Baja 1000 TV coverage, doing more harm then good

[JrSyko]

I could not be more disappointed with the "tv coverage" this year's Baja 1000 received. Granted, it was produced by the Cops team and Mr. Langley, for which we can all be thankful for providing, however if that is the type of coverage we receive then our sport will never grow to the level where it is attracting corporate dollars and outside sponsors. They took a 2 day race and made it a 20 minute "special" on an adventure series show. How can you be taken seriously as a legitimite motorsport when you are being lumped into an adventure series that's showing urban racing, skiing and bmx biking? SCORE loves to promote the Baja 1000 as the "pinnicle of off-road racing", the "grand daddy of all off-road races" and it is yet the general public will never take it as a serious event when its portrayed like that and lumped alongside those sports. They never even showed or told you who won the race! What kind of "coverage" is that?

I understand that Baja is hard to shoot. However ESPN showed it could be done. Other forms of racing do it. Look at WRC. Look at Dakar. They do it and do it well and there is no reason we can't do it as well. SCORE and NBC need to stop promoting this race as an adventure where people travel down to Baja and try and "survive the elements" but as a serious motorsports RACE. If NBC doesn't want to promote the race in this manner than maybe SCORE should look elsewhere and try and align themselves with an entity that DOES see this as a serious race. Every Baja 1000 I've seen on NBC over the last couple of years all looks the same - tech shots, Sal interview, start shots, silt shots, sexy coast footage, finish line shot and credits. There is no element of serious racing built into it. They try and sell an adventure, don't show an adventure show a RACE!

My job is to find sponsors for athletes and teams and its hard enough finding brands to invest in sports that have great tv coverage - supercross, rally cross, NASCAR etc. The product being put out by NBC and SCORE right now will not attract sponsorship dollars and until they change how its shown and marketed it never will.

Point of clarification - I am not trying to slam what COPS did with this broadcast, they paid for it and are entitled to shoot it as they want and obviously they are going to promote their team. My gripe is with SCORE for allowing this as it doesn't do the sport as a whole any good. Sometimes its better to say no and wait for the right opportunity then to sell out your sport just to try and get a little media. When you are trying to build a brand and be taken seriously not all media is good media.

[SPONSOR]

Membership in the largest desert racing community has its advantages - Participate in Forum Discussions - Send and Receive Private Messages - Maintain Public Photo Albums - Access to Groups - User Profile in our Social Network - Increased Access to more Sub Forums - Reduced Online Advertisements Join our community today

[INI]

Well Said....How can this sport get back to what we grew up with.
I recall the "big Time" broadcasters doing a great job. We need that back

I could not be more disappointed with the "tv coverage" this year's Baja 1000 received. Granted, it was produced by the Cops team and Mr. Langley, for which we can all be thankful for providing, however if that is the type of coverage we receive then our sport will never grow to the level where it is attracting corporate dollars and outside sponsors. They took a 2 day race and made it a 20 minute "special" on an adventure series show. How can you be taken seriously as a legitimite motorsport when you are being lumped into an adventure series that's showing urban racing, skiing and bmx biking? SCORE loves to promote the Baja 1000 as the "pinnicle of off-road racing", the "grand daddy of all off-road races" and it is yet the general public will never take it as a serious event when its portrayed like that and lumped alongside those sports. They never even showed or told you who won the race! What kind of "coverage" is that?

I understand that Baja is hard to shoot. However ESPN showed it could be done. Other forms of racing do it. Look at WRC. Look at Dakar. They do it and do it well and there is no reason we can't do it as well. SCORE and NBC need to stop promoting this race as an adventure where people travel down to Baja and try and "survive the elements" but as a serious motorsports RACE. If NBC doesn't want to promote the race in this manner than maybe SCORE should look elsewhere and try and align themselves with an entity that DOES see this as a serious race. Every Baja 1000 I've seen on NBC over the last couple of years all looks the same - tech shots, Sal interview, start shots, silt shots, sexy coast footage, finish line shot and credits. There is no element of serious racing built into it. They try and sell an adventure, don't show an adventure show a RACE!

My job is to find sponsors for athletes and teams and its hard enough finding brands to invest in sports that have great tv coverage - supercross, rally cross, NASCAR etc. The product being put out by NBC and SCORE right now will not attract sponsorship dollars and until they change how its shown and marketed it never will.

Point of clarification - I am not trying to slam what COPS did with this broadcast, they paid for it and are entitled to shoot it as they want and obviously they are going to promote their team. My gripe is with SCORE for allowing this as it doesn't do the sport as a whole any good. Sometimes its better to say no and wait for the right opportunity then to sell out your sport just to try and get a little media. When you are trying to build a brand and be taken seriously not all media is good media.

[Scrapiron]

At least we had some coverage. Why don't you get your own equipment and do a better job!!! You just pissed that you were not shown on TV?

[JWK Motorsports]

At least we had some coverage. Why don't you get your own equipment and do a better job!!! You just pissed that you were not shown on TV?

+1 just because it was an hour last year doesn't mean it will always be... sheesh you guys sound like occupiers.. everything should be given to you huh

[pdailey]

I get what Travis is saying.

Production companies aren't going to just do this for "us" on their own dime. At some point, SCORE needs to step up and as Travis says "Invest in itself".

[Scrapiron]

This is how quality people help our sport.

Just to clear up what happened with the NBC coverage -- Aura 360 came to us like a week before the race, and told us that basically, because sponsors had dropped out, that they wouldn't be doing the 1 hour coverage. They asked us if we'd be willing to contribute footage of our team, because they still had 15 minutes to fill, and they didn't have the time or the money to get a production together. Because we were planning on filming our team anyway, we offered to give them all of our footage for free. Aura was provided with footage, and they cut and produced this short segment for NBC. That's the real story of this thing. Like everybody else, we'd rather see a full hour of coverage on the thousand. In this case, we did what we could to help Aura 360.

Thank you to everyone for the positive comments!

[JrSyko]

At least we had some coverage. Why don't you get your own equipment and do a better job!!! You just pissed that you were not shown on TV?

No not at all and spoken like someone who clearly doesn't get how to attrack sponsorship. Not all exposure is good exposure. If I had an outside sponsor interested in possibly sponsoring a team and showed them that they would laugh and kindly pass on the opportunity. SCORE needs to invest in itself and promote its self better if it ever wants to grow and reach that next level.

[JrSyko]

This is how quality people help our sport.

Re-read the last part of my post, this wasn't an attack on COPS or the Langley's. Its SCORE'S responsibility to market THEIR race and when everything fell through on the tv sponsorships they should have stepped in and put up the money to do it right or pass and save it for a better opportunity.

But what do I know, this is only what I do for a job everyday. You clearly know more than I.

[Zambo]

I stopped at "legitimate Motorsport". That would imply a clear set of rules that is professionally promulgated.

[Andy Mac]

Welcome to the Internet Travis. Where, even if you are the expert, people still know more than you, or at least they like to think they do.

Thanks for trying to better our sport by sharing your opinion and giving ideas on how to make the coverage better. And I agree 1000% with you Travis.

My opinion: We need people like Mad Media, Jim Cook, as well as all the other very talented videographers (Langley, Tuba, cactus films, 4 days actions, zoo rd productions, and anyone else I left out) to put all the footage together from each resource possible and make one kick a s s show.

Then, you throw Cam Steele in as announcer (someone who actually knows whats going on, and wont say "here's the leader coming thru Ojos" when the footage is of the leader going over the summit. I watch hours of YouTube videos and cactus/4days videos, and there is great footage in places you don't usually see photogs/videogs. Combine that with Mad Media footage, Jim Cook footage, and Langley footage. I don't understand. There's no reason why it can't be done. Or maybe there is and none of us know it?