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CCWS TV Package Released

Written by Scott Keller · January 17, 2008

CCWS will air on the ESPN/ABC family next year, but is it a step in the right direction?


It would seem so on the surface, but if you dig deeper into Champ Car’s press release it says,

..

Some of the races will be broadcast in later than normal time slots.

“While the time-slot opportunities present us with some challenges, they also provide us with opportunities to see if we can grow our ratings and fan base by showcasing our races during different time periods and/or using different formats,” Johnson explained. “For example, we are set to appear during prime time (at some point in all time zones) on ESPN2 for three races, with events scheduled at 10 p.m. ET.

“These slots place us immediately after NHRA events on ESPN2, which should provide us with an interesting lead-in with the ability to promote our upcoming show to a motorsports audience.”

The four ABC-aired races will be shown in a one-hour format.

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Excuse me, did that say that some races will be shown in a “one-hour format”? What the heck is this? Is this the Supercross series? Is this the NHRA? Is this like re-runs of the German Touring Car Series and A1GP on Speed? This can’t be the Champ Car I used to know….the one that only condensed *Saturday qualifying* to a one-hour format on Saturday nite.

Can’t they afford the time-buy for the extra hour for four stinking races? This is bush-league, in my book. And east-coasters, get your Tivo ready unless you are willing to stay up past midnight to watch the end of the races on ESPN2.

Talk about a buzzkill for Champ Car fans trying to get excited about 2008.

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Comments

5 Responses to “CCWS TV Package Released”

  1. mo ron on January 17th, 2008 7:35 pm

    Come on George, lighten up on “poor” Chumpcar.

    How would you like to donate to help them pay for that extra hour of pace car laps?
    How many laps at speed do they really run during those 2hr naps?

    If the 3 east coast fans don’t have a tivo then they’ll just have to stay up late a couple of nights a year.
    It’s not like staying up for Lemans, the whole 24hrs.

    Onto a postive note, lets hope we see more standing starts and a new champion this year.

    I do think the added boost and lengthened time with the “push to pass” button could give us a few more pace car laps….ooops, I mean passing opportunities.

  2. mo ron on January 17th, 2008 7:43 pm

    P.S.
    It would be very hard to kill the buzz on most of the fans I’ve seen at the LBGP and other Chumpcar events. They rival NASCAR fans in levels of intoxication.

  3. george on January 18th, 2008 12:47 am

    Speaking of imbibing to excess, you need to scrutinize the authors name a little more closely before commenting mo. As much as I agree with the content and would like to take credit for Scott’s fine work, it wasn’t me.

  4. Wholi on January 18th, 2008 9:49 am

    At least A1GP gets a full 2 hours on Speed!

  5. mo ron on January 18th, 2008 12:53 pm

    It seems I spend more time correcting my posts than I do thinking before I post them. I need to imbib less and scrutinize more.

    Sorry for not giving credit where it was due.

    Scotty this is one fine article and thank you for the insight.

    Yes I agree with your views about the scheduing and propose a different strategy for ESPN/ABC. If they would just put the CCWS shows after Dancing With The Stars they could reach a far broader audience. Now that everyone knows what it takes to drive an Indycar, smooth footwork and a good partner, they would appreciate the transition much more than a bunch of straightline racers.

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