Do you want more TV coverage? Here is your chance!

bump

great note. i dropped cuban a line as well. i've e-mailed him before and gotten responses, so i'm sure the note will get read.....scott sehon

Excellent post, I sent him a note as well.

Everyone needs to do this, I sent him an e-mail and he sent me one back asking more spesific detail on what events I would like covered. I said everything from the mile up, including triatholones. The latter will help bring in outsiders esp. because triathaletes apeal to more than just the athletic types. Also I said that the main problem is the racess aren't covered from start to finnish and I'd like to see the 3 and 5K esp. covered start to finnish.

Ask him to transmit the track and xc coverage of Eurosport cable chanel. Soccer too.

eurosport is where its at wrote:

Ask him to transmit the track and xc coverage of Eurosport cable chanel. Soccer too.

Unfortunately, it's more or less illegal because of certain broadcasting rights. I posed the question to Eurosport some time ago, and was told that they do not have rights to broadcast into the United States. On some occassions, an American network will buy the video/audio feed from Eurosport and dub it with their own network logos and commentary (remember the Bislett Games last summer on ESPN2? 12min. of womens 5000m running and a rather mediocre PAL/NTSC conversion job on the video). If it were possible, I'd love it.

bump again

here is what I sent:

Dear Mr. Cuban ?

I am writing to express some thoughts on the possibility of programming for HDNet, which might prove beneficial down the road.

As a lifelong track and field fan, I?ve watched the sport that I love fall between the cracks with an inattentive governing body, and a network in NBC that has no interest in televising the sport, while gaining a stranglehold on the Olympics.

Fortunately, that are a multitude of events that have tremendous numbers in terms of participation and name recognition that might make great programming for HDNet.

Runners have not been served well at all, which is suprising, since they fulfill most advertiser?s dreams: the great majority of runners are college educated, have good incomes, have disposable income to spend. They participate in events like the Phoenix Rock N Roll half and full marathon at over 20,000 strong, and in similar numbers in San Diego, Chicago, New York and Boston. Sadly, running has a governing body that lacks any sort of media savvy, and it requires others to lead and innovate.

When the sport was televised as just that: a sport with interesting athletes and great competition for over a decade with ABC, the public knew the runners, cared about them, had a desire to follow interesting competitions. I believe the sporadic televising schedule has diluted the chance for the athletes to get known by the general public, and reducing interest. It is akin to tuning in to see your favorite football or baseball team and getting a double AA team instead playing in a back lot of Montreal. Why should you care? You have no stake in the outcome, nor care much about any of the athletes.

A continued presence is what is called for, as well as solid announcing. The paradigm exists on how to televise a track meet, and all it takes is one viewing of how Eurosport televises a meet vs. , say, how the Prefontaine Classic is televised to see the difference. With Americans participating in marathons in record numbers, the vast majority now have a feeling for how it feels to run or walk 26 miles, and they can understand some of the difficulties that the athletes can face in a tight race at 22 miles. Track and running fans have been cheated by the idea that the average American can?t actually sit still and watch a race that lasts for the 13 minutes that an elite 5K takes. Give those same viewers a reason to care, that they?re yours, just as your average American will watch 3+ hours of football if they care about the outcome.

Obviously, as a fan of the sport, I would love to see it given more air time on your network, but I believe that there are good reasons that it can make compelling television, television that will keep eyes, and those eyes satisfy a demographic that has money to spend, and that can, in turn, satisfy advertisers

I hope that you give the idea some serious consideration towards turning your networks eye towards running as a serious programming concept. Many thanks for your time!

Charles Yoakum

Bump...lets get this going to Mark Cuban, I sent him a letter, or just send something like please think about televising track and field, I would buy it. Maybe wejo could use some of his celebrity power to get this going!!!

I think cuban is a guy that would listen amd maybe even help.

Anything ever come of this?

All I got was a stinking Dallas Mavericks t-shirt.

Nope, nothing close to running on HDNET yet. I suggest we send another round of emails. I will start.

L

Response from Mr. Cuban:

-----Original Message-----

From: Mark Cuban [mailto:Mark.Cuban@dallasmavs.com]

Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 12:35 PM

To: Louis LeBlanc;

mark@hd.net

Subject: Re: Running on HDNET

we have spoken to them. The big events are all already spoken for

thanks,

M

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Ok...how about we come up with a list of meets and/or running events that we know aren't on TV and that we would like to see. Please post your suggestions. I will email him the list.

L