NO TV coverage for 1st round?

[JayJ79]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

CFU broadcasting the game locally on CFU live would cost next to nothing. If Cedar Falls High School can broadcast a student ran show live, I'm pretty sure CFU and UNI can afford to broadcast a PLAYOFF game for crying out loud.

That's the whole point here. It'd be one thing if it was a regular season game, but to have a playoff game untelevised is pretty ridiculous. We sit here on this board arguing that FCS football is every bit as good as BCS football, yet our playoff games aren't on television. That makes us look pretty small time.

It's not so much the production costs. It is the fact that if it is on TV, then there is a segment of the public who will chose not to attend the game if they can watch it on TV instead. And that means fewer ticket sales, and the athletic department takes a financial hit.

[Chitown Panther]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

20 times in history? Locally? RIGHT. A little more than that.

CFU broadcasting the game locally on CFU live would cost next to nothing. If Cedar Falls High School can broadcast a student ran show live, I'm pretty sure CFU and UNI can afford to broadcast a PLAYOFF game for crying out loud.

That's the whole point here. It'd be one thing if it was a regular season game, but to have a playoff game untelevised is pretty ridiculous. We sit here on this board arguing that FCS football is every bit as good as BCS football, yet our playoff games aren't on television. That makes us look pretty small time.

I did not me to single you out. I apologize. There is no way I would miss this game if I lived within a 6 hour drive. I don't work weekends, so my perspective is different.

[PantherObserver]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

It's not so much the production costs. It is the fact that if it is on TV, then there is a segment of the public who will chose not to attend the game if they can watch it on TV instead. And that means fewer ticket sales, and the athletic department takes a financial hit.

I think the effect of this is extremely minimal and blown way out of proportion.

The fact is, we live in a multimedia age. If you want your product to be seen as big time and get coverage/interest, you need television. If your football team is playing post season football, I'd think you'd want as many people to see the game as possible. Whether they are there or not. In order to build excitement around your product. Yes I understand they want to make money via ticket sales, but selling a few extra tickets to one game I think negates the impact of a few thousand watching the game on TV on a whim and possibly getting hooked on Panther football and potentially buying multiple tickets in the future.

I just think for a D-1 program, it's a joke. This isn't the regular season, this is the PLAYOFFS

[JayJ79]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

I think the effect of this is extremely minimal and blown way out of proportion.

The fact is, we live in a multimedia age. If you want your product to be seen as big time and get coverage/interest, you need television. If your football team is playing post season football, I'd think you'd want as many people to see the game as possible. Whether they are there or not. In order to build excitement around your product. Yes I understand they want to make money via ticket sales, but selling a few extra tickets to one game I think negates the impact of a few thousand watching the game on TV on a whim and possibly getting hooked on Panther football and potentially buying multiple tickets in the future.

I just think for a D-1 program, it's a joke. This isn't the regular season, this is the PLAYOFFS

I think the effect of having the game televised on "building excitement around your product" is extremely minimal and blown way out of proportion.

If TV coverage had as big of an effect as you claim, then all the coverage of last year and this year should have yielded a quick sellout for this game.
And if ticket sales were strong enough for the game, then UNI would have authorized the TV coverage, like they did last year.

but obviously that aint' happening this time around.

[Panther-Sheik]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

We sit here on this board arguing that FCS football is every bit as good as BCS football, yet our playoff games aren't on television. That makes us look pretty small time.

Sorry, it isn't the fact that a local cable T.V. / public access channel isn't going to carry the game that makes us look "small time"...it's the fact that we won't be able to get 16,000 people in a metro of 120,000 off their arses to actually watch the game live. Just my opinion, of course.

BTW...I hear that students really need to check their email on Thursday. Stay tuned and hopefully see you in the Dome on Saturday.

[BCPanther]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

There is a pretty easy solution here...

If we sellout, I bet the game ends up on TV...

[UNIFanSince1983]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

Even if they don't have it on TV they are going to take a financial hit. The ticket sales haven't been what they were last year even during the regular season. If you want more people to come to games don't worry about whether it is on TV worry about how much you are charging. The truth is last year it helped being undefeated, but it also helped tickets were cheaper. TV is not going to make that much of a difference.

You do realize a lot of the people coming to the games aren't necessarily in CF. And if the game is televised on CFU you can only get it if you live in Cedar Falls.

[Panther-Sheik]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

Even if they don't have it on TV they are going to take a financial hit. The ticket sales haven't been what they were last year even during the regular season. If you want more people to come to games don't worry about whether it is on TV worry about how much you are charging. The truth is last year it helped being undefeated, but it also helped tickets were cheaper. TV is not going to make that much of a difference.

You do realize a lot of the people coming to the games aren't necessarily in CF. And if the game is televised on CFU you can only get it if you live in Cedar Falls.

Actually revenues are WAY up this year...even without the sellouts you are referring to. I think the administration will make adjustments for next year ($99 season tix), but this year has been a huge success $$ wise no matter what.

[PantherObserver]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

Actually revenues are WAY up this year...even without the sellouts you are referring to. I think the administration will make adjustments for next year ($99 season tix), but this year has been a huge success $$ wise no matter what.

If that's the case, there is no excuse for them prohibiting a playoff game from being televised because they think they might sell a few extra tickets. All in all, I think we would have roughly the same attendance regardless of if it's on TV or not and the athletic department is doing more harm than good for their product by not getting it out there to the masses at the biggest point of the year.

The economic crisis hasn't helped us in selling tickets this year either.

[06panther10]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

There is a pretty easy solution here...

If we sellout, I bet the game ends up on TV...

Bingo! This is the same situation as last year folks.

[JayJ79]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

If that's the case, there is no excuse for them prohibiting a playoff game from being televised because they think they might sell a few extra tickets. All in all, I think we would have roughly the same attendance regardless of if it's on TV or not and the athletic department is doing more harm than good for their product by not getting it out there to the masses at the biggest point of the year.

Of course there is an excuse: the University holds the broadcast rights for their own football games. And the people in charge, whose job it is to do what is best for the University and it's athletic program, have decided that it is more beneficial to not televise it.

I'd like to have the game televised to, so that I could record it for my collection. But I trust that the people in charge know more about the economics of the situation than I do.


And besides, the first round isn't the biggest point of the year.

[PantherObserver]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

Of course there is an excuse: the University holds the broadcast rights for their own football games. And the people in charge, whose job it is to do what is best for the University and it's athletic program, have decided that it is more beneficial to not televise it.

I'd like to have the game televised to, so that I could record it for my collection. But I trust that the people in charge know more about the economics of the situation than I do.


And besides, the first round isn't the biggest point of the year.

Your first paragraph, obviously yes that is the case. The entire point of this post is voicing my opinion that I believe that is a very wrong decision on their part. it's not like this university hasn't made some boneheaded moves in the past. This is a message board, a place for voicing your opinion. That is mine.

I thought it was pretty clear I meant the Playoffs in general were the biggest/most exciting part of the year, not the first round specifically. Should have specified, sorry about that.

[JayJ79]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

I thought it was pretty clear I meant the Playoffs in general were the biggest/most exciting part of the year, not the first round specifically. Should have specified, sorry about that.

And if the Panthers win this saturday, I'm fairly confident that the quarterfinal game WILL be on TV. There is no holiday to interfere next week (well, Dec. 7 is the aniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which certainly deserves rememberance. But not as many people travel for that as do for turkey day). And ticket sales are historically stronger for that round. Plus I think ESPN might produce the quarterfinal games for syndication and their espn360.

[joecooll6]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

I think the effect of this is extremely minimal and blown way out of proportion.

The fact is, we live in a multimedia age. If you want your product to be seen as big time and get coverage/interest, you need television. If your football team is playing post season football, I'd think you'd want as many people to see the game as possible. Whether they are there or not. In order to build excitement around your product. Yes I understand they want to make money via ticket sales, but selling a few extra tickets to one game I think negates the impact of a few thousand watching the game on TV on a whim and possibly getting hooked on Panther football and potentially buying multiple tickets in the future.

I just think for a D-1 program, it's a joke. This isn't the regular season, this is the PLAYOFFS

I agree to an extent. I know quite a few people in DM who would have absolutely no intention of going to the game but would watch it on TV if it were on. I've spoken to some people who know Im a really big Panther backer who have told me they are planning to watch our game on TV, only to find out it wont be on. Spreading awareness of UNI and getting people tuned into what were doing is part of it.

It will be impossible to truely tell how many more people are at the game because they couldnt watch it on TV. I wish there was a way to measure it to see if it has a big impact.

[kpanther]

Re: NO TV coverage for 1st round?

20 times in history? Locally? RIGHT. A little more than that.

CFU broadcasting the game locally on CFU live would cost next to nothing. If Cedar Falls High School can broadcast a student ran show live, I'm pretty sure CFU and UNI can afford to broadcast a PLAYOFF game for crying out loud.

That's the whole point here. It'd be one thing if it was a regular season game, but to have a playoff game untelevised is pretty ridiculous. We sit here on this board arguing that FCS football is every bit as good as BCS football, yet our playoff games aren't on television. That makes us look pretty small time.

PantherObserver needs to check the facts when he says that broadcasting the game locally on CFU would cost next to nothing. Either PantherObserver is a very rich individaul and the cost may be "next to nothing" for him, or he simply doesn't know the facts.