27 replies to this topic

[clickhappy]

NBC's refusal to call Lowe's Motor Speedway buy it's proper name, simply because Lowe's hasn't paid NBC any money, is a joke. Lowes did pay NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway for the naming rights.

As it sits the racetrack has tow trucks hooked up to the NBC satellite trailers ready to drag them off.

I hope they do, this attitude taken by the networks is a joke.

http://speedvision.c...AR/011006f.html

[Ross Stonefeld]

I would die laughing if that happened

[RiverRunner]

That would be so funny!
And the best part is that Humpy will do it.

[Chris G.]

Can someone offer a compelling reason why NBC is behaving so???

[inigo]

$

[dirtyboy]

$$$$ NBC has no idea how to televise any sports.

[George Bailey]

Didn't Fox have the same issue earlier in the year when they wouldn't shpw logos on the cars in their graphics until each sponser paid them to do so?

[Earthling]

Gee, then i guess that i will cover the name/sign of the car i drive unless the car manufacturer pays me to show it to ppl that look at it.


*edit: If any of u wanna know what car i drive, u better pay me too.

[FordPrefect]

It's quite simple, a contract is a contract.

from

NASCAR senior vice president George Pyne said the television contract allows networks to elect not to identify a facility by name, but that if a name is used it must be the proper name. That means NBC could not call the track Charlotte Motor Speedway or any other name other than Lowe's Motor Speedway, but that the contract allows the network not to use any name at all.

NBC spokesman Mike McCarley said the network plans to identify Sunday's race as the UAW-GM Quality 500 from Charlotte.

The dispute first came to light around 11 a.m. Saturday when police officers began gathering at the television compound. Around 11:30, wreckers were backed up to a pair of satellite trucks set up to beam signals for the broadcasts. The wreckers did not hook up to the satellite trucks - and weren't big enough to tow the trucks away at any rate.

McCarley said the broadcast rights agreement signed by NBC and TNT with NASCAR is specific on such issues and that Lowe's Motor Speedway knew the policy.

clueless might better describe the track owner and others

[Psychoman]

Personally I never liked that name in the first place
George--for the Daytona 500 they didn't show the sponsors on the cars unless they had paid for advertising during the race. Needless to say this was abandoned afterwards (although I forgot if they continued it for the next race at Rockingham...

[Dudley]

for the Daytona 500 they didn't show the sponsors on the cars unless they had paid for advertising during the race

Presumably you only mean on their graphics, they didn't try to cover up sponsers during live action did they?

[Rob G]

Originally posted by Dudley
Presumably you only mean on their graphics, they didn't try to cover up sponsers during live action did they?

No, just during the introductory starting line-ups when they showed pictures of each car. Although, it wouldn't surprise me if one of the networks tries to blur out the sponsors during the race itself. Kind of like what they do with the faces of people on "Cops".

[ray b]

i still use the old names pre-sellout like firecracker 400!!!!!
popse didnot pay me anything:eek:
and it is was and will be a lotus never a john player sp
they buy and sell names all day long
but i know what to call it. BS

[Slyder]

THis is so pathetic

[Locai]

Cracker Barrel is suing Atlanta Motor Speedway because Fox only mentioned their name a couple of times during the Spring race that Cracker Barrel sponsored.

NASCAR had better get their act straightened out soon. Although they may "legally" be in the clue, they will have a huge mess when it comes to getting sponsorship for races and even for some of the teams in the future. This will almost certainly come back to bite them.

I hope that this nonsense will stop soon.

[Ursus]

And some people think Bernie only thinks about the money. At least he doesn't make all TV stations refer to the race with the official name eg. the Mobil1 German Grand Prix etc.

[NYR2119935]

so what wound up happening??

[vapaokie]

I don't like the name lowes motor speedway on the Charlotte track, myself. Too many years referring to it as Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, in other sports- football, baseball, hockey, the tv stations have no problem refering to a stadium by its corporate sponsor. For example- Mellon Arena (instead of Pittsburgh Civic Center). There are many other places with the same situation. So, I don't know what the hell NBC and FOX are trying to pull with auto racing, when they don't pull this crap with the other major sports. I wouldn't have minded at all if Humpy had towed the trucks, frankly I preferred the ESPN coverage.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Ursus the race wasnt sponsored by Lowes. The track is actually called Lowes. Its not the charlottle motorspeedway, its the Lowes Motorspeedway. Thats precisely why Lowes bought naming rights. Its like in American sports we have Nextel Stadium, and Something Arena.

[FordFan]

Perhaps ironically, here in Miami at least, NBC did not show any of the race due to the updates on the US attacks. I thought that a half hour would have done it, instead of four hours of commentary. At least CBS showed some football.

[Ross Stonefeld]

I caught the race on TNT, I wonder if they transferred the feed

[Mellon]

The scroller at the bottom of the screen on NBC (well at least on CNBC in Europe, I'm assuming it was the same feed) every now and then showed something like "The Nascar race from Charlotte now live on TNT".

[WillieF1]

From ESPN.COM...

NBC, NASCAR kiss and make up
Associated Press

CONCORD, N.C. -- A flap between NBC and Lowe's Motor Speedway was settled Sunday when the network said the track sponsor bought "significant advertising time" for the remaining eight races of the season.

The two sides had argued over the network's refusal to refer to the track by its name because Lowe's Home Improvement had not purchased ad time during NBC's telecasts.

It heated up when track president Humpy Wheeler threatened to tow the satellite trucks off the property and cut their cables. NASCAR intervened and, after several meetings, the issue was settled when Lowe's purchased ad time.

But the entire dispute turned out to be for naught when coverage of the UAW-GM Quality 500 was switched to TNT as NBC covered the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan.

It still drew the ire of NASCAR president Bill France Jr., who reminded the drivers how much the sport has grown in its 53 years before apologizing to NBC Sports president Ken Schanzer during the morning driver meeting.

"This has been embarrassing and I want to apologize publicly on behalf of all the teams for what took place yesterday," France said. "Ken, we're with you guys."

Schanzer, who flew to the track from New Jersey on Saturday to negotiate during the dispute, said NBC was prepared to call the event the "UAW-GM Quality 500 from Charlotte, N.C." if Lowe's had not bought advertising time.

By mentioning the name of the track -- the only one on the circuit with corporate sponsorship -- Schanzer said the network would have been providing free advertising to Lowe's.

"They were under the assumption we would mention the name of the track without them paying for it," Schanzer said. "We're not in that business. The track can sell its naming rights but has to understand that NBC sells its TV time."

Wheeler refused to say if the telecast was ever in actual jeopardy, but remained steadfast in his belief that NBC had was obligated to call the track by its name.

"They claim they can call it the "Race from Charlotte," Wheeler said. "But that's not where it is. The race is in Lowe's Motor Speedway and anything else is splitting hairs."

Looks like NASCAR caved into NBC on this one. I wouldn't see the NFL bowing to NBC on this if they still televised American Football. I seriously doubt that games from Pittsburgh would suddenly be filled with Heinz Ketchup adverts!

[Mellon]

Well, Lowe's ended up getting more publicity this way.

[Mat]

This is pathetic. I watched the busch and Cup race, but this is the first I knew about the incident.

"They were under the assumption we would mention the name of the track without them paying for it," Schanzer said. "We're not in that business. The track can sell its naming rights but has to understand that NBC sells its TV time."

this is ludicrous, how bloody selfish can you get! You call it by its name, not by how much they pay you.

If I changed my name to 'Always Coca-Cola', and I was interviewed on TV, I would expect them to call me 'Mr Coca-Cola', not 'person standing next to me'.

otherwise the coverage has been good, they are trying to copy the atmosphere in the booth which FOX had with Waltrip. They are trying to turn Parsons into the NBC version. Apart from that, its all good.

Mat

[DEVO]

This is so funny... maybe I'll give NASCRAP some attention.

[John B]

I would hope this doesn't detract from time spent on safety study...

Coming next, pay-per-view racing where your favorite drivers are blurred out unless you fork over some $$$$

[George Bailey]

The Denver Broncos front office is pissed off because the local papers call the new staduim 'Mile High', instead of 'Invesco Field at Mile High'. The people naming the staduims, and the people talking about them don't always have the same goal.

What I'm waiting for is when the #2 driver isn't supposed to be called Rusty Wallace any more because Miller beer gave someone a check, and I'll have to refer to him as "Mister Millertime Excitement", or face legal repercussions.