THANK YOU DCI!

[drumcat]

PBS was dropping it, and it was clearly inconsistent. Arizona, for years, wouldn't get it until Thanksgiving...

The point about whole shows... yes, they are being cut down, but that's because some very good advice is being given to them suggesting that people that are not regular junkies like us will not sit through 11 minutes. They just won't. Most n00bs like it 3-5 minutes...

As Billy Joel said, "If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit... so they cut it down to 3:05."

[Michael Boo]

My main disappointment with DCI moving the telecast to ESPN2 is that it excludes Canadian audiences. Before, when it was on PBS, at least Canadians with access to a PBS affiliate could watch the finals telecast. Now we can't.

What is this place called Canadian? Is it like an alternate dimension of being?

[Tom Brace]

I certainly haven't made this argument. Are you saying the two methods are absolutely, mutually exclusive?

This is the ONLY audience? Again, why is this mutually exclusive. They can still do those things, even if there is a live TV broadcast. Or a Finals theater show.

I've got an iPod and DVR. Plenty into the whole technology scene. I've watched drum corps in pretty much any medium available. Whether or not a corps has a better Quarters or Semis performance has absolutely nothing to do with the discussion. Period. (How often have you planned on attending only Quarters or Semis because they might have some better performances?)

Sorry Tom, but this makes no sense at all. Who's saying they want "something for nothing." Does the current format require anyone to pay? Showing 5 corps + scores (live) should be paid only? I don't get it. I'm offering to PAY to see Finals live, in a theater. I still don't think this is going to affect Finals attendance as dramatically as you say it will. Not by a long shot. (Again, 1994 had this and yet Finals attendence for that year was very high. Higher than any following year, save this one.) The people that are going to shell out and travel to Finals aren't going to change their minds because of an available Finals theater show. Or live TV broadcast. If anything, DCI will make more money because folk like myself (hell, maybe even a teenager or two) will pay to see it as well.

Corey...I beg to differ. You don't think like someone in marketing and that's ok. Marketing people design their products for a target audience. I claim DCIs taget audience for their product is future marchers (14-21 year olds). We may differ on this but that's my opinion. As such, the broadcast is put together to draw this demographic toward an action. Mostly to visit the dci.org website. It's also set up to promote all the cool toys and uniforms and whatnot during the commercials.

Again, we can disagree, but what I stated are fairly reliable overall trends for the current 14-21 year olds. 1. They watch less tv than the generation before them. 2. They are on their cell phones, laptops and I-Pod type devices more than the previous generation. 3. They have little qualms about sharing media and often "blend" the line between legality and illegality regarding downloaded and obtained media.

So, again. I believe DCI has done the demographic checks and they show a tease of 10 corps and some human interest stories and I also think the Steve Young thing was a surprise for them but they had to get it in the broadcast. Anyway...DCI will NEVER again put complete shows on TV for free. It isn't going to happen. The current trend of QFs in the theaters, Semis online and Finals as a highlights show is here for the foreseeable future.

Please fill out your survey though.

[year1buick]

Corey...I beg to differ. You don't think like someone in marketing and that's ok. Marketing people design their products for a target audience. I claim DCIs taget audience for their product is future marchers (14-21 year olds). We may differ on this but that's my opinion. As such, the broadcast is put together to draw this demographic toward an action. Mostly to visit the dci.org website. It's also set up to promote all the cool toys and uniforms and whatnot during the commercials.

Again, we can disagree, but what I stated are fairly reliable overall trends for the current 14-21 year olds. 1. They watch less tv than the generation before them. 2. They are on their cell phones, laptops and I-Pod type devices more than the previous generation. 3. They have little qualms about sharing media and often "blend" the line between legality and illegality regarding downloaded and obtained media.

So, again. I believe DCI has done the demographic checks and they show a tease of 10 corps and some human interest stories and I also think the Steve Young thing was a surprise for them but they had to get it in the broadcast. Anyway...DCI will NEVER again put complete shows on TV for free. It isn't going to happen. The current trend of QFs in the theaters, Semis online and Finals as a highlights show is here for the foreseeable future.

Please fill out your survey though.

I filled it out the other day. I was actually complimentary, and only said I would like some way (don't care how--theater, TV, whatever) to catch at least some part of Finals live. What do you think about the idea of the theater broadcast being done for Finals as well? I know there's a concern about losing tickets to Finals itself, but don't you think that the majority of folks that would be going to a theater wouldn't be making it out to Finals anyway? Granted, I don't know anything regarding the numbers they get for Quarters--no sense working out a deal with theaters, only to have a few people show. BUT, if Quarters is doing well, couldn't a Finals show represent another revenue stream for DCI and a chance for people that can't make it out to Finals to see the results live?

As far as what you say re the broadcast--I'm starting to see more of what your saying. (Saying it made "no sense" was off...) It's not so much that I'm completely against how they do it now (I'm not), just that I wish there was some way--any way-- to catch Finals without having to buy a plane ticket. I'd happily buy a movie ticket. Or a PPV (Maybe DirecTV and all of that extra bandwidth they're getting soon. They've got On Demand now too.) Guess I could hope Dallas gets Finals in 2014, for that shiny, new stadium. :)

[dcsnare93]

I keep hearing and reading this, but I would certainly love to see some data on it. Not all PBS stations have integrity when it comes to these claims. I was giving money to my local PBS stations when I was as young as 13. With few exceptions, the programs that inspired me to support the station were dropped in short order. After this happened enough times, I felt like I wouldn't give them a penny for anything.

Some affiliates did better than others, which is why some dropped the programming and others aired it twice. Jeff Fiedler, in a reply to a discussion taking place on the cavies board two years ago (perhaps they have archives?), had briefly discussed how more and more PBS affiliates were refusing to pick up the broadcast citing a high number of fans that pledge but don’t support their local stations. I also believe a news artcile here on DCP covered this, but I'll have to look.

[Tom Brace]

I filled it out the other day. I was actually complimentary, and only said I would like some way (don't care how--theater, TV, whatever) to catch at least some part of Finals live. What do you think about the idea of the theater broadcast being done for Finals as well? I know there's a concern about losing tickets to Finals itself, but don't you think that the majority of folks that would be going to a theater wouldn't be making it out to Finals anyway? Granted, I don't know anything regarding the numbers they get for Quarters--no sense working out a deal with theaters, only to have a few people show. BUT, if Quarters is doing well, couldn't a Finals show represent another revenue stream for DCI and a chance for people that can't make it out to Finals to see the results live?

As far as what you say re the broadcast--I'm starting to see more of what your saying. (Saying it made "no sense" was off...) It's not so much that I'm completely against how they do it now (I'm not), just that I wish there was some way--any way-- to catch Finals without having to buy a plane ticket. I'd happily buy a movie ticket. Or a PPV (Maybe DirecTV and all of that extra bandwidth they're getting soon. They've got On Demand now too.) Guess I could hope Dallas gets Finals in 2014, for that shiny, new stadium. :)

I think the next step will be high def. High def finals broadcast and high def. dvds.

[year1buick]

I think the next step will be high def. High def finals broadcast and high def. dvds.

I'd be down with that. High Def TV?... check... High Def DVR?... check... Blue Ray/HD DVD?.... Um, I'll have to get back to you. Hopefully "check" by the time DCI has it on one of them. (Economy of scale needs to kick in a little more.) Still hoping for a Finals theater show or some type of limited broadcast, but I'm definitely not holding my breath. In the meantime, I'll replay this year's show again...

[DKracing]

HD on demand anyone?? That would be fantastic, though I don't know enough to know if the cost of providing a program on demand is greater than, equal to, or less than to air the program on "live" television.

[year1buick]

HD on demand anyone?? That would be fantastic, though I don't know enough to know if the cost of providing a program on demand is greater than, equal to, or less than to air the program on "live" television.

DirecTV is just now rolling this out. Unfortunately, almost all of the material will have to be downloaded to your DVR via an internet connection. (Only really high profile stuff is supposedly going to download via the sat). My connection is pretty mediocre--2 hrs of high def (even with mpeg4) would take a lifetime. DirecTV has some pretty esoteric stuff once you get on down the lineup (RFD, for instance. Last time I flipped to that one, they were showing a live cow auction). Maybe in the future, once they've got this increased bandwidth they're expecting, groups like DCI might be able to purchase deals to run PPV, with a cut going to the sat provider. Just a wild guess, anyway.

Edited September 9, 2007 by year1buick

[Tom Brace]

I'd be down with that. High Def TV?... check... High Def DVR?... check... Blue Ray/HD DVD?.... Um, I'll have to get back to you. Hopefully "check" by the time DCI has it on one of them. (Economy of scale needs to kick in a little more.) Still hoping for a Finals theater show or some type of limited broadcast, but I'm definitely not holding my breath. In the meantime, I'll replay this year's show again...

Finals will NEVER be in the theaters as long as finals is on a Saturday night. The ONLY reason QFs are in the theaters is because they are on Thursday (an off night for most movie houses.)