fatface 2,557 Posted September 2, 2010 As for the SGP... Well I look forward to its replacement with a proper World Championship! Deluded. Yes, roll on Pocking 2015, where it is compulsory for all riders to wear monkey masks and ride Japs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orion 7,618 Posted September 2, 2010 (edited) If you say so Surely the "very important point" of earlier start time can't be the key factor for the significant decline in viewing figures decline in both 2009 & 2010? Of course it is ..remember it's just a tv show ...change any program from peak time to non peak time and the % loss in viewers will be about the same . If Eastenders changes to 5pm start next week it would lose millions of viewers, i doubt there be many who would say it was not because the change of time it would be a given . Edited September 2, 2010 by orion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff Scott 0 Posted September 2, 2010 Of course it is ..remember it's just a tv show ...change any program from peak time to non peak time and the % loss in viewers will be about the same . The Cardiff SGP is a sports programme (not, as in your example, a soap like Eastenders) - when Manchester play live on the telly whether it's 1.30, 4 or 8 they get big audiences Either way, the SGP lost 79,000 viewers from 2009 to 2010 when both were staged at 5pm. So this "very important point" you claim undermines the various points of my article isn't a new (key) factor worth including or, more importantly, the explanation for the decline you seem to think it is Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tayls1973 1 Posted September 2, 2010 Just negativity all the time, this year was my first time at Cardiff and i thought it was the dogs testicles. A big fat well done to all involved !! I will be back next year, absolutely love the G.P series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orion 7,618 Posted September 2, 2010 (edited) The Cardiff SGP is a sports programme (not, as in your example, a soap like Eastenders) - when Manchester play live on the telly whether it's 1.30, 4 or 8 they get big audiences Either way, the SGP lost 79,000 viewers from 2009 to 2010 when both were staged at 5pm. So this "very important point" you claim undermines the various points of my article isn't a new (key) factor worth including or, more importantly, the explanation for the decline you seem to think it is And the second one there was world cup match on you forgot say about that as well amazeing If Manchester ute play at 7.30 then the figures will always be bigger than they were playing at 5pm . Edited September 2, 2010 by orion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mickthemuppet 976 Posted September 2, 2010 I have watched every British Grand prix on Sky Sports. This year I was away and watched it on the internet and found a polish programme and an english one (but not Sky channel). This was not available two or three years ago and more and more people are watching speedway on the net. These viewers will not be counted but must be rising every year. There must be a time in the near future when it is not worth paying a Sky sports Subscription especially as mine has now gone up to £47 (which started at £4) Nodody can tell how many people watch a programme, so the figures are completly useless. How many people watched the football live and watched the GP the next day? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff Scott 0 Posted September 2, 2010 And the second one there was world cup match on you forgot say about that as well amazeing If Manchester ute play at 7.30 then the figures will always be bigger than they were playing at 5pm . So, let's see, you think that Cardiff - the 'jewel in the crown' of the speedway grand prix - suffered a decline of 104,000 viewers that's caused by the switch to a 5pm start time and then further fall of 79,000 in 2010 was caused by a third place play off in the world cup that kicked off 2 & 1/2 hours after the GP did? The biggest viewing figures for Sky Sports showing Premiership Football usually happen on "Super Sunday" - featuring Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal etc - where kick offs are 1.30 & 4pm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orion 7,618 Posted September 2, 2010 So, let's see, you think that Cardiff - the 'jewel in the crown' of the speedway grand prix - suffered a decline of 104,000 viewers that's caused by the switch to a 5pm start time and then further fall of 79,000 in 2010 was caused by a third place play off in the world cup that kicked off 2 & 1/2 hours after the GP did? The biggest viewing figures for Sky Sports showing Premiership Football usually happen on "Super Sunday" - featuring Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal etc - where kick offs are 1.30 & 4pm First of all i would that Sunday afternoon would be peak time to watch a football match rather that 5pm on a sat ..i am sure if next week if they started showing football at 5pm on a sat night rather than a sunday afternoon and yet again the figures would dropped by a massive amount . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Parsloes 1928 nearly 495 Posted September 2, 2010 Nothing in itself, but the language used just makes him seem like a loser who is stuck in the one off world final era. Clearly wants speedway to stay in a world of Wulfsport wearing, badge donning gimps. Hmm, sorry you're way off the mark here.. The World Final in fact belongs to the era when Speedway was one of the most major mainstream sports in the UK... Capacity crowds at the UK's greatest stadium, Wembley and coverage on the main TV channels: 1972 World Final from the Empire Stadium shown the night it was staged (yes, the prime-time Saturday night slot) on ITV nationally... And I'm sure you'll find that not a SINGLE Wulfsport jacket was worn! So I'm afraid, as well being shockingly rude - no-one arguing for the World Final ever has to resort to calling those with a different point of view a "loser" or a "gimp" (sic) - you are just 100% inaccurate... At the end of the day, sport is about excitement, glory, entertainment and the tension of white hot competition... I can assure you (as I suspect you never experienced it..) that the World Final had ALL those ingredients, I've been to many, many major sporting events: FA Cup Finals, Rugby World Cup Finals, Cycling, Athletics...: I can assure you that no event has ever got close to matching the sheer excitement and occasion of the World Speedway Final. The world - not just the Speedway world - became a less exciting place the day this great and iconic event was taken from us... It was also the day that the sport began its gradual but inevitable slide into insignificance... You will surely disagree but the facts speak for themselves and I can assure you if you can get excited over a mere qualifying round where who wins is of barely any significance (ie Cardiff-staged early round GPs); then if we come to our senses in time to restore the World Final, you would soon find out what real sporting excellence and excitement is all about... Just leave your Wulfsport anorak at home, eh..!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcat 21 Posted September 2, 2010 Hmm, sorry you're way off the mark here.. The World Final in fact belongs to the era when Speedway was one of the most major mainstream sports in the UK... Capacity crowds at the UK's greatest stadium, Wembley and coverage on the main TV channels: 1972 World Final from the Empire Stadium shown the night it was staged (yes, the prime-time Saturday night slot) on ITV nationally... And I'm sure you'll find that not a SINGLE Wulfsport jacket was worn! So I'm afraid, as well being shockingly rude - no-one arguing for the World Final ever has to resort to calling those with a different point of view a "loser" or a "gimp" (sic) - you are just 100% inaccurate... At the end of the day, sport is about excitement, glory, entertainment and the tension of white hot competition... I can assure you (as I suspect you never experienced it..) that the World Final had ALL those ingredients, I've been to many, many major sporting events: FA Cup Finals, Rugby World Cup Finals, Cycling, Athletics...: I can assure you that no event has ever got close to matching the sheer excitement and occasion of the World Speedway Final. The world - not just the Speedway world - became a less exciting place the day this great and iconic event was taken from us... It was also the day that the sport began its gradual but inevitable slide into insignificance... You will surely disagree but the facts speak for themselves and I can assure you if you can get excited over a mere qualifying round where who wins is of barely any significance (ie Cardiff-staged early round GPs); then if we come to our senses in time to restore the World Final, you would soon find out what real sporting excellence and excitement is all about... Just leave your Wulfsport anorak at home, eh..!! Spot on Parsloes... It also gets my goat, that when we mention the One Off Finals, we always get the Monkey mask and Jap replies. Its got nothing to do with what was worn or ridden, it was the thrill of a sudden death final, where anyone could win on the day. I would hazzard a guess, that most of the daft responses of that ilk are from people who have never had the privilege to witness A speedway World Final, in the mould of Wembley, Ullevi etc, as they were, was something else. Watching a few highlights on a DvD or a Youtube clip of the odd race just doesn't do the Finals justice. And I agree with you, it seems that our sports decline coincided with the one off finals being dumped in favour of the GP series. What I also don't get, is this disrespect for fans of yesteryear. Wulfsport jackets and badges... crikey, as kids we would all have a jumper, coat etc, which would get covered in badges or rosettes of our favourite riders and teams, that was a part of what speedway was about. I remember finding an old orange jumper, getting some bits of black material, which was cut into strips. Then they were sewn onto the sleeves of the jumper, voila, one Tiger Louis top, which was worn to every meeting, home and away. Then when I got my first car, on went the Witches sun strip, with various car stickers being placed in the back window. It was fun, looking for other fans cars en route to meetings or just travelling about the country. Thats all gone now, as people just don't seem to be bothered with anything much these days, couple that with the obvious disrespect being shown and you start to get the reasons why speedway is on the decline. The fun eliment has gone, fans cant be bothered.... or is it that they worry about what people might say? I'll tell you what, I don't care what non speedway folks think... as and when I get the chance to come across the water to see another meeting, I'll be proudly wearing my Wulfsport Witches jacket.... so anyone that doesn't like that can go stick it in their pipe and smoke it... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mickthemuppet 976 Posted September 2, 2010 Well said Parsloes. Nothing can ever beat the excitement of a World Final at Wembley. Bring back the old individual world Championship Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheffieldscot 0 Posted September 2, 2010 Very interesting article which I did not find to be anti SGP. Mainly I found it stated the cold hard facts.I have been to 7 Grand Prix's at Cardiff and have thoroughly enjoyed them all as an event and an experience, but I have to be honest and say that the quality of racing has been poor and on a couple of occasions downright dangerous. This year has been an exception and the Grand Prix series has had much better racing than in previous years (Thanks to Tony Olssen. Will I go to Cardiff again - answer - yes. The last 2 years I have been unable to go, but have watched the meetings and this year was much better by far in terms of track preparation. Tv is having a tough time at the moment with "top" shows, such as The Bill coming to an end for one reason or another.Everyone is fighting for viewing figures. Speedway will hopefully continue on Sky for many years to come and hopefully the Grand Prix series will flourish. The old format is gone all be it dramatic and the best man on the night wins. We now have a series where consistency is the key and for me equally as enthralling. Anyway in what ever format it is ran in the future I hope it will always be televised regardless of viewing figures. You can keep Match of the Day, give me Speedway any day Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sprog1 79 Posted September 2, 2010 Hmm, sorry you're way off the mark here.. The World Final in fact belongs to the era when Speedway was one of the most major mainstream sports in the UK... Capacity crowds at the UK's greatest stadium, Wembley and coverage on the main TV channels: 1972 World Final from the Empire Stadium shown the night it was staged (yes, the prime-time Saturday night slot) on ITV nationally... Speedway Final. The world - not just the Speedway world - became a less exciting place the day this great and iconic event was taken from us... It was also the day that the sport began its gradual but inevitable slide into insignificance... You will surely disagree but the facts speak for themselves and I can assure you if you can get excited over a mere qualifying round where who wins is of barely any significance (ie Cardiff-staged early round GPs); then if we come to our senses in time to restore the World Final, you would soon find out what real sporting excellence and excitement is all about... Just leave your Wulfsport anorak at home, eh..!! The one off World Final was exciting in its day but that day is now past. You have to consider the much larger geographical area speedway covers now. With more nations wanting a slice of the action you would be lucky to have a World Final staged in this country once every 7 or 8 years , maybe even less than that. Would you be happy with that ? Would Cardiff be interested in staging an event that infrequently with all the equipment that needs to be stored ? I doubt it . Where are the sponsors coming from ? Modern international speedway needs sponsors and sponsors need exposure. 10 or 11 GP's is one thing but sponsors are unlikely to be interested in sponsoring a rider who may well fail to qulalify for a one-off meeting. The qualifying rounds are unlikely to be of interest to the TV companies. The GP Challenge never gets televised so why should the TV companies be interested in televising qualifiers for a one-off World Final ? How are you going to organise the qualifying rounds ? If it was like the old system you will end up with top riders going out in th Danish and Polish rounds but near novices going a long way in the British rounds. We already saw riders like Marvyn Cox going abroad to qualify under the old system because it was easier so these days you are likely to find continetal riders coming over here to geet an easier qualifying route. Then there is the corruption. Apart from things like the Egon Muller fix, there was always a lot of riders buying points to get an easy qulifying route even in the days of the poor pay. so these days it would be rife with so much sponsorship etc turning on it. The one off Finals have had their day. Leave them in the past. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
orion 7,618 Posted September 2, 2010 Hmm, sorry you're way off the mark here.. The World Final in fact belongs to the era when Speedway was one of the most major mainstream sports in the UK... Capacity crowds at the UK's greatest stadium, Wembley and coverage on the main TV channels: 1972 World Final from the Empire Stadium shown the night it was staged (yes, the prime-time Saturday night slot) on ITV nationally... And I'm sure you'll find that not a SINGLE Wulfsport jacket was worn! So I'm afraid, as well being shockingly rude - no-one arguing for the World Final ever has to resort to calling those with a different point of view a "loser" or a "gimp" (sic) - you are just 100% inaccurate... At the end of the day, sport is about excitement, glory, entertainment and the tension of white hot competition... I can assure you (as I suspect you never experienced it..) that the World Final had ALL those ingredients, I've been to many, many major sporting events: FA Cup Finals, Rugby World Cup Finals, Cycling, Athletics...: I can assure you that no event has ever got close to matching the sheer excitement and occasion of the World Speedway Final. The world - not just the Speedway world - became a less exciting place the day this great and iconic event was taken from us... It was also the day that the sport began its gradual but inevitable slide into insignificance... You will surely disagree but the facts speak for themselves and I can assure you if you can get excited over a mere qualifying round where who wins is of barely any significance (ie Cardiff-staged early round GPs); then if we come to our senses in time to restore the World Final, you would soon find out what real sporting excellence and excitement is all about... Just leave your Wulfsport anorak at home, eh..!! Tell me where was speedway when we had the last one off world final ? its was dying on it's ass, long gone had Wembley world finals and Tv etc... thou are the facts that speak for themselfs they change it because at the time people were bored stiff by it all . Same old stuff from fans who remember the glory days wanted and thinking that the old stuff will work now ...like the golden helmet, second halfs, test matches etc . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trees 2,814 Posted September 2, 2010 At the end of the day, sport is about excitement, glory, entertainment and the tension of white hot competition... Owwwwwwwww yes cos every ride counted big time in every qualifier and of course hugely in the final, the tension was massive unlike in the GP series ........... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
