0.2 TV rating 10K (maybe) in the stands for a down to the wire schampionship finish

[SoCalPVguy]

has Indycar jumped the shark ?

PS looks like even the diehards have given up.. I am the only one in this forum right now.

[bugeyedgomer]

It ain't May yet, the only two weeks that count

[SarahFan]

Are we Allowed to talk about this now?

I tried to discuss this 3 years ago and was told by the now moderator that it was off limits .. I was nuts ... Didn't know what I was talking about ... Give it time .. Etc blah etc etc

[heliocastroneves#3]

This is old news, so there's no need to discuss about that. This is going to be a topic full of whining about what should be better and what's wrong. Not a very useful topic, think the moderator might close it asap.

[bugeyedgomer]

Are we Allowed to talk about this now?

I tried to discuss this 3 years ago and was told by the now moderator that it was off limits .. I was nuts ... Didn't know what I was talking about ... Give it time .. Etc blah etc etc

You need to get back on the koolaid drip dude


Moderator Note:
I am leaving this up as an example of what will NOT be tolerated in this thread. This kind of post said NOTHING about the message. It was about the messenger.

Get it?

Gary

[FIAT1]

This is old news, so there's no need to discuss about that. This is going to be a topic full of whining about what should be better and what's wrong. Not a very useful topic, think the moderator might close it asap.

Really , I think it needs to be discussed like everything else that's wrong. Can't critic the wisdom of running the race at midnight on Saturday? I know, let's all brake in to a song together with a few that showed up, give me a break.There is a serious problem with Indycar tv and attendance and should be addressed by everyone, closing this post or any other is not gonna change that.

[bugeyedgomer]

Really , I think it needs to be discussed like everything else that's wrong. Can't critic the wisdom of running the race at midnight on Saturday? I know, let's all brake in to a song together with a few that showed up, give me a break.There is a serious problem with Indycar tv and attendance and should be addressed by everyone, closing this post or any other is not gonna change that.

Like they didn't learn anything from the last Joliet race. I think I saw someone at another forum blaming global warming.
But they are discussing moving the Fontana track rental to October

[Chris R]

We were out pretty late and when I cam home I was pretty surprised to see the Indycar race still on and with a ways to go - I'd agree the hour was too late.....

[Jag_Warrior]

0.2? Really? I'm not sure what they need to do at this point. As for jumping the shark, that happened several years ago. The shark that this series jumped is likely in a retirement home by now, only eating surfers who swim up to him and beg for a quick death.

I thought this was the best IndyCar race, with the most dramatic twists & turns, that I've seen in a long, long, looooong time! I really enjoyed it! I couldn't tell from the camera shots just how full the stands were, but to now see that such a great race got a .2 Nielsen is pretty disheartening. The ratings aren't even stabilizing - somehow they're continuing to spiral downward. They're not doing anything meaningful to promote the series or the drivers, so I don't guess I'm all that surprised.


IMO, it goes back to what I've said for over ten years now: sure, focus on cutting cost. But the consumer/customer doesn't care about what the costs are, as much as he cares about the value of the product. What has the IRL, CART, CCWS or this IndyCar series done to enhance value to the customer? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller???

[FIAT1]

Beside bringing Kim Kardashian as new flag girl, I have some other great ideas that would work, but I don't come cheap.

[Jag_Warrior]

Beside bringing Kim Kardashian as new flag girl, I have some other great ideas that would work, but I don't come cheap.

Speaking of Miss Hips, didn't they bring her and/or her sisters to the Indy 500 a couple of years ago? About the same time that trashy woman from that Real Housewives of OC show, who was dating the dying guy with cancer, showed up? He had apparently been a fixture at Indy for years. It made me angry to see that poor old, dying, lonely fellow be taken advantage of by that vulgar escort, stripper, pole dancer or whatever she'd been when he met her. What was his name, Jeff something? That's disturbing to me: that a trashy reality star is better known and her show probably has more viewers than any of our races, outside of the Indy 500.

This was such a good race and such a dramatic ending to the season. And yet, hardly anyone watched it! Man!!! :(

[SarahFan]

238 at Indy would be a damn good place to start

[bugeyedgomer]

there hasn't been any innovation in how long? The V6's that were run 20 or so years ago had 1000HP. the problem is that there isn't money any more to do what needs to be done. I'm talking billions over a few years. Hell, some cars used to go thru 3+ motors in a weekend.

[00steven]

It ain't May yet, the only two weeks that count

That's what is wrong with the series and has been the idea that has split the fanbase for forty years.

[garyshell]

This is old news, so there's no need to discuss about that. This is going to be a topic full of whining about what should be better and what's wrong. Not a very useful topic, think the moderator might close it asap.

I have no intention of closing it down as long as it stays civil. No personal insults will be tolerated. Period. Attack the message not the messenger.

Gary

[garyshell]

You need to get back on the koolaid drip dude

I am leaving this up as an example of what will NOT be tolerated in this thread. This kind of post said NOTHING about the message. It was about the messenger.

Get it?

Gary

[SoCalPVguy]

What's right:
Close championship ;race came down to the last few laps, 5-point difference
Overall best group of driving talent ever in IRL and ICS history
Close racing, lots of passing, exciting races

What's wrong:
No fans in the seats, i.e. 10K or less at finale' in a 100K venue
Potentially terminal long term cable TV contract in oblivion (channel 1256 anyone?)
Even on the can't find it channel, ratings are falling - not even steady, let alone rising
Boring spec cars, all have the same clunkiness
Low power for a top flight racing series
Speeds down +25-Mph average, they even look slow
Short schedule, over before school starts
Long intervals between races during prime summer months hurts momentum
Management vs owners infighting

[SarahFan]

I think you completely missed the tone of that post Gary

[garyshell]

I think you completely missed the tone of that post Gary
Maybe i did, maybe i didn't. I am setting the ground rules. I don't care what the tone is. No personal comments period.

i am trying a different approach on this thread, to see what happens. I'm going to let it become a bit of a free for all, provided there are no personal comments. For example, I'll let "That's a crazy idea" go right on by. I will come down like a ton of lead on "Man, you are crazy".

For this one thread, thems da rules. Tear apart IDEAS keep the personal pronouns out of it. And a least a modicum of civility. Let's see what happens.

Let the games begin!
Gary

[SarahFan]

So I'm curious Gary..

Why do you always sign your name at the end of your posts?

It's not like we don't know it's you...I mean it says your name above your posts

Seems silly and redundant

[Lousada]

So I'm curious Gary..

Why do you always sign your name at the end of your posts?

It's not like we don't know it's you...I mean it says your name above your posts

Seems silly and redundant

And there is a signature line for signing your posts...

[FIAT1]

Speaking of Miss Hips, didn't they bring her and/or her sisters to the Indy 500 a couple of years ago? About the same time that trashy woman from that Real Housewives of OC show, who was dating the dying guy with cancer, showed up? He had apparently been a fixture at Indy for years. It made me angry to see that poor old, dying, lonely fellow be taken advantage of by that vulgar escort, stripper, pole dancer or whatever she'd been when he met her. What was his name, Jeff something? That's disturbing to me: that a trashy reality star is better known and her show probably has more viewers than any of our races, outside of the Indy 500.

This was such a good race and such a dramatic ending to the season. And yet, hardly anyone watched it! Man!!! :(


Another freebie ,but that's it ! Be found!!! Join the fastest growing community on the Internet .No live streaming should be a crime in today's world and have some awesome commercials doring popular talent shows to attract young people.Indycar needs to be in your face all the time mode and please make championship worth some big $$$ that would help on many levels. Btw Kim idea was a little humor in reference to what is popular on tv nowadays and I do agree racing was superb.

[anthonyvop]

What's right:

Overall best group of driving talent ever in IRL and ICS history

I disagree. In fact I would say that it is one of the worst groups ever. Dominated by one group pass their prime (Helio, Dario, Dix, TK...etc) one group of mediocrity(RHR, Graham, Marco..etc) one group of overrated youths( Hinch, Newgarden, Hild....) and just a few who are truly fast (Power, Pags and Seabass)


Close racing, lots of passing, exciting races



The race was long, slow and boring. Yes there was passing but there is a lot of passing in hermit crab races as well.

[SoCalPVguy]

I disagree. In fact I would say that it is one of the worst groups ever. Dominated by one group pass their prime (Helio, Dario, Dix, TK...etc) one group of mediocrity(RHR, Graham, Marco..etc) one group of overrated youths( Hinch, Newgarden, Hild....) and just a few who are truly fast (Power, Pags and Seabass)



The race was long, slow and boring. Yes there was passing but there is a lot of passing in hermit crab races as well.

well if what you say is true,then you are taking two out of my short list of 'whats right' and putting them into 'whats wrong' further making the imbalance of problems overwhelming the short list of positives for the series.

I've seen a lot of racing since 1965 and I "thought" the races were exciting this year. But you're right, "exciting" is not fast, and slow cars was on my list of negatives.

Try and remember the lame driver crews of IRL in the 90's and this group is much better (but agreed no CART) of pre split years

[anthonyvop]

Try and remember the lame driver crews of IRL in the 90's and this group is much better (but agreed no CART) of pre split years

Just because the drivers of the IRL in the 90's were bad doesn't make the current crop of drivers excellent.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Tony, if the guys with all the talent are being beaten by the has beens and never was drivers, either they don't have as much talent as you think or they do. For entertainment, this season was pretty good. Lots of stories, lots of interesting people involved.

Why do the TV ratings suck? I Dunno, I am a hockey fan and I have yet to figure out why it cant get traction when more Americans play hockey than Canadians now. Logic would dictate they would have ratings, but it hasn't worked quite that way on a national level. With Racing, we have so many options, and so many outlets, people have choices. The damage done by years of dull racing witih guys you never wanted to hear from (Dr. Jack Miller) lead into a confusing market place with two series, with not enough drivers. 13 years later, they merge, and while the driver pool improves, the damage is done. In the years of stupidity, my eyeball has grown addicted to Aussie V8s, NASCAR, ALMS, Grand AM and all the rest. in 1994, you saw some of those races, but not as reliably. Now Indycar is just another little side show, and most all purpose race fans have not returned. The IRL years with the split really have done the damage. Add in the 500 channel universe, and the sport being on little digital channels that don't always have the reach and you lose all momentum. They need to do something really wild, and unique and promote the crap out of it. The 500 alone isn't going to do it anymore....