iacas said:
A few things of note...
2. There are, oh, 20x as many golfers in the U.S. as there are pool players.
Well, a bit of an exagerration, Eric. Estimates are that there are over 55 million pool players in the US. 20 times that would be in excess of 1 Billion golfers in the US. Our population is probably less than 300 million, so....
...but, I get your point. As much as I'd like to see a Billiards Channel (I'd watch it as much as my old lady watches HGTV), I have concerns that it would be successful. If I had the money and were willing to invest it in such a venture, I think there would be some key elements that would be necessary to appeal to the average poolplayer.
1. INSTRUCTIONAL SHOWS Not 30 second segments that say "if you hit this low outside, then you'll make the shot and get position" but half hour instructional shows from reputable instructors and players. Don't restrict this to fundamentals only... go with everything from making a simple cut shot to how to set up Kamura's Starburst shot. Be sure it's not boring. Feature instructors who have personality and the ability to verbally communicate their knowledge. Make these Instructional Shows interesting and informative, not only for the beginner and intermediate player, but for the more advanced player.
2. MATCHES SHOWN IN FULL! EVEN THE MISCUES AND BAD SHOTS! I feel like the average poolplayer, while he likes to see runouts, enjoys knowing that a pro can blow a shot now and then, also. Example, when I golfed, I loved watching over and over on ESPN when Tom Kite topped a drive and sent it a glaring 50 yards into the crowd. Made me realize that even the pros can screw up just like me.
3. ARTISTIC POOL. The average player will watch Mike Massey and Tom Rossman go at it with a lot more intensity than they'll watch Duell and Strickland.
4. REALITY BASED SHOWS. Hell, go golfing with Johnny Archer, fishing with Earl, etc... Show what their life is like AWAY from pool. Make them human and make them recognizable names for something other than pool. But also, as someone suggested, go into the pool rooms and practice rooms and show the woofing and gambling.
5. PLACES TO PLAY. Feature a nice pool room in a different part of the country every week. Have a motorhome with a small production crew and a few players go to different places. Interview and play with the locals. MAKE POOL FUN!
6. CLOTHING. Clothing that this imaginary network had interest in and would give the advertises great rates in exchange for a percentage of sales for endorsing the products. Have Ecco make a line of pool shoes that are advertised on the networks, have Polo make a line of poolplayers shirts, have Old Navy have Billiard Britches, etc. How many golfers do you know that wear a particular shirt because that's what their favorite pro player wears, or a hat, or a pair of shoes.
7. PLAYER FEATURES. Do features on players that are known to the general public, both living, like Mike Segal, Buddy Hall, Keith McCready and those passed, like Willie Mosoni, Ralph Greenleaf, Cowboy Jimmie Moore. Do a 30 minute or hour long "This is the life of..." show on these players. Do the living players in an inteview format, starting with their beginnings in pool, to their exploits, to their most memorable moments in gambling or tournament play, to what's important to them when they aren't at the table. Do the features on those passed from this world like a historical documentary. You would NEVER run out of great players, both living and dead, on whom to do features.
Now, All of those things would be easy to do, easy to arrange, so what else would it take.
MAJOR ADVERTISING! That's the hard part. How does the poolplaying community garner the Advertising purchase and support of companies like Nike, Merrell (best shoes I've ever played pool in), Sears, Best Western, Motel 6, AutoZone, Pizza Hut, etc. Oh, it would be easy to pull in Brunswick, Imperial USA, Olhausen, McDermott, and billiards related companies, but such a network would need big non-pool related advertisers with big budgets and big names (Jordan, Woods, etc.). I think it would be a hard road, but not one that couldn't be travelled. It can be done... after all, look at all the years that Winston sponsored NASCAR. They never made an automotive part in their history, but they sure got a lot of exposure from a venue that was once as "in the closet" as pool. At first, it would be necessary to PROVE the advertising worth to the big companies with the big budgets, but once you did, hey, you might have a shot at them. Think, if the "Pool Channel" were to show solid studies to a company like Motel 6, showing how many players travel to overnight tournaments, like the Midwest 9-Ball Tour, The Viking Tour, the Fast Eddies Tour, etc, and made a rate deal with the chain, in exchange for a recommending them when they pushed the tournaments on TV, well, that might bring ONE big "non-pool related" advertiser on board and that may get the attention of other big advertisers.
In any case, I don't have the money to make a home video of playing pool, much less start a network, but the right person with the right vision and the right attitude MIGHT be able to make it work.
Just my thoughts,
Bob
