The final days of Speed

[bugeyedgomer]

Passion of employees, viewers powered motorsports channel

By Tripp Mickle & John Ourand, Staff Writers

Published August 5, 2013, Page 1

In late July, Speed employee Jessie Morrison scaled the large, red Speed sign outside the broadcast network’s Charlotte headquarters. She stretched out across it on her stomach, turned toward a camera and smiled.

Later, she posted the photo on Instagram with a simple caption: “Going to miss seeing this sign.”

The image and words captured the way that Morrison and many of her fellow Speed employees feel this summer. These are the final days of Speed. In less than two weeks, the 24-hour network no longer will exist in its current form. Many of its employees will be looking for new jobs.

FROM FOX SPORTS
Fox’s statement on the closing of Speed

“Change in the workplace is challenging, and every job lost in a transition of this type is significant. We’ve been as fair and communicative as possible given our plans at each step along the way. Looking at this project as a whole, we’ve placed those displaced in new positions as often as possible, and the net job-gain at Fox Sports in the past six months is significant, including several new departments in Charlotte. We still expect Charlotte to be an integral part of Fox Sports 1 going forward, especially around our expanded NASCAR race package.”

Speed’s owner, Fox Sports, has decided there is more money to be had in a multisport channel. It will shutter the motorsports channel and convert it into Fox Sports 1 on Aug. 17.

The final days of Speed - SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal | SportsBusiness Daily Global (http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/08/05/Media/Speed.aspx)

[FormerFF]

Honestly, I hardly ever turn Speed on anymore. If I have a few minutes I'll watch a Grand Am race, or a Barrett-jackson auction, bot other than that, there's not all that much on there these days.

[larryn]

is there going to be a motorsports highlights show on somewhere now?

[Jag_Warrior]

Watching Speed Channel go dark on my DirecTV kind of hit me in the gut. I remember how thrilled I was when Speedvision first came on years ago. That was kind of like watching an old friend, who'd been sick for a long time, finally die.

Well, at least my hatred for most everything Fox related is now pretty much complete. :)

[anthonyvop]

Watching Speed Channel go dark on my DirecTV kind of hit me in the gut. I remember how thrilled I was when Speedvision first came on years ago. That was kind of like watching an old friend, who'd been sick for a long time, finally die.

Well, at least my hatred for most everything Fox related is now pretty much complete. :)

I don't hate Fox. Fox exists to make money and all they are doing is giving the market what they want.

Wanna hate something. Hate Society and it's popular culture.

[Jag_Warrior]

I don't hate Fox. Fox exists to make money and all they are doing is giving the market what they want.

So did Pablo Escobar. But I didn't care for him either. I understand business very well, Anthony. But that doesn't mean that I have to like or accept the dumbing down of programming, just so that the least common denominators among us have more mind numbing shows to watch and advertisers will fork over more cash to Ruppie and the other network owners. Reality TV shows, with staged scenes and talking monkeys/dregs of society, are cheaper to produce than scripted television, with "real" actors. It's cheaper to do a rip-off sequel than developing an original plot line. This particular forum (Indy Car) is the perfect place for me to go on another rant about cost vs. value. Look at this freakin' mess!!! But as I've been making that value over cost rant for well over a decade now, I am tired of typing out the same words over & over. Too many care more about cutting costs as a way to make a profit than delivering higher value or quality. I guess that kind of makes my specialty something of a dying field. I should probably bone up on my Spanish or learn Mandarin Chinese in case my early retirement date doesn't happen within the next 5-6 years. Wonder how you say "outsource" in Mandarin, anyway?



Wanna hate something. Hate Society and it's popular culture.

Too late. I already do.

[FormerFF]

I flipped it on Friday evening to see if there was anything of interest on. It was NASCAR qualifying, which at least is actually racing related, but not something I was much interested in. I flipped forward through the schedule to see if anything interesting was coming up in its last few hours. There was something on about the history of the Trans-Am series, so I recorded it and watched it. It turns out it was produced somewhere around 1995. Somewhere in the middle the old Speedvision logo popped up at the end of a commercial break. That was kind of a nice touch.

I'll be watching Fox Sports next year since USCR will be televised there. My only question for now is what will happen to those long stretches of endurance racing coverage, since USCR should have 24 hour, 12 hour, 6 hour, and 9+ hour enduros on next year's schedule. I suspect more of these races will be shifted to the online portal. It's doubtful that the stick and ball sports fans that FS1 will be looking for want to see long stretches of endurance racing.

[zako85]

It's really sad that the gearheads lost a TV channel that was completely dedicated to us. Granted, in the United States, any form of motorsport other than NASCAR is treated merely as a curiosity. There is no much money in it. At the same time I kind of wonder, what could have happened to Speed TV if they invited some of the brightest minds in auto journalism, such as the people who run jalopnik.com, autoblog.com, or thetruthaboutcars.com to work for them.

[Starter]

I'm particularly going to miss seeing the Targa Newfoundland.

[Racepfan]

RACER magazine and their website have now dramatically expanded their existing relationships with former SPEED Channel contributors Adam Cooper (F1), Robin Miller (IndyCar) and Marshall Pruett (IndyCar, ALMS, WEC, Grand-AM and PWC). Their opinions, news and "Miller's Mailbag" will now appear regularly on RACER's site along with video updates from the field. It is a homecoming for all. RACER relaunched the original Speedvision.com site at midnight Y2K and continued to provide motorsports and automotive content to SPEED until the end of 2007. In addition to the former SPEED trio, RACER editor David Malsher is the lead contributor (F1 and IndyCar) to RACER and has also lined up exclusive Formula 1 insights from the highly respected Mark Hughes, David Tremayne and Edd Straw.

[anthonyvop]

So did Pablo Escobar. But I didn't care for him either. I understand business very well, Anthony. But that doesn't mean that I have to like or accept the dumbing down of programming, just so that the least common denominators among us have more mind numbing shows to watch and advertisers will fork over more cash to Ruppie and the other network owners. Reality TV shows, with staged scenes and talking monkeys/dregs of society, are cheaper to produce than scripted television, with "real" actors. It's cheaper to do a rip-off sequel than developing an original plot line. This particular forum (Indy Car) is the perfect place for me to go on another rant about cost vs. value. Look at this freakin' mess!!! But as I've been making that value over cost rant for well over a decade now, I am tired of typing out the same words over & over. Too many care more about cutting costs as a way to make a profit than delivering higher value or quality. I guess that kind of makes my specialty something of a dying field. I should probably bone up on my Spanish or learn Mandarin Chinese in case my early retirement date doesn't happen within the next 5-6 years. Wonder how you say "outsource" in Mandarin, anyway?




You comparison to Pablo Escobar is insulting at best and reeks or jealous pretentiousness at it basic form.


The rest is just left-wing, anti-free marketing rantings.

FOX exists to to make money. Not to make programing for you.
Most of the type you complain about I detest as well but I do not for one moment believe I have the right to tell them that they can't broadcast it. I just don't watch it. I suggest you do the same.

[garyshell]

The rest is just left-wing, anti-free marketing rantings.

FOX exists to to make money. Not to make programing for you.
Most of the type you complain about I detest as well but I do not for one moment believe I have the right to tell them that they can't broadcast it. I just don't watch it. I suggest you do the same.

There is nothing at all "left-wing, anti-free market rantings" in what he said. If the target had been MSNBC would you have felt the same way? What is anti-free market about the suggestion that quality of programming should be part of the equation of programming decisions and not driven 100% by the dollars. Oh wait that's it, I see, all programming decisions should be all about the money, quality be damned. Any other suggestion is just communist, socialist, Marxist rantings. Thanks for setting all of us straight.

And please show me where he said anything about having "the right to tell them that they can't broadcast it"? I believe he made it abundantly clear he would be "voting" with his remote control. But I guess the red mist made you miss that point.

Gary

[Racepfan]

It will be interesting to see what former ESPN President and Speedvision founder Roger Werner does next. Ditto for Bob Scanlon who was the programming director at Speedvision and ESPN and is the man behind Discovery's Velocity channel. Both understand the non-NASCAR automotive audience.

[FoytFan14]

It would be nice if someone else picked it up/ FOX released it. Every sport these days has a Network, whether it be tennis, golf, NBA, NFL, even outdoor " sports".

[Jag_Warrior]

You comparison to Pablo Escobar is insulting at best and reeks or jealous pretentiousness at it basic form.


The rest is just left-wing, anti-free marketing rantings.

FOX exists to to make money. Not to make programing for you.
Most of the type you complain about I detest as well but I do not for one moment believe I have the right to tell them that they can't broadcast it. I just don't watch it. I suggest you do the same.


Truly amazing. Really... :rolleyes:

[anthonyvop]

Truly amazing. Really... :rolleyes:

Not surprised by your reaction at all. Actually it was predictable.

Have a nice day

[DBell]

Don't you know, Jag, that anyone who doesn't march in lockstep with Anthony in his far right political ideals is a left wing card carrying commie pinko? Anthony has been very clear in that in his posts over the years.

[BDunnell]

Don't you know, Jag, that anyone who doesn't march in lockstep with Anthony in his far right political ideals is a left wing card carrying commie pinko? Anthony has been very clear in that in his posts over the years.

You say that, but the man sees himself as a centrist. This I find scary.

[garyshell]

Gents,

The thread is not about Anthony. 'Nuff said.

Gary

[anthonyvop]

Gents,

The thread is not about Anthony. 'Nuff said.

Gary

Everything is about me in one form or the other. Even this thread.

[anthonyvop]

Don't you know, Jag, that anyone who doesn't march in lockstep with Anthony in his far right political ideals is a left wing card carrying commie pinko? Anthony has been very clear in that in his posts over the years.



You say that, but the man sees himself as a centrist. This I find scary.

Insults and name calling is expected as is none of you guys actually proving my original statement on this topic is wrong.

Fox entertainment exists for one thing and one thing only. To make money. Their programing reflects that. If you don't like the programing than it is the viewers who watch that are to blame.

[garyshell]

Everything is about me in one form or the other. Even this thread.

Damn, how silly of me, I totally forgot!

Gary

[FormerFF]

I don't know how many of you get Velocity, but if you do, check it out. There's all kinds of nice motorhead stuff there, but not much racing, at least as of yet. They are doing a four part series on Patrick Dempsey's LeMans effort, so there's hope.

[Jag_Warrior]

Not surprised by your reaction at all. Actually it was predictable.

Have a nice day

You didn't get to read my original reaction, Anthony - and I agree that it was best that you didn't. ;)

But since you want to keep the game going, so we shall. :) All things considered, exactly what was in my original post that suggested any of the foolishness that you posted??? Please point it out. Read slowly. Take your time. Your powers of perception and basic reasoning are on trial now, Mr. Vop. You see, putting words in my mouth and twisting what I have (actually) said just raises the question of your own cognitive abilities.

I don't claim to be the most business savvy person on this board, but I have forgotten more about business principles and practices than you will ever know. That is not an attack on you. That is simply a statement of truth. My evidence supporting that belief is your complete inability to comprehend anything but the most basic of business principles. Feel free to calculate an IRR or NPV, and throw in a discounted cash flow model, and you might prove me wrong. But until then, nah uh! I know better than you why Fox, and any other publicly traded corporation, is in business. And no where did I say that they should bend to my own personal desires or that they didn't have the right to broadcast whatever they choose to broadcast. To suggest that I did say that puts you at a choice of admitting that you are a liar or a fool. That also is not an attack. But when one claims something to be true, that is obviously not true and it obviously was not said or suggested, then he must admit that he has either (knowingly) lied or he cannot understand basic, written English. So I leave you to make that choice on your own.

As for Fox, once they began filling Speed Channel with intellectual gems such as Pass Time, Are You Faster Than A Redneck?, Pinks, Pinks All Out, Pimp My Ride and a host of other cheap, trashy, reality TV shows, I began watching less and less. You see, even though it may be their right to open a restaurant and serve fried rats (I hear there's one hell of a gross profit margin on fried rats, Anthony), it is my right to not eat there... and it is also my right to criticize them for serving fried rats. But if you like fried rats, well, you can belly up to the all-you-can eat buffet at the Fox Restaurant anytime you want.

Yes, in an attempt to make some easy money, they attempted to find a low-brow niche audience, which would glom onto the low quality and cheap-to-produce programming they were shoveling out like pig slop. But as Speed still had so many racing series that mainly appealed to people of (hmm, how to say it nicely?)... uh... higher tastes, their Mutt & Jeff reality shows just guaranteed that their channel would get switched off as soon as F1, Grand Am or Le Mans went off. And in closing, if you present disparate programming, which (literally) turns off your original, primary audience, that doesn't sound like a very smart way to "make money" to me. And if you can't make money doing whatever it is that you primarily do (your core competency), then IMO, that is your fault... not the market's. So now, they're doing what people without vision or innovative thinking usually do: give up and take the easy way out.

You have a nice day as well, Anthony. As always, I enjoy our little chats. :wave:

[Jag_Warrior]

Don't you know, Jag, that anyone who doesn't march in lockstep with Anthony in his far right political ideals is a left wing card carrying commie pinko? Anthony has been very clear in that in his posts over the years.

Over the years I've learned to take him with a (gigantic) grain of salt.

But going back to programming in general, and Speed Channel (R.I.P. Speedvision) specifically, I hope to be one of the increasing number of "cord cutters" in the U.S. within the next year or two. Whether the networks make money or not, well, that's not our problem, is it? If there was more high quality, less blatantly stupid programming, which didn't insult our intelligence, we'd probably be less bothered by our rising cable or satellite bills. Don't you agree?

The Velocity Channel that FormerFF mentioned shows promise and potential. I have found myself watching it more & more. It is sort of like the old Fine Living Channel (before it was turned into the Food Network). There are some decent classic and exotic car shows on there. And from what I've read, they are going to try to get more into live race broadcasts. And there are several other channels that seem to be more focused on people who have no desire or intention of watching marathons of Keeping Up With the Kardashians or Honey Boo Boo. I'm not talking about fancy, schmancy high brow shows that deal with "what's the best brand of caviar?" - just things that are a step above the intellectual slop that pollutes our TV systems now. Some of these can now be had by online streaming. And I guess one could use "other means" to get certain programming if you decide to cut the cord. So over the next year or so, I am going to carefully consider what I REALLY want to watch vs. what I just watch every now & again. I'd like to keep access to AMC and HBO for the one or two series on there that are half decent. But for the most part, I can hook that new (half used) "smart TV" that I bought last Christmas up to an Apple TV or some other streaming box, stick a digital antennae in the yard and worst case, get basic cable as a supplement, and be done with paying over $100/month for programming that I seldom watch, and generally hate when I do. But since NBCSports now has F1 (and doing a darn good job with it and IndyCar, IMO), that seems to be the major dilemma that I face.

Cord cutting has accelerated to an historically high rate. And the reason for that (IMO) is that without value, people will not hand over their hard-earned $. That's a lesson for the cable and satellite companies, content providers, the networks (including Fox - sorry Vop)... and various racing series.

[FormerFF]

I've been watching Velocity a bit this week. I'd recorded the first three episodes of that Patrick Dempsey LeMans miniseries, and have been enjoying it immensely. I was afraid it would be too focused on Patrick as a celebrity, but it's been all about the racing side of his life and his team.

I also see that Velocity is going to start showing some of the motorsports programming from Eurosport, so hopefully more racing (and rallying and rallycross) will follow.

Meanwhile, Fox Sports 1 seems to be getting off to a slow start. I saw that they were showing some kind of second tier college football games, and reruns of the Lucas Oil short track series. Also, lots of their sports news show. I did watch part of a Grand Am race on Fox Sports 2, and oddly enough it was in standard definition. I'm really not sure what was up with that.

[nigelred5]

I"ve been watching Velocity quite a bit. It is quickly morphing into a chanel very similar to the original Speed. They recently started running ads for Eurosport racing coverage.

[mainemandean]

I really, really, REALLY wish that Wind Tunnel had lasted a few more weeks so we could have heard Dave's take on MikeyWaltripGate!

[garyshell]

I really, really, REALLY wish that Wind Tunnel had lasted a few more weeks so we could have heard Dave's take on MikeyWaltripGate!

And his take on the return of JPM to IndyCar.

I miss Despain a lot. It was a Sunday night ritual for me.

Gary

[zako85]

One extremely unfortunate result of the demise of SpeedTV is that I seem no longer to be able to get Australian V8 Supercars in HD format. FS1 shows V8SCs, but in standard format, which looks terrible on a large LCD screen. Granted, I am surprised we get V8SCs in any format, but still.. I feel disappointed.

[FormerFF]

Yeah, I'm not getting why some of the programming on Fox Sports 1 & 2 is in standard def.

[FormerFF]

Maybe we judged Fox Sports too soon. I just finished viewing a round of the British Touring Car Championship on Fox Sports 2, and up next is a round of the DTM. I don't follow either series, so both are new to me. I'll save the DTM race for tomorrow's session on the elliptical.