I hate it when I am wrong!

[ShootingArts]

I hate it when I am wrong. I was skeptical of the IPT for a lot of reasons but in all honesty it was hard to imagine that they could do the pool world much harm so the umpteen to one shot that something good might come of the tour or at least the possibility of a few dollars going into the pockets of some of the Hall of Famers and top pro's seemed worth the risk.

Now I see that the "World Eight Ball Championship" that had little to do with a world championship, competition, or pool, is going to be heavily broadcast and become the face of pool for many outsiders. This event was televised as it was announced it would be, it now deserves a quick burial and the lessons learned should be applied to improve the next production. There was so little pool shown that this show doesn't even have the feel of a pool match. Also the overall package falls well short of a quality production mainly due to brutal editing of the actual pool and poor commentary. I now see how the IPT can do great harm to the game that I thought couldn't be drug any lower.

It appears the naysayers were right. No situation is so bad that somebody can't come along and figure out how to make it worse. If this production pleases the IPT so much that they intend to air it as widely as indicated I wish KT had decided to sponsor a cow chip throwing competition instead of pool although I really don't have anything against cow chip throwers.

Hu

 

[rackmsuckr]

Guys, let's not take everything so seriously! This was meant to be a hyped EXHIBITION match. While it could have been better in commentary and the amount of actual pool shown, its purpose was to ignite interest in pool and reveal it in a different light. It has already been said that this is going to be handled differently than pool in the past - as in more reality-like interviews and following players around for a different angle, and more glitz like poker with the stars and escorts. They are trying to hit the demographics of the 18-35 crowd (MTV X and Y Generations) with their shorter attention spans. Almost every business tries to attract that demographic segment.

I think most of the solution to that broadcast could have been found on the cutting room floor!

We need to see what the coverage of the KOH tournament will be and start judging coverage of real pool before we get our panties in a wad. Being able to tread in the world of the neophyte as well as to us jaded viewers is no small feat. You have to start somewhere, give feedback, and improve. That is what drives every project in business.

As for bringing pool down, are you kidding? This coverage to come over 300 air times is unprecedented coverage for pool. I don't care if pool is shown on beer commercials - if it drives just one more person to our sport, then we as pool players will have succeeded.

 

[ShootingArts]

success

Linda,

Bringing a few to the sport and driving many potential watchers/players away is not success! I agree with you that a huge part of the problem with the show was the editing however I also suspect that this was the choice of KT. When he uses this to hype his tour the production looks like the shape of things to come. If it is he will indeed damage pool, which I thought was impossible.

Watch the taping again, without the rose colored glasses on. Look at it as someone would who was only mildly interested in pool. Can you really say that anything about what you watched would encourage you to play pool? Would anything about it encourage you to sit through another KT pool production?

Had they given this first effort a short showing and fast burial I would say that they intended to learn from it. Trying to use it as the keystone to build viewer interest indicates that they think this type of program is acceptable to viewers. Looks like KT finds the same size audience his other infomercials gets acceptable for the pool shows.

Hu

 

[wayne]

I hate it when I am wrong. I was skeptical of the IPT for a lot of reasons but in all honesty it was hard to imagine that they could do the pool world much harm so the umpteen to one shot that something good might come of the tour or at least the possibility of a few dollars going into the pockets of some of the Hall of Famers and top pro's seemed worth the risk.

Now I see that the "World Eight Ball Championship" that had little to do with a world championship, competition, or pool, is going to be heavily broadcast and become the face of pool for many outsiders. This event was televised as it was announced it would be, it now deserves a quick burial and the lessons learned should be applied to improve the next production. There was so little pool shown that this show doesn't even have the feel of a pool match. Also the overall package falls well short of a quality production mainly due to brutal editing of the actual pool and poor commentary. I now see how the IPT can do great harm to the game that I thought couldn't be drug any lower.

It appears the naysayers were right. No situation is so bad that somebody can't come along and figure out how to make it worse. If this production pleases the IPT so much that they intend to air it as widely as indicated I wish KT had decided to sponsor a cow chip throwing competition instead of pool although I really don't have anything against cow chip throwers.

Hu

Uhh, the guy has made a few hundred million with his marketing ideas and products, he probably knows more about what he is doing and what works than you do (just a wild guess, you could be a multimillionaire genius marketer).

Wayne

 

[bobroberts]

I thought it was on par with ballbreakers.i believe that show has already been dropped.I also dont think you have to educate people on how to play pool or english.I believe even bangers kinda know the difference.The 1st show the IPT did was just plain boring.If they dont revamp then it will go bye bye also.
I would like it to succeed but its not looking good.maybe the Orlando event will be better.

 

[catscradle]

I thought it was on par with ballbreakers.i believe that show has already been dropped.I also dont think you have to educate people on how to play pool or english.I believe even bangers kinda know the difference.The 1st show the IPT did was just plain boring.If they dont revamp then it will go bye bye also.
I would like it to succeed but its not looking good.maybe the Orlando event will be better.

As bad as ballbangers is (was?), this was worse.

 

[jjinfla]

Well it really doesn't matter if WE don't like it because WE are not bringing any money into the game for the pros. All that matters is that it can draw viewers who will in turn draw sponsors who in turn will provide a paycheck for the pros.

In eleven more days we will see.

In the meantime I would suggest that everyone help promote the IPT rather than criticize it. Unless you really want it to fail. A self fullfilling profecy.

Then, if it fails, you can all languor in self pity and I told you so's. And go back to playing meaningless non-profitable tournaments where you travel hundreds of miles, waste a few days of your life, and be lucky if you can break even.

So far I know that there are two people who think it is great. And in a couple weeks there will in all probability be 42 more people who will think it is good. Then we will see what 2006 brings.

Jake

 

[vagabond]

something good might come of the tour or at least the possibility of a few dollars going into the pockets of some of the Hall of Famers and top pro's seemed worth the risk.

Hu

Can u please tell me about the nature of the risk?

 

[sjm]

I have to agree with those that suggest we should wait for the King of the Hill event before we judge. Yes, the match was tough viewing for the serious, accomplished player, but the serious player is not the target market of the IPT, and that's understandable.

I remain optimistic that the IPT will deliver a superior TV product.

 

[ShootingArts]

pool is growing

Can u please tell me about the nature of the risk?

Pool is growing, just not at the rate many of us wish for. Putting on a farce can stunt that growth as could a "bigtime" promoter leaving a lot of unpaid large bills behind when they bailed out of pool. There are always risks and unintended consequences to almost anything.

As I have already said, I felt that it was almost impossible to harm pool. However KT's first production would bore any but the most hardcore pool fanatic to tears and was pretty offensive to anyone who played anything but eight ball on KT's idea of what professional equipment should be and according to his idea of what rules should be.

Hu

 

[ShootingArts]

question for you?

Uhh, the guy has made a few hundred million with his marketing ideas and products, he probably knows more about what he is doing and what works than you do (just a wild guess, you could be a multimillionaire genius marketer).

Wayne

Wayne,

What percentage of his market did he have to appeal to to make the dollars he did? Late night hucksters can always sell to the desperate. The problem is that the market he alleges to be trying to reach is the nonpoolplayer, nonwatcher of current pool programming, not desperate people. He marketed his products to primarily people who felt they were out of options. TV viewers have dozens of other options besides watching pool. Anyone that can watch his first pool production and find it anything but unappealing to the masses is truly kidding themselves.

Viewers without a strong interest in pool would be likely to bail in a few minutes or watch just to see how obnoxious the commentators would get. Back thirty years or so ago, some friends and I used to get together and go listen to perhaps the world's worst barroom band simply because it was so bad it was funny. Likewise, were I under the influence I might have found KT's production entertaining for the same reason. Perhaps that was the reason for the late night showing!

Hu

 

[Nostroke]

I have to agree with those that suggest we should wait for the King of the Hill event before we judge. Yes, the match was tough viewing for the serious, accomplished player, but the serious player is not the target market of the IPT, and that's understandable.

I remain optimistic that the IPT will deliver a superior TV product.

Hi SJM-You concede that 'we' are not and shouldnt be the target market, yet you remain confident that the IPT will deliver a superior TV product. To who?

 

[straybullet]

Well it really doesn't matter if WE don't like it because WE are not bringing any money into the game for the pros. All that matters is that it can draw viewers who will in turn draw sponsors who in turn will provide a paycheck for the pros.

In eleven more days we will see.

In the meantime I would suggest that everyone help promote the IPT rather than criticize it. Unless you really want it to fail. A self fullfilling profecy.

Then, if it fails, you can all languor in self pity and I told you so's. And go back to playing meaningless non-profitable tournaments where you travel hundreds of miles, waste a few days of your life, and be lucky if you can break even.

So far I know that there are two people who think it is great. And in a couple weeks there will in all probability be 42 more people who will think it is good. Then we will see what 2006 brings.

Jake

Ok, Jake, you lost me here. Why should we support something if it doesn't matter whether or not we like it? I know... I shook my head too.

Listen, the program wasn't the best. I find it silly that Deno says that its going to be played 300 times. Wow. That's great. Like watching Trick Shot Magic 300 times a year has done wonders for pool's exposure. If he wants to effectively market this tour, why do I feel (as someone that enjoys pool) as if I'm being force fed? Like it or else? That's basically what you're saying. I'm glad that all of these players are finally going to get money, but I don't think we should support it because of that. I think KT should listen to feedback and make any necessary changes that need to be made. I'm sorry, but I agree with Bob Roberts. I was so bored with it that I fell asleep. The parts I watched were marred by Truedeau's annoying blibber-blabber. I believe that if he can't get a thumbs up from us, he won't get it elsewhere. Are the ratings out yet? That is all that FSN is going to care about - the numbers. Each Nielsen ratings point = 1,102,000 households. Here's al ist of last week's top 10 cable programs:

1 NFL Regular Season L (Browns/Steelers) ESPN 6.6 9,820,000
2 SpongeBob NICK 4.5 7,934,000
3 SpongeBob NICK 3.5 5,473,000
3 SpongeBob NICK 3.5 5,607,000
5 Coll Ftball-Sat Prime L (Auburn/Georgia) ESPN 3.2 4,850,000
6 SpongeBob NICK 3.1 4,695,000
6 SpongeBob NICK 3.1 5,410,000
6 Fairly Odd Parents NICK 3.1 4,735,000
6 NFL Prime Time L ESPN 3.1 4,497,000
6 SpongeBob NICK 3.1 4,577,000

I'm sorry, but SpongeBob is kicking some major ass!

Why are ratings important?

NielsenTV ratings are used like currency in the marketplace of advertiser-supported TV. When advertisers want a commercial to reach an audience, they need to place it in TV programs which deliver an audience. The more audience a program delivers, the more the commercial time is worth to advertisers. So the amount charged for advertising is usually a negotiated rate per thousand viewers multiplied by the Nielsen Media Research audience estimate (in thousands).

Programs are expensive to produce, whether they attract large audiences or not. In the long run, TV programmers can't pay more for a program than they can earn from selling advertising in it.
From:
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/whatratingsmean/index.html



This means he must deliver in the time slots he occupies, or he won't be there very long.

 

[jjinfla]

Well stray one I suppose we will have to wait to find out who KT's target audiance is. Pool players are notorius for not supporting a tournament. As soon as they lose twice, they pack up their cues, collect any winnings, and leave. They care less about who is playing for 1st and 2nd. All they know is it is not them.

So I seriously doubt that players are his target audiance.

Every now and then I will watch soccer on TV and I have no idea what the rules are other than you get a point if you put the ball in the goal. And I have never, ever heard an announcer spend any time explaining the rules.

But I am sure that you know that it is repetition that sells on TV. That is why you see a commercial over and over and over. Why, because studies have proven that is what sells.

I am sure that the players who will be participating in Orlando hope that they will appear on TV. Sure would be nice. Some might even become household names.

Buddy Hall just won the Senior's tournament and I am sure quite a few people have met him and/or have heard of him but who has heard of the man he beat? I heard of him but have never met him or watched him play. I am sure the general public probably wouldn't know any of the other players. Such is the glory of pool.

Jake

 

[Cornerman]

Buddy Hall just won the Senior's tournament and I am sure quite a few people have met him and/or have heard of him but who has heard of the man he beat? I heard of him but have never met him or watched him play.

My guess is that the number of people outside the pool world who have heard of Buddy Hall is about the same number of people outside of the pool world that have heard of the man he beat, Wade "Billy Johnson" Crane. Somewhere around zero.

In my league area, I doubt there are five people who have a clue who Buddy Hall is. And probably two who ever heard of Wade Crane.

Fred

 

[Nick B]

What did you expect?

Lying in front of the camera is woven into his DNA. I was sure he could not let this opportunity go by and not spend at least 60 percent of the time speaking/declaring/overstating half-truths and other out right lies.

The man can't help it. He's always on. The problem is not that MS & LDJ played and are currently not top shelf. Each had a period when they were considered best in class.

Some things cannot be overlooked. The man doesn't just steal. He prays on the weak and ill. Look people and companies always overstate the benefits of their product. I expect that. The whole production looked like a cheesy infomercial. The quality of the pool is what it is. Earl & Efren could have played for 500K winner takes all race to 21 and stink up the joint. It happens.

Don't be meatheads.
Nick

 

[Nostroke]

Everyone sems to think that pool fans are not his intended audience.

If serious pool fans are not his audience then why no jump sticks?Then why no breaking from the side, no shot clock? Why tight pockets? Why old timers? No one but the serious pool fans cares about these things or knows those guys.

These things are certainly not going to make the game more interesting or exciting. In fact each new 'rule' seems to go out of its way to make the game less exciting for the newbie. Go figure- I can't.

 

[Gerald]

Who of the naysayer's can come up with a better idea and the $ to do something that they feel is better? Quite a few of the HOF players are finally getting a chance to reap a reward. Are all of you looking for another Mackey? I hope that you don't bring this type of negativity to other aspects of your life. You are not the target market and deservedly so as most of you, I suspect, don't support the sport in any meaningful manner. I know that when a good tournament is in the county few of the pool room regulars show up. I hope the whole thing is a success and I give the man props for trying. If it is not a success I can still rent table time and hope that someone else with cojones & $ comes along and tries something else, which I'm sure will get knocked on a forum by those who do nothing of note for the sport.

 

[Nick B]

Smell the coffee

Who of the naysayer's can come up with a better idea and the $ to do something that they feel is better? Quite a few of the HOF players are finally getting a chance to reap a reward. Are all of you looking for another Mackey? I hope that you don't bring this type of negativity to other aspects of your life. You are not the target market and deservedly so as most of you, I suspect, don't support the sport in any meaningful manner. I know that when a good tournament is in the county few of the pool room regulars show up. I hope the whole thing is a success and I give the man props for trying. If it is not a success I can still rent table time and hope that someone else with cojones & $ comes along and tries something else, which I'm sure will get knocked on a forum by those who do nothing of note for the sport.

The man sells hope to those with none. After all this is a game. It is not a birthright to make a living even if you are the best in the world. Not understanding what this guy is about is just wrong. It's not about balls…the man is using this as a vehicle to sell his product...period full stop. Winston sponsored racing to cell cigarettes. Not for the good of a bunch of good old boys. Thankfully we didn't have to listen the chairman of a tobacco company telling us that cigarettes are good for us during the race.

Nick

 

[Mr. Wilson]

It's not about balls…the man is using this as a vehicle to sell his product...period full stop. Nick

Is there a such thing anywhere that the paying sponsor is NOT selling his product?

Who does this anywhere for free?


It is entertainment. It is being packaged as entertainment.

For our intrests though, we are looking at the competitive aspects ( and the pur$e ).

Somebody has to provide that money for that prize to happen.

NOTHING is FREE.

IMO, all the critics need to put up or shut up.