Jeff Ream Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 yeah, unfortunately, getting it hasnt always made me popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I knew when you told me you were marrying Christine that you were finally "getting" it... yeah, unfortunately, getting it hasnt always made me popular. What Jeff and Christine do in the privacy of their own home is their business... BTW, I see what you guys are saying, but one thing in Tom's post really kind of stuck out to me: Any direct investment by DCA into a TV show that may or may not produce additional support in the future would be risking the survival of the corps during a very precarious time in the industry. (re: bus costs!) Are you really saying you don't think that televising DCA would produce additional support? I'd say 90% of the people I know who got involved in drum corps did so because they saw DCI on PBS at Thanksgiving growing up! I don't know about the "Northeast," but in those areas where we are trying to build a support/fan base, it would be an absolute boon! Now, I agree that it should be done in a fiscally responsible way or not at all. I just can't believe the benefit would even be questioned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJH Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 (edited) I can't believe it. The wireless I'm on redirected me and everything I wrote disappeared. It was so profound, too. I'll have to write all that stuff again later when I'm not goofing off at work. Edited June 6, 2006 by MJH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapettes Mom Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Sling technology could possibly support a grass roots effort. www.sling.com Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Jim While I don't question that over the decades the TV exposure to DCI definitely raised the awareness of the sport... I don't have confidence that in DCA's case, raising that awareness would provide tangible benefit to the DCA member corps... It should, but it's no sure thing... Remember you can't come close to comparing the budgets of the DCA and DCI corps... many DCA corps have budgets less than the Director's salary of a major DCI corps. The DCA corps are more fragile and prone to swings in financial support that must be overcome... Also, DCA corps - while money sure helps - can succeed with minimal budgets... the late 90's rivalry between Brigadiers and Caballeros proves that... as a huge difference in budget made little difference in outcome... and this year, Brigs will be contending again with a budget that is a fraction of what it had a few years ago... I'm not downing any corps... just speaking of the reality of all aged corps and the volatility of the organizations. Believe me, I have been there collecting that check in October. I know how important it was to my corps' survival... I am NOT anti-TV. You may or may not know this (you will if you have the old Drum Corps trivia game) but the first TV rebroadcast of a DCI finals was 1974 (DCI III) from the Ithaca, NY campus of Cornell University. It was produced by WCNY TV Syracuse and the very first "color commentator" of the very first DCI championship broadcast was: ???? ME! Some of the questions that bother me are: Why after over 30 years of TV exposure aren't more people coming to DCI finals? Was there more people in 1981 or 2005? Believe me... way more in '81. Why after over 30 years are there a small fraction of the number of corps that there were then? Why after over 30 years did DCI break into commercial broadcast only last year? Will this allow the TV broadcast to not only become self sufficient but provide a paycheck to the corps? I'm quite certain everyone will be thrilled if it just supports itself. Don't bother answering these questions... I know the answers... (and the answers are VERY complicated and generally NOT DCI's fault) I only bring them up to point out that DCA having a TV broadcast of their championship - as GREAT as it would be - simply can not guarantee productive results in a tangible time frame and would be a very risky venture unless it could be totally funded from outside of the organization. To put it more bluntly, if DCI spends $100,000 on the TV broadcast, it might take a very small percentage off of any royalty payment to the member corps which would hardly be noticed. If DCA loses $100,000 on a TV broadcast, half of the corps would be struggling or non-existent the following season... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 (edited) While I don't question that over the decades the TV exposure to DCI definitely raised the awareness of the sport... I don't have confidence that in DCA's case, raising that awareness would provide tangible benefit to the DCA member corps... It should, but it's no sure thing... Remember you can't come close to comparing the budgets of the DCA and DCI corps... many DCA corps have budgets less than the Director's salary of a major DCI corps. The DCA corps are more fragile and prone to swings in financial support that must be overcome... Also, DCA corps - while money sure helps - can succeed with minimal budgets... the late 90's rivalry between Brigadiers and Caballeros proves that... as a huge difference in budget made little difference in outcome... and this year, Brigs will be contending again with a budget that is a fraction of what it had a few years ago...I'm not downing any corps... just speaking of the reality of all aged corps and the volatility of the organizations. Believe me, I have been there collecting that check in October. I know how important it was to my corps' survival... I am NOT anti-TV. You may or may not know this (you will if you have the old Drum Corps trivia game) but the first TV rebroadcast of a DCI finals was 1974 (DCI III) from the Ithaca, NY campus of Cornell University. It was produced by WCNY TV Syracuse and the very first "color commentator" of the very first DCI championship broadcast was: ???? ME! Some of the questions that bother me are: Why after over 30 years of TV exposure aren't more people coming to DCI finals? Was there more people in 1981 or 2005? Believe me... way more in '81. Why after over 30 years are there a small fraction of the number of corps that there were then? Why after over 30 years did DCI break into commercial broadcast only last year? Will this allow the TV broadcast to not only become self sufficient but provide a paycheck to the corps? I'm quite certain everyone will be thrilled if it just supports itself. Don't bother answering these questions... I know the answers... (and the answers are VERY complicated and generally NOT DCI's fault) I only bring them up to point out that DCA having a TV broadcast of their championship - as GREAT as it would be - simply can not guarantee productive results in a tangible time frame and would be a very risky venture unless it could be totally funded from outside of the organization. To put it more bluntly, if DCI spends $100,000 on the TV broadcast, it might take a very small percentage off of any royalty payment to the member corps which would hardly be noticed. If DCA loses $100,000 on a TV broadcast, half of the corps would be struggling or non-existent the following season... Tom, I love you, man... Thanks for all you do for the activity. And especially thanks for your response which hopefully explains things in a way that everyone can understand. I've been thinking a lot about ways to make funding for my corps work better and ways to get more "bang for our buck", and I definitely agree with the "responsibility first" approach. The answer to one of your questions above (Even though I know you said don't answer them...) is that there are fewer corps because people didn't take that approach when running their own organizations and they ended up folding. (Or someone in leadership was negligent or downright criminal...)Corps fold because the responsibility of corps operation oftentimes gets put on one or a small group of individuals who can only bear the burden so long before it becomes too much for them, and no one is left to maintain it. This is especially true in the beginning stages of a corps' development. Those growing pains, if you will... Sometimes that "small group" can become desperate to make their corps succeed out of their own passion for the activity, not thinking past the next week or the next season. I know those of us in leadership at Music City Legend are doing our best to avoid falling in that trap, no matter who among us speaks differently... We want what's best for DCA-South and DCA as a whole. And I, for one, am glad people like you, Tom, are and have been at the helm. Edited June 6, 2006 by Reed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburstall Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Let's think also about a major marketing factor. Television is focused on the 10-25 age market (or something close to that). To many people, watching old people marching on the field is not going to be attract the kids, no matter how much money is thrown at it. Even with DCI now on ESPN2, the numbers haven't proved themselved yet. I walk into work the next day and the only I hear about is whatever football was televised. Not one has mentioned "that band thing on ESPN2". Even DCI has marketing issues to overcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWonka Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 You know it would not generate the same exposure but has anyone thought of maybe a Webcast? Even with just a static high level camera and sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CozyChopsCom Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 You know it would not generate the same exposure but has anyone thought of maybe a Webcast? Even with just a static high level camera and sound. Tom P.: Thanks for jumping in for the gadzooks! time with a thoroughly accurate recent insider's view. For those who don't know, Tom P. was there for many years handling just these issues we're discussing. Often, I used to say, "We're hearing from the horse's mouth." Now, as Tom is sans a current DCA title, I say, "We're hearing from the DCA hitching post." Wonka, I've been pondering the Webcast idea, too. Why can't we??? Let's!!! Tom P. can be the first Webcast commentator. We know he's going to be lost (Not!) at DCA Rachacha. I'll be lost, too, without a dugout. I'm from the quill pen age. Some web-type geeks please contact DCA Now! and jump in here any time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Thanks Cozy, I'll certainly not be lost at DCA as I have 6 grandchildren who won't have seen me for 9 months. And one of them who I haven't even seen yet... So, except for the Hall of Fame induction luncheon and finals, I'm not commiting to anything yet... I have to give the kids their time... As for the webcast, I believe that the DCP people are or should be working closely with DCA on that. Caution of course is that there are contractual obligations with the DVD people that must be considered and respected. I'm quite certain that a close coverage of DCA weekend on line with some live snippets can be worked out and is most likely being worked on at this time. But hey, what do I know... I'm retired... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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