spokesman Erik Arneson  confirmed the switch, the story says. (Scene Plus)

Ask the producer "Why does FOX miss restarts?"  In this week's "Ask the Producer," FOX producer Neil Goldberg answers the age-old question of why viewers are occasionally forced to miss on-track action due to commercials.  "The shorter the track the more difficult it is at times to get back for all the restarts," Goldberg said. "When the caution comes out we must replay the reason for the caution, by that time the cars will be coming into pit.  "Once we have documented that we try to break for commercial. NASCAR has done a really good job of turning around the caution flags and we often get notice for the green with two laps to go.  "Pace laps at the short tracks can run from 50 seconds to 1 minute, 10 seconds where commercials are often 2:30. It is just a matter of math. We have to get the breaks in. We try to balance telling the story while at the same time meeting the networks sales commitments."  (NASCAR)

May 18, 2005

Richmond Rating Up: The Chevy American Revolution 400 was the highest rated cable sports event of the weekend (4.4 versus the next closest event, Sunday's NBA playoff match up between Phoenix and Dallas on TNT, which pulled a 3.7 rating) and also attracted the most viewers among cable sports events (3.77 million). Those numbers represent a ratings increase of 16% from the 2004 race (4.4 vs. 3.8) and a whopping 20% jump in households (3.77 million vs. 3.16 million). Total viewers also increased by 11%, from 5.05 million in 2004 to 5.58 million on Saturday. The Chevy American Revolution 400 FX broadcast also attracted the most households for a spring NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway (3.77 million vs. 3.75 million for the 1997 race). That household rating ranks second in track history to last September's Chevy Rock & Roll 400, which was seen by 3.82 million households. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 was the 26th event on last year's schedule and set the field for the inaugural Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. The track again occupies the same position on the schedule this season. (RIR PR)

May 17, 2005

Earnhardt, Jr., Stewart joins NBC Nightly News Anchor Williams: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet, will be featured on the NBC early-morning news program, TODAY, in a feature piece entitled "Live For Today". The Live for Today segment is a month-long series in which TODAY fulfills the dreams of its viewers. Miechel Bassett, a 33-year-old mother of two from Evansville, Ind., dreamed of driving a stock car at a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup venue. With the help of NBC news anchorman Brian Williams and fellow Nextel Cup driver Tony Stewart, Earnhardt Jr. was able to fulfill Miechel's dream at Richmond International Raceway this past weekend. Miechel, an avid Dale Jr. fan, turned laps with both Nextel Cup stars, and even took a turn behind the wheel herself. On Saturday night, she served as an honorary pit crew member for the #8 Budweiser team. The "Live for Today" segment will air Tuesday morning, May 16, during the 8:00 - 8:30 a.m. timeslot. (Today PR) UPDATE Video and Blog: Brian Williams NBC Today Show Blog, Today Show Front Page Video

May 13, 2005

Changes at SPEED in store: In a recent interview with the new Speed VP of Studio Production Chris Long.  Discussed with SPEED Channel the upcoming changes, at the popular motorsports channel SPEED Channel. Including changing the format of NASCAR Nation to more Entertainment. In addition, to Inside NEXTEL Cup cutting back to 60 minutes, with possible talent changes.  Speed Channel's Trackside programs will  increase in production. More at in the interview at SPEEDTV.com.

May 12, 2005

Surprise! Huge Darlington Rating: Darlington Raceway's first-ever night Nextel Cup race turned out to be a ratings winner.  Track officials released figures from the Fox Network on Wednesday that showed the Dodge Charger 500 had a 5.6 rating and 11 share - the highest rated prime-time NASCAR event ever broadcast by the network.  The race had an average viewership of 9.3 million, up about 10 percent from Fox's other primetime TV race this season. The ratings showed that the race had a bigger share Saturday night over CBS (4.7), ABC (4.7) and NBC (4.5). (TheState)

NASCAR on The Golf Channel: The Big Break: All-Star Challenge will pit NASCAR stars against each other in a special event for charity and bragging rights. These players will not only take on one another, they'll also take on some of the most demanding challenges from The Golf Channel's The Big Break, The Golf Channel's hit reality series. A previous All-Star Challenge aired featuring the World Champion Boston Red Sox. Preparing to enter its fourth season, The Big Break has been one of The Golf Channel's most successful programs in the network's 10-year history. The show features 10 golfers putting it all on the line for a chance to win prizes and earning exemptions to play in major tour events on the LPGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, European Tour or Canadian Tour. Thousands of golfers toil endlessly on the mini-tours, aiming for a shot to play with the best in the world and chase their dreams. Now they have a shot at it. Viewers see great golf - the strategy, the tension, clutch shots and critical mistakes - as contestants take on challenges that reveal the strengths and weaknesses in their games and test their mental toughness. Players are eliminated one by one until only one remains earning their Big Break. (Golf Channel PR)

May 10, 2005

Darlington TV Ratings: Fox's broadcast of Saturday night's Dodge Charger 500 from Darlington Raceway earned a 4.7 overnight rating and a 9 market share from Nielsen Media Research. NASCAR has not raced on Mother's Day weekend in recent years, so the figures can't be compared to the same weekend last year. The 4.7 rating for a race run during the usually weak Saturday night period is down 9.6% from the 5.2 Fox drew with last year's March 21 Darlington race, which was run on a Sunday afternoon. But the figure is up 4.4% from the 4.5 overnight figures for this year's Phoenix race, which was also run on a Saturday night. (NASCAR Scene)

May 9, 2005

Wallace and Tony Danza Race  Go-Karts; Danza Flips: Tony Danza got quite a scare when he and NASCAR star Rusty Wallace were racing go-karts during the taping of a segment for the nationally syndicated "The Tony Danza Show."  Danza was leading as they entered the final lap on West 66th Street Monday morning, the show said. After Wallace gave Danza's vehicle a little "bump and run," the 54-year-old talk-show host lost control of his go-kart, which flipped over.  "Although slightly worse for wear, Danza escaped with no injuries," the show said in a statement.  The "DayTony 500" segment aired on Monday's show.  (NY Newsday)

May 7, 2005

Talladega Ratings Huge: Talladega's TV ratings Sunday were sizzling, a 7.6 national, the best ever for that race and the third-best NASCAR rating outside the Daytona 500. Last year's race drew a 6.3.  The Talladega race blew out ABC's NBA playoffs (a 2.9 rating). Gains in some key markets were impressive - Boston ratings were up 72 percent, Milwaukee up 41 percent, Portland up 38 percent, Las Vegas up 32 percent, Sacramento up 26 percent, Chicago up 21 percent, Denver up 19 percent, San Francisco up 15 percent, and Minneapolis up 14 percent. (Salem-Journal)

Fox Red Flag Controversy: Television viewers can now expect to know promptly when a NASCAR race has been put under the red flag after having that information temporarily withheld on the past two Nextel Cup telecasts on Fox Sports. During last week's Aaron's 499 from Talladega Superspeedway, announcers were told over Fox's internal communications not to mention the term "red flag" through two segments following a 25-car wreck on Lap 133. When The Charlotte Observer this week asked for an explanation of the practice, that request set off an in-house discussion of the practice that went all the way up to David Hill, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Sports.  "It was a stupid thing to do," Hill said. "I've never heard anything so ridiculous." (ThatsRacin)

Krista Voda Out? If speed doesn't sell on Speed, then maybe sex will. What else is there to make of the news from the cable channel that Leeann Tweeden, a one-time spokesman/lingerie model for Frederick's of Hollywood, a layout model in Playboy, a Hooters calendar girl, and cover girl for men's magazine FHM, could be replacing Krista Voda, a veteran sports reporter, on its NASCAR shows? (Salem-Journal)

May 3, 2005

NASCAR Nation to cut 30 mins.? There are also reports that the Speed Channel 's NASCAR Nation show will soon be dramatically revamped, in light of generally poor ratings. The show is likely to be cut from an hour to 30 minutes, and its focus is to change from hard racing reports to more soft entertainment features. (Salem-Journal)

SPEED Rating UP: Talladega NASCAR coverage was a hit with SPEED Channel viewers last weekend as more than one million households tuned in for coverage of NEXTEL Cup qualifying Friday. Live qualifying coverage on SPEED drew a Nielsen Household Rating of 1.10 (696,000 households), while the replay scored a .56 (354,000 households) later in the day.  SPEED Channel's "Trackside"program went out to more than half a million households, scoring .68 (433,000 households) for its live broadcast Friday night. (SPEED)

May 2, 2005

Speed Channel Does Not Renew Network President: Fox Cable Networks did not renew the contract of Speed Channel president Jim Liberatore, the group announced today, citing conflicting opinions on the future direction of the network. "There were some philisophical differences," explained Liberatore. "There was no issue of right or wrong, but with any emerging network, there is always a balancing act in how you re-invest in the network and how much you take out of it now." Liberatore will remain at the channel until June when his contract expires; a search for his replacement is in its early stages. (MediaWeek)

Networks looking to Extend Contract: NASCAR's next TV contract, which will begin with the 2007 season, should be completed by year-end, according to a NASCAR source close to the situation. The source said signs are positive that all of NASCAR current television partners will re-up for a second contract.  Look for a substantial increase in $2.4 billion rights fee paid over the six years of the first contract, which runs from 2001-2006. (SPEED)

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