Some ACC info from Va Tech AD
- Thread starter TIGER-PAUL
- Start date
Uhhhh.... yeah, that's amusing. Maybe it'll be mandatory but I certainly DON'T see Pitt committing that much.
Or maybe Pitt has some sort of media facilities already at the Pete it can leverage?
Or piggy back off a local tv channel? Wtae has been "Pitt friendly" over time...plus it's the local ABC affiliate (same parent as ESPN).
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By the way thanks for the read. Interesting. That AD sounded refreshingly candid and realistic about some things that were challenges and disappointments. Contrast that with the BS and robotic fluff from Pitt's ADs. No wonder this guy is in AD of the Year contention ... and ours gave us Kevin Stallings.
I noticed that too. he really shared a lot of details and specifics in this interview. polar opposite for our Athletic dept who treats this info as top secret classified intel.
Great find to share on the Lair and the person that asked the Questions was just as informative by asking the great questions. It also backs up what was learned at Stanford Hoover Institute Silicon Valley in December of 2016. As well as, why starting the thread led to better sharing and learning on the Lair with discussions by contributing information by Liar Knowledgeable Posters toegther.
Most importantly, it also shows how the ACCN is planning a New Channel taking into account changing technology, reductions in attendance trends, and reductions cable subscribers, changes in ESPN Costs and Management, SECN Lessons learned, and how Disney-ESPN are making changes now to reduce costs and boost profits. It also confirms how PAC-12N is also planning catch-up like the ACC with B1G & SEC with new Competitors and future changes to keep the CFB Model more profitable and why Big-12 Expansion or Imploding Speculation is growing.
This is backs up what many of the more Knowledgeable Lair Posters shared about what they knew and were far more accurate in their own comments on the various subject matter discussions. Unlike a few Trolls such as SVPanther posted claims otherwise on ESPN, Disney, and ACCN ignorance posing as a Pitt Grad and Fan.
It also shed some light on recent Notre Dame NBC Talk, and Texas Long Horn Network discussions and abilities to adapt and adjust as well, no matter what the future continues to unfold.
Great info and just goes to show Links to Think and Shared On The Lair to Learn contributes to all that care to know where CFB, Conferences, Universities Programs, and in particular Pitt keeps developing and is heading into the future in Sports and Technology.
Thank you Tiger Paul from all!
Most importantly, it also shows how the ACCN is planning a New Channel taking into account changing technology, reductions in attendance trends, and reductions cable subscribers, changes in ESPN Costs and Management, SECN Lessons learned, and how Disney-ESPN are making changes now to reduce costs and boost profits. It also confirms how PAC-12N is also planning catch-up like the ACC with B1G & SEC with new Competitors and future changes to keep the CFB Model more profitable and why Big-12 Expansion or Imploding Speculation is growing.
This is backs up what many of the more Knowledgeable Lair Posters shared about what they knew and were far more accurate in their own comments on the various subject matter discussions. Unlike a few Trolls such as SVPanther posted claims otherwise on ESPN, Disney, and ACCN ignorance posing as a Pitt Grad and Fan.
It also shed some light on recent Notre Dame NBC Talk, and Texas Long Horn Network discussions and abilities to adapt and adjust as well, no matter what the future continues to unfold.
Great info and just goes to show Links to Think and Shared On The Lair to Learn contributes to all that care to know where CFB, Conferences, Universities Programs, and in particular Pitt keeps developing and is heading into the future in Sports and Technology.
Thank you Tiger Paul from all!
Some highlights to enjoy and liked, with some confirmations what is happening, and using both to determine new ways to make CFB more profitable to take on new trends and technology. This is what Stanford did in reducing the Stadium and catering to the Sponsors and Boosters, with an eye on coming Technologies and interests with Silicon Valley expanding more into Entertainment. Why some of the toughest Universities Academic Programs to get into are Film Schools with long waiting lists. Pitt with CMU can combine resources to meet the future of Studios, Entertainment, Sports, and develop more curriculum's in this sphere of expansion easier than others as well. Henry Hillman was big fan of Silicon Valley Innovations and Investments and the Non-Profits his Will & Testament funded will be spending 90% of its money in Pittsburgh.
Highlights:
How Building Future Donors:
"Yes, I’m very pleased. We also know that the 25,000 number, I believe I’ve used the analogy, is a marathon, not a sprint.....,but it’s also are we retaining and keeping the donors and ticket holders that we have happy,....and people getting on board."
Pitt finding and hiring the right people to help Pitt's AD Heather Job & Narduzzi Rebuilding Program just like what is happening at VT.
Confirms Less Attendance Trends But More Donors Trends:
Season tickets are down approximately 2,000. Maybe a little bit more than that. Which is about an 8 or 9 percent drops, which we never want to drop. However, our Hokie Club and annual fund is up 65 percent.
Keep in mind, VT won the Coastal Division??? Smaller not bigger Stadiums but cater to Sponsors and Boosters while increasing younger alumni, fans, donors and viewers at lower costs!
VT Second Highest Attendance in ACC behind FSU but dealing with Season Ticket Losses too, this is a trend in all sports Stadiums won't be growing:
"We were right at 36,000....Because even though on a 60,000-seat stadium -- it might be 42 -- by the time you take out the students, the visiting, the band, the recruits, your staff, etc., it’s around 40-42,000, if we’re packing the place in season tickets..................Again, you never want to lose season tickets ever, but in this case, our annual fund giving on the Hokie Club went from $9.9 [million] to $16.3 [million] on our scholarship funding, so that’s a net of $6 million plus. And if we’re down, let’s say 2,000 season tickets at roughly $300 a pop, what’s the math on that, $600,000?..........We were around $700,000 in the red, and Jim [Weaver] was so good at balancing the budget. I want to say that’s the first time we didn’t hit it in around a decade, so we had some reserves built up to cover that."
Now you know why Penn State is reducing Beaver Stadium to 103,000? Attendance cost increasing as Stadium Season Tickets decreasing, just like many CFB Programs. Programs winning bigger do increase for a while, but it about finding that right balance in between while growing donors always. Stanford with just 7,000 Students planning is being noted and they fund many Minor Sports as they keep winning the Directors Cup more than bigger Universities!
Confirms Pederson Poison on Musical chairs Coaching coming and going:
"But for that last year, with football coaches transitioning in and out, some of our severance payments and other things, because we did pay two football staffs for the three or four months there while some were cycling out and some were coming in. You had a couple of former basketball coaches in Seth Greenberg and James Johnson that were on the payroll too. Are they off?I believe they all are. Yes. I know they all are. I know that one. Yes, just finished this spring. Seth and James both this spring, and I think [former women’s basketball coach] Dennis Wolff is about finished as well."
Confirms the previous Pederson Poisoning of Pitt Football Program with transitioning staffing on his Musical Chairs coaching with horrible consultants just like what Barnes' Bozo Buyout Fiasco did to Pitt BB and now left for his beloved OreGONE to be with Mother?
Confirms ACC working hard to play catch up:
"The ACC told us a year or two ago that, “Hey, we’re going to be down. Do y’all want to take it all now or do you want us to hold some back so it doesn’t hit you guys as hard and it can be flat through all those years?”........And absolutely we want to close that gap on the SEC and Big Ten in particular. And the channel, whatever format this takes, is certainly one way to put a dent in that. And therein lies the reason the channel is being done in the first place."
So, much for SVPanther's feckless arguments ESPN won't work to make ACCN?
ACCN Information is hard to come by
"Yeah, and we get a little more information than the general public. And it’s just, I believe a few things. One, I know ESPN is interested in generating revenue. People are talking about what they’re dropping and losing in subscribers, but the thing they’ve got to realize is this channel with the ACC is a revenue generator. So if you’re in business that’s cutting costs, which they seem to be, and you want to generate revenue, you’re not going to back off the projects that create revenue. So we feel good about that. Also, even though television is changing and skinny bundles an over-the-top television, I don’t know what TV is necessarily going to look like in two years, but I still believe that sports programming and content has value, because people consume it live, right?"
Why posted Thread Link Subject in December 2016 & January on ESPN problems after coming back from a month in Silicon Valley. Educational knowledgeable Lair Posters responded quite well.
Pitt growing Communication & Information Departments & CMU too:
"And part of this deal is that every school needs to have this minimum capability. And you’re getting into technology I don’t know the name of -- this many cameras, this much -- and they give you a laundry list. And we’re working on figuring out where to put that studio and the fiber optics and all those things. And it could be an expense in the neighborhood of $5-7 million most likely. But hopefully the money you put into that, each of the schools, that it is returned through some general revenue and other things and in a very short term you pay it off. That’s the thought process. So every SEC school had to do it, and just to get up to broadcast quality and to handle a number of events. The other expense will be personnel and people in front of the camera, behind the camera, all of that."
Pitt & CMU & Point Park has been producing Sports and Communication Professional for Decades and can do this easily and talent will be needed with new job opportunities and studio required anyhow by the ACC!
Highlights:
How Building Future Donors:
"Yes, I’m very pleased. We also know that the 25,000 number, I believe I’ve used the analogy, is a marathon, not a sprint.....,but it’s also are we retaining and keeping the donors and ticket holders that we have happy,....and people getting on board."
Pitt finding and hiring the right people to help Pitt's AD Heather Job & Narduzzi Rebuilding Program just like what is happening at VT.
Confirms Less Attendance Trends But More Donors Trends:
Season tickets are down approximately 2,000. Maybe a little bit more than that. Which is about an 8 or 9 percent drops, which we never want to drop. However, our Hokie Club and annual fund is up 65 percent.
Keep in mind, VT won the Coastal Division??? Smaller not bigger Stadiums but cater to Sponsors and Boosters while increasing younger alumni, fans, donors and viewers at lower costs!
VT Second Highest Attendance in ACC behind FSU but dealing with Season Ticket Losses too, this is a trend in all sports Stadiums won't be growing:
"We were right at 36,000....Because even though on a 60,000-seat stadium -- it might be 42 -- by the time you take out the students, the visiting, the band, the recruits, your staff, etc., it’s around 40-42,000, if we’re packing the place in season tickets..................Again, you never want to lose season tickets ever, but in this case, our annual fund giving on the Hokie Club went from $9.9 [million] to $16.3 [million] on our scholarship funding, so that’s a net of $6 million plus. And if we’re down, let’s say 2,000 season tickets at roughly $300 a pop, what’s the math on that, $600,000?..........We were around $700,000 in the red, and Jim [Weaver] was so good at balancing the budget. I want to say that’s the first time we didn’t hit it in around a decade, so we had some reserves built up to cover that."
Now you know why Penn State is reducing Beaver Stadium to 103,000? Attendance cost increasing as Stadium Season Tickets decreasing, just like many CFB Programs. Programs winning bigger do increase for a while, but it about finding that right balance in between while growing donors always. Stanford with just 7,000 Students planning is being noted and they fund many Minor Sports as they keep winning the Directors Cup more than bigger Universities!
Confirms Pederson Poison on Musical chairs Coaching coming and going:
"But for that last year, with football coaches transitioning in and out, some of our severance payments and other things, because we did pay two football staffs for the three or four months there while some were cycling out and some were coming in. You had a couple of former basketball coaches in Seth Greenberg and James Johnson that were on the payroll too. Are they off?I believe they all are. Yes. I know they all are. I know that one. Yes, just finished this spring. Seth and James both this spring, and I think [former women’s basketball coach] Dennis Wolff is about finished as well."
Confirms the previous Pederson Poisoning of Pitt Football Program with transitioning staffing on his Musical Chairs coaching with horrible consultants just like what Barnes' Bozo Buyout Fiasco did to Pitt BB and now left for his beloved OreGONE to be with Mother?
Confirms ACC working hard to play catch up:
"The ACC told us a year or two ago that, “Hey, we’re going to be down. Do y’all want to take it all now or do you want us to hold some back so it doesn’t hit you guys as hard and it can be flat through all those years?”........And absolutely we want to close that gap on the SEC and Big Ten in particular. And the channel, whatever format this takes, is certainly one way to put a dent in that. And therein lies the reason the channel is being done in the first place."
So, much for SVPanther's feckless arguments ESPN won't work to make ACCN?
ACCN Information is hard to come by
"Yeah, and we get a little more information than the general public. And it’s just, I believe a few things. One, I know ESPN is interested in generating revenue. People are talking about what they’re dropping and losing in subscribers, but the thing they’ve got to realize is this channel with the ACC is a revenue generator. So if you’re in business that’s cutting costs, which they seem to be, and you want to generate revenue, you’re not going to back off the projects that create revenue. So we feel good about that. Also, even though television is changing and skinny bundles an over-the-top television, I don’t know what TV is necessarily going to look like in two years, but I still believe that sports programming and content has value, because people consume it live, right?"
Why posted Thread Link Subject in December 2016 & January on ESPN problems after coming back from a month in Silicon Valley. Educational knowledgeable Lair Posters responded quite well.
Pitt growing Communication & Information Departments & CMU too:
"And part of this deal is that every school needs to have this minimum capability. And you’re getting into technology I don’t know the name of -- this many cameras, this much -- and they give you a laundry list. And we’re working on figuring out where to put that studio and the fiber optics and all those things. And it could be an expense in the neighborhood of $5-7 million most likely. But hopefully the money you put into that, each of the schools, that it is returned through some general revenue and other things and in a very short term you pay it off. That’s the thought process. So every SEC school had to do it, and just to get up to broadcast quality and to handle a number of events. The other expense will be personnel and people in front of the camera, behind the camera, all of that."
Pitt & CMU & Point Park has been producing Sports and Communication Professional for Decades and can do this easily and talent will be needed with new job opportunities and studio required anyhow by the ACC!
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Answer why SEC-ESPN is In Charlotte!
"Will that be a centralized set of ACC broadcasters or will they be local?....Well, I don’t ultimately know all of that........ESPN learned a lot with the SEC launch, and they’ve come onto campus a couple times and will be back, and they would like all of our schools to be up and ready to roll in fall of ‘18, a year in advance....So you’re going to see every school in the ACC and Notre Dame. Some have already started. We haven’t started yet. But building out this studio infrastructure and staffing, etc., and ideally we all have it in place for about 15 months...........You be incredibly cautious. For me, what I do is I certainly communicate with our staff, but also the president and our university CFO that, hey, right now we don’t have the numbers I said to you, $5-7 million on the studio. So, can we borrow it, pay it back and use some of our reserves?........And we really don’t have a choice. We’re in on this channel, and if we don’t build the studio, we’re not going to get to broadcast anything. So it’s got to happen one way or another.
Pitt will be just fine and has the expertise right in Pittsburgh!
ACC is a Perfect Fit for Pitt:
"wholeheartedly, absolutely believe this is the best conference in the country athletically and academically for sure, and then the footprint of the country and the demographic and all that. And absolutely we want to close that gap on the SEC and Big Ten in particular."
Once again, don't forget why the ACC is in a better position than Big-12 and Pac-12 right now, and SEC-ACC Southern States will overtake Big Ten as SEC is doing now.
As predicted, new ways for Entertainment Dreams:
"Projections based on the number of households, what the inner-market would be, the outer-market times however many millions of homes........ESPN, I’m very pleased to see, is working with YouTube and Hulu and Sling TV and all these others, so I don’t know that any of us will know what television will look like in a few years, but I still feel like they’re still going to be locking into their favorite team to watch it on something or consume it somehow on game day in real time."
Growing consumer customer preferred Technology not just cable.
Why Smart Women like Heather are being Hired, Times Are Changing.
"I saw was $85 million in there, which would place us ninth, maybe 10th in the ACC, with a budget of that. The lowest budget in the ACC would be around $60 million of all 15 schools [including private institutions]...............So while the channel is important, we’re also trying to help ourselves on Drive for 25, on our retention rates, on our customer service. You just can’t keep going up on ticket prices. There’s got to be other ways to do it."............I’d say the biggest upside it back to our Hokie Club. Because tickets, you only have so many seats, so that has a ceiling. Most of our contracts through IMG and Coca-Cola and Gatorade and Nike are pretty well locked in...........the area with no real ceiling is donors and fans."
It ain't about Ticket Prices anymore! Why a Smaller Stadium is needed sooner or later just like Stanford did. UPMC growth Management is full of Women and doing better than ever. Allegheny Health Network new CEO is a Woman too.
This is why Sports Headlines Matter on CFB aspects that do not include just football.
What is the biggest thing that coaches ask you for in terms of needs or desires for their programs?.....would say things in the area of recruiting, but the other one....a lot of our coaches are asking about dining, nutrition, ways that we can help our student-athletes and find an edge in that regard. So I’d say recruiting, nutrition, those are probably the areas that come up...........But we also work very diligently with our coaches and find out what they need and prioritize and try to be proactive about it."
Links to Think from Sports Headlines and we have the most and best posters just like Tiger-Paul, NCS9, SMF, Pitt-Girl and many more now on the Lair that do it far more than other Rivals Websites and Fiths & Forbers even better. Why Pitt Lair attracts other Posters Best & Brightest unlike some Little Brothers East of Pitt always talking about blaming Media hurting and banning them?
Not everyone can be Alabama, Texas, USC, Ohio State, FSU, Notre Dame, Michigan, & OU?
"I don’t believe the numbers were apples-to-apples when I saw some of the Alabama numbers and other things, but to the best of our ability, when we studied it,.....I read this, I believe it’s true, that the two most successful NFL franchises, the Patriots and Steelers, both have the smallest staffs. Now, they don’t have to recruit, but I think it can get too big and too overblown."...........It probably helps that the Steelers and Patriots have two of the best head coaches in the game too. Ha! And continuity and other things."
Once again, another confirmation that CFB & NFL learn from each other. Pitt's relationship with the Steelers is a mutual benefit and this comment above prove it. Narduzzi is Rebuilding the Pitt Program and just this year hire more Staffers for recruiting and from Florida? Pitt on recruiting in just Coach Pat just 3rd year and & 5th in ACC still has little done and much more to do! Again, Links to Think applies to the NFL & CFB and why posted on the Lair more than anywhere setting the trends to share to learn. So, keep it up!
"Will that be a centralized set of ACC broadcasters or will they be local?....Well, I don’t ultimately know all of that........ESPN learned a lot with the SEC launch, and they’ve come onto campus a couple times and will be back, and they would like all of our schools to be up and ready to roll in fall of ‘18, a year in advance....So you’re going to see every school in the ACC and Notre Dame. Some have already started. We haven’t started yet. But building out this studio infrastructure and staffing, etc., and ideally we all have it in place for about 15 months...........You be incredibly cautious. For me, what I do is I certainly communicate with our staff, but also the president and our university CFO that, hey, right now we don’t have the numbers I said to you, $5-7 million on the studio. So, can we borrow it, pay it back and use some of our reserves?........And we really don’t have a choice. We’re in on this channel, and if we don’t build the studio, we’re not going to get to broadcast anything. So it’s got to happen one way or another.
Pitt will be just fine and has the expertise right in Pittsburgh!
ACC is a Perfect Fit for Pitt:
"wholeheartedly, absolutely believe this is the best conference in the country athletically and academically for sure, and then the footprint of the country and the demographic and all that. And absolutely we want to close that gap on the SEC and Big Ten in particular."
Once again, don't forget why the ACC is in a better position than Big-12 and Pac-12 right now, and SEC-ACC Southern States will overtake Big Ten as SEC is doing now.
As predicted, new ways for Entertainment Dreams:
"Projections based on the number of households, what the inner-market would be, the outer-market times however many millions of homes........ESPN, I’m very pleased to see, is working with YouTube and Hulu and Sling TV and all these others, so I don’t know that any of us will know what television will look like in a few years, but I still feel like they’re still going to be locking into their favorite team to watch it on something or consume it somehow on game day in real time."
Growing consumer customer preferred Technology not just cable.
Why Smart Women like Heather are being Hired, Times Are Changing.
"I saw was $85 million in there, which would place us ninth, maybe 10th in the ACC, with a budget of that. The lowest budget in the ACC would be around $60 million of all 15 schools [including private institutions]...............So while the channel is important, we’re also trying to help ourselves on Drive for 25, on our retention rates, on our customer service. You just can’t keep going up on ticket prices. There’s got to be other ways to do it."............I’d say the biggest upside it back to our Hokie Club. Because tickets, you only have so many seats, so that has a ceiling. Most of our contracts through IMG and Coca-Cola and Gatorade and Nike are pretty well locked in...........the area with no real ceiling is donors and fans."
It ain't about Ticket Prices anymore! Why a Smaller Stadium is needed sooner or later just like Stanford did. UPMC growth Management is full of Women and doing better than ever. Allegheny Health Network new CEO is a Woman too.
This is why Sports Headlines Matter on CFB aspects that do not include just football.
What is the biggest thing that coaches ask you for in terms of needs or desires for their programs?.....would say things in the area of recruiting, but the other one....a lot of our coaches are asking about dining, nutrition, ways that we can help our student-athletes and find an edge in that regard. So I’d say recruiting, nutrition, those are probably the areas that come up...........But we also work very diligently with our coaches and find out what they need and prioritize and try to be proactive about it."
Links to Think from Sports Headlines and we have the most and best posters just like Tiger-Paul, NCS9, SMF, Pitt-Girl and many more now on the Lair that do it far more than other Rivals Websites and Fiths & Forbers even better. Why Pitt Lair attracts other Posters Best & Brightest unlike some Little Brothers East of Pitt always talking about blaming Media hurting and banning them?
Not everyone can be Alabama, Texas, USC, Ohio State, FSU, Notre Dame, Michigan, & OU?
"I don’t believe the numbers were apples-to-apples when I saw some of the Alabama numbers and other things, but to the best of our ability, when we studied it,.....I read this, I believe it’s true, that the two most successful NFL franchises, the Patriots and Steelers, both have the smallest staffs. Now, they don’t have to recruit, but I think it can get too big and too overblown."...........It probably helps that the Steelers and Patriots have two of the best head coaches in the game too. Ha! And continuity and other things."
Once again, another confirmation that CFB & NFL learn from each other. Pitt's relationship with the Steelers is a mutual benefit and this comment above prove it. Narduzzi is Rebuilding the Pitt Program and just this year hire more Staffers for recruiting and from Florida? Pitt on recruiting in just Coach Pat just 3rd year and & 5th in ACC still has little done and much more to do! Again, Links to Think applies to the NFL & CFB and why posted on the Lair more than anywhere setting the trends to share to learn. So, keep it up!
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Pitt is going to have to invest something in this. I'm sure it will be the bare bones minimum but it will be better than what they have now, which is Local Access Channel quality at some olympic sports events.
The $5-$7 million. Do we really need to spend that amount on equipment to have the capability to film softball games in the highest quality? Then there will be the annual costs to maintain it and improve it. Those won't be cheap, either. Just out of control.
Why not just rent and share everything, considering that Pitt is located in a city. Works for the stadium. Should work for this.
I'd much rather have shared a high school basketball coach and spend the $5-7M on studio
Why don't we just drop down to the wpial and we can have my dad tape the games with his camcorder? I'll find a VCR and you guys can come over on Saturday night and we can watch it in my basement
Like Kramer suggested in Seinfeld, can't we just write it off? "You don't even know what a write off is!" "No I don't. But they do. And they're the ones writing it off."
You are instantly smart when you step in as AD where the football program has 3 decades of winning.
You get smarter when you filled your football stadium to capacity before you arrived.
You improve your IQ when your in state rival has bumbled it's football program for 15 years.
It goes back to a lesson learned long ago....the easiest way to make a million is to start with a million.
I actually think the point about Pitt's being located in a city with existing high end media facilities is a salient one.
I would think that Pitt could work with WQED – which is literally right down the street - and maybe work out something with them. Failing that, perhaps they could work something out with one of the local television stations?
I guess what I'm saying is I don't really know why you would need to have those facilities on your campus? I think you could probably do something very nicely at a fraction of the cost by working with broadcasting professionals.
Obviously, the same would also apply to schools like Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, and Duke. Now, those schools may choose to have a broadcast studio on their campus anyway, but they may not be required to do so.
I would think that Pitt could work with WQED – which is literally right down the street - and maybe work out something with them. Failing that, perhaps they could work something out with one of the local television stations?
I guess what I'm saying is I don't really know why you would need to have those facilities on your campus? I think you could probably do something very nicely at a fraction of the cost by working with broadcasting professionals.
Obviously, the same would also apply to schools like Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, and Duke. Now, those schools may choose to have a broadcast studio on their campus anyway, but they may not be required to do so.
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Two reasons. 1) Being that this will be an ESPN broadcast, you've got legal issues. I don't know if you could hire out some local affiliate to produce games that ESPN is going to broadcast. Even if you could, I don't know if ESPN would agree to it. 2) I doubt you could get anybody to do it for less that $5 million anyway.
Are you talking about attendance for football? If so, Florida St wasn't the highest. Clemson was #1 in the league at 80, 970. Florida St was #2 at 76, 800. Virginia Tech was #3 at 63, 043.
Thank you for the correction, I was waiting for you to show up, you are one of the Best on Lair on this subject! Great job again. It is amazing FSU & Clemson have had trouble maintaining a Top 25 income program yet they win the Top 15 and Top 10 almost every year! I attribute it to Great Coaching developing teams with Very Good Recruiting!
As mentioned above, Pitt should pursue an arrangement with WTAE-TV. Traditionally Pitt-friendly management, ABC (ESPN) local affiliate. Main studios right outside the city off the Parkway East.
A program that keeps key coaching positions open indefinitely to save money, has no track, borrows high school courts for tennis, etc ... throwing 7 million at a exclusive studio for athletics ... seems highly unrealistic.
A program that keeps key coaching positions open indefinitely to save money, has no track, borrows high school courts for tennis, etc ... throwing 7 million at a exclusive studio for athletics ... seems highly unrealistic.
I doubt there are any legal reasons why they couldn't do it. I have no idea what the financial terms might be, but I'm sure they could work that out legally.
I'm just saying that our urban location works against us on so many fronts. It sure would be nice to have it work to our advantage for once.
$5 to $7 million is nothing in this case. The studio would have value beyond athletics and it will have educational value as well. We can use this to develop a top notch program for media/communications. This is a win/win proposition for athletics and academics.
yes, I know but it's pitt we are talking about. You don't have to sell me on pitt investing in the athletic infrastructure..
All good points about Pitt past Athletic Misjudgement. This is what precisely must chnage and put in money in the new way to promote Pitt Athletics that will bring money back as well as , promote all Sports and teach Communications Curriculum's with Sports Business Management positions can be done.
When Pitt has thrown Buyouts to AD Pederson, Coaches Haywood and Wannstedt Fired, and Coaches Dixon Buyout and Stallings, Poor Consultants Fees brought in as well as all the Staffers coming and going with more expenses and Re-branding every 2 to 3 years, not to mention the mismanagement of constructing a "Leaking Pete" I consider that mismanagement of well over a $5 to $7 million wasted money on some Bum Hirings and Firings.
Pitt needs to promote, sell, and expose all its Sports and I would consider not a 5 to 7 Million studio but a much bigger one with an Academic Related Communication Curriculum that includes Sports Management and in conjugation with CMU and Apple, Verizon, Amazon, Sponsors and Partners with UPMC and Boosters and making it the Best in the ACC. Whether it is near the South Side Practice Facilities or near Campus Pitt can find the way.
Better use of that money would be directly on better players (aka what it requires to get em) and upgrades of coaches all across the board who can wrest championships out of them. That will lift ALL boats financially at the school and Pitt could then build (or one or more firms you listed would be eager to invest in building with us, because we'd have tons of great national buzz) in the greatest honkin studio imaginable. But right now, we're a middling also ran in sports, so what major tech or entertainment firm would want to partner with us (and most importantly foot the bill)? Winning will open all those doors and its the best place to immediately invest.
So for right now, call WTAE and ask for assistance. Geez, make Gallagher useful for SOMETHING.
I agree, but this is going to be required by every school in the ACC and putting money in something that will return money and promote many aspects of Pitt Sports and Local Talent in and around Pittsburgh, will bring more Dollars to do what you propose too.
I think it's another variation of the chicken and egg argument that just about every dilemma comes down to here ... be it stadiums, crowds, light rail, political power to overhaul Oakland slums, etc. Many including the Pitt admin, just expect a spontaneous outburst of donations and support to simply happen. It just doesn't work that way and ends up even the pittance Pitt does spend ends up futile... good pennies after bad.
I'm no Obama but here's a case where serious stimulus investment would reap a bonanza. Throw in for serious winning, and all the great things everyone dreams of for Pitt would happen and actually wouldn't cost Pitt much of anything... because everyone wants to be associated with a winner in this insecure burg.
Pour the money (and proper attitude) into items that directly impact winning ... players and coaches. Cut corners in these fringe areas ... like a silly studio. Duct tape the remedy for these things until winning allows for an outstanding solution...And it truly would.
Sigh. But what I ACTUALLY foresee is our prissy admins will love the idea of building a fancy ass studio that they can preen about in, and go even cheaper on the resources for the teams in order to pay for it. "What could we do, the conference wanted it!"
"I think it's another variation of the chicken and egg argument that just about every dilemma comes down to here ... be it stadiums, crowds, light rail, political power to overhaul Oakland slums, etc."
Cannot agree, the ACC including Notre Dame and the ACCN is requiring the Studios not the same as the options to build stadiums, increase crowds, light rail, all other optional and treatable University, City, and Commonwealth infrastructures when they decide to do such projects.
A requirement to make ACCN more valuable to bring back more Income to ACC Programs does not need a Chicken or Egg dilemma. It is required and just build it or make it happen anyway you want but it better be there by 2018-19! Just Do It!
Let me clarify. I have no idea the actual legal workings of broadcasting. I'm not suggesting there is any specific legal stumbling block. What I'm pointing out is, the network is owned 100% by ESPN. Anything involving a 3rd party would have to go through ESPN. So it's not as simple as Pitt just cutting a side deal, because ESPN is the owner of the network and content, not Pitt.
My other point is, the $5 million is a one-time expense to build a facility. If you cut a deal with a 3rd party, that's going to be a multi-year arrangement. (Essentially 20 years.) I'd say it's wishful thinking to believe any agreement would be less than that.
Agreed, since it's mandatory, you must "do it". But since not directly integral to winning, do it as efficiently and cheaply as possible, ideally nearly free (by working with a local affiliate as suggested), and not by compromising the funding of the football and basketball teams.
I guess my point is that this shouldn't be considered an investment in the athletic infrastructure. It should be considered an investment in the academic infrastructure. In order to develop a great media/communications program, you have to have opportunity. Athletics is that opportunity.
I'm in!!!
What is your policy on guest who show up with a fifth of Titos get violently wasted, drop a lot of f bombs, try to fight anyone in ur neighborhood with a Ped st flag on their house, eat all ur food, make fun of people on welfare, dance, sing, then pass out on ur couch?
It's a definitely a good opportunity (and through this whole thread we've been assuming we don't already have some kind of facility or capability in place...i certainly don't know). But a better opportunity would be to harness the power of winning. Leverage winning to attract someone ELSE to pay for all or most to set this up, plus attract payment and support for so many other things Pitt would like to accomplish, but lack the money and political power to do.
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