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IHSA scheduling just right for the 1960s

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MC63

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Tonight, we'll see the 3A and 4A championship games ... contests where 95% of the state have no interest whatsoever. Yes, these kids are very deserving of fan support, but most Illinoisans have never heard of them and are not likely to watch.


However, if the IHSA split the programming so that the 1, 3, 5 and 7 games were on Friday and the 2, 4, 6 and 8 on Saturday ...we'd have the SR/ Rochester and Nazareth/ MC games in prime time tonight. Imagine the difference in ratings. Imagine how much more the IHSA could charge for its coverage.

Perhaps an outlet more viewer friendly that You-too might be inclined to step in.
 
CaravanMan said:
Brutal comment. Right up there with the one about RM being fake news last week. You do know Illinois extends beyond Chicago, right?
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Yes, and sadly, not that many of us care.

Do you really believe that SR, Rochester, Naz and MC wouldn't attract a much bigger audience than the schools already scheduled?

Can't you imagine how much exposure prep football would enjoy with four headliner games in prime time instead of just two?

I doubt if more than one of every three Edgy posters could name three of the four schools playing tonight.
 
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MC63 said:
Yes, and sadly, not that many of us care.

Do you really believe that SR, Rochester, Naz and MC wouldn't attract a much bigger audience than the schools already scheduled?

Can't you imagine how much exposure prep football would enjoy with four headliner games in prime time instead of just two?

I doubt if more than one of every three Edgy posters could name three of the four schools playing tonight.
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The exposure wouldn’t matter. Ratings hardly move the needle even in the biggest HS sports matchups. And as long as they are broadcast on WCIUs second tier channel it all makes absolutely no difference.
 
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MC63 said:
Yes, and sadly, not that many of us care.

Do you really believe that SR, Rochester, Naz and MC wouldn't attract a much bigger audience than the schools already scheduled?

Can't you imagine how much exposure prep football would enjoy with four headliner games in prime time instead of just two?

I doubt if more than one of every three Edgy posters could name three of the four schools playing tonight.
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Nice edit job, glad I saw the original. You're simply not a football fan. End of story.
 
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JCHillmen said:
The exposure wouldn’t matter. Ratings hardly move the needle even in the biggest HS sports matchups. And as long as they are broadcast on WCIUs second tier channel it all makes absolutely no difference.
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WCIU didn't get the games for their good looks. They hope to make some $ or, at least, build some presence in the community, Maybe if the ratings improved due to superior games, a more powerful station might buy the package.
 
I think the point of this is to spread the bigger schools/bigger fan bases out through both days. Nothing against the schools but I'd imagine the ihsa could draw more advertising dollars by having naz/MC and LWE/ Warren as the primetime game both nights. Basketball is doing something similar I believe
 
MC63 said:
WCIU didn't get the games for their good looks. They hope to make some $ or, at least, build some presence in the community, Maybe if the ratings improved due to superior games, a more powerful station might buy the package.
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I understand your point. But it’s all a moot point. While you and I and all on this board are excited to see Rita play Rochester, the simple fact of the matter that even something as benign as a svengoolie rerun has more appeal and less of a niche/regional/isolated feel than a high school state championship game.

the game time just really doesn’t matter when it comes to things as niche and regional as high school sports. Everyone who wants to watch the 5A game will watch regardless of whether it is at 10 am or 4 pm. There just aren’t a ton of casual observers. There is each school community and us diehards on the edgy board. Everyone else isn’t tuning in even though MC vs Naz should be wildly entertaining. They’d rather watch svengoolie or a bad blackhawks or bulls game.
 
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I could care less either way but for the record Iowa does do it... so that the 2 biggest classes are the night games.

AND they make you pay separate for those 2 games... one ticket gets you into the first two games of the day and then they clear the dome before the night game and you have to buy a ticket for the night game by itself. This may not be as much of an issue in Illinois since it’s outside but with Iowa being in a dome it’s not uncommon to go spend all day there even both days to see all the games since you are inside and comfortable where I assume that doesn’t happen very often in Illinois with the outdoor weather factor.

Day 1:

Morning - 8-man
Afternoon - A
Night - 3A

Day 2:

Morning - 1A
Afternoon - 2A
Night - 4A
 
This is a fascinating topic in that both sides of the issue have legitimate points. And that creates discussion. It's just a shame that too many posters choose to make snarky comments rather than solid points.
For starters, the original poster's theory I believe is that there are many more residents in the Chicago metropolitan area than there are in the rest of the state, and that therefore, games featuring the Chicago area teams (mostly the bigger classes 5A-8A) would be of more interest to a lareger audience than would the games matching schools from areas of the state that many Chicago area residents may not be familiar with.
Obviously, the population statistics support that theory. You can search online and see that the Chicago areahas how much (?) 60-65 percent of the residents in the state. That's a pretty decent estimate I would say, and if that was all there was to the discussion, then yes, playing the 5A, 6A, 7A and 8A title games at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday would theoretically have a larger audience.
That said, poster JC Hillmen had an excellent counter point, and it happens to be one that I agree with.
His point is that Illinois high school football state championship games is basically a niche sport. If the team you support is not playing or did not lose in the playoffs to a team that is playing, then your interest in watching any of the 8 high school title games is pretty much the result of you being a prep sports fan who likes watching quality ball.
I mean, today (Friday), a Chicago sports fan could have watched the Blackhawks on TV, an Iowa-Nebraska Big Ten game that went down to the final seconds on TV, the South Florida/Central Florida college football game tonight, and/or even the Chicago Bulls game tonight. And this morning, while the IA title game was going on, unbeaten Michigan was schooling North Carolina in college hoops.
So for the sports fan in general, there are a ton of TV options on Friday and Saturday that are going to draw many more eyeballs than the IHSA playoffs, and that likely would be so if the games were on WGN instead of whatever it's on this year.
So the point JC Hillman was making is that if you are watching the IHSA finals instead of any of these many other solid choices, it is because you are a fan of Illinois high school sports. And if you are, and have no rooting interest in the game, then the enjoyment is coming from seeing a high-quality contest which could occur in any or all or none of the 8 classes.
Obviously, this year, so far the magical game was in 3A, which had a 4 p.m. kickoff. But that's just this year. Next year, it might be 1A or 7A. Several years ago, I believe Montini and Joliet Catholic played an epic final at 10 a.m. on a Saturday.
The point is, a high school sports fan is interested in seeing good quality play and exciting games, regardless of class. If I had a team playing this weekend, then obviously that would be must-watch TV for me. But for virtually everybody on this board, their home team is not playing, so the enjoyment comes from seeing quality teams and quality individuals
I imagine many of us are looking forward to seeing the Nazareth Academy QB in action, and also the East St. Louis team in action. For me, those are the must-see events.
For everybody else, they might some other teams and/or individuals.
The point is, it's OK for someone to say that he/she wants the games featuring bigger schools that are better known in the Chicago area to be played closer to prime time.
And it's also OK for others to point out that prep football is a niche sport, and though an audience for a Bears game is much bigger playing at 7 p.m. than it is when playing at noon, that the same concept does not hold true for the high school games on TV.
 
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greatgig13 said:
Actually it is a fact. #88 from LeWin is going to Iowa. Nobody from PR is going D1. Stick that fact up your “everybody except Chicago area matters” hind side.
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Kevin JCHS 81 said:
Actually I thought it was 2 of Lena-Winslow's players going to Iowa next year and a 3rd player going Div 1 preferred walk-on somewhere.
Click to expand...
That's why I made the comment in the 1A thread that maybe LeWin should be playing ESL.
 
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How did I just stumble upon this gem of a thread?

Good job Edgy with the sticky game threads.

I hope MC63 was trimming his toenails or doing something else productive besides watching the 3A game.
 
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The bottom line is NBC Sports Chicago and the IHSA decided to move on from their relationship, and WICU picked it up. NBCSC May have felt the advertiser $ weren’t worth the effort going into the production, talent, and air time. IHSA May have felt going with a broadcast network over a cable network allowed them to reach a larger audience not matter the audience population.

Personally, I think it’d be great for the games to be staggered across both days, but that’s because the Saturday after Thanksgiving is normally rivalry weekend in CFB, and I’d prefer to not have to make so many choices.

Really, the biggest mid-step in my eyes is on IHSA not making sure establishments like Buffalo Wild Wings would be able to show the State Championship games. Most of those types of places have Direct-TV and can’t get WICU-Too.
 
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I’ll add a lot more into this say Sunday when I have a few min to sort it all out many of you are way off here on several levels with tv
 
A couple points --- yes, prep football might be a niche sport, but the best way to add new converts is to schedule your top games when the potential audience is greatest.

Also, the 3A game might have been great, but no one knew that until the game was underway a while. With TV, you're selling the promise or hope that a game yet to be played will be outstanding. The 5, 6, 7 and 8 games tomorrow are very attractive. Most of the schools are very well known for football excellence.

It makes no difference to me if a school has D1 signees or not. Despite all its trophies, Mt Carmel has had relatively few D1 stars over the years.

I don't want to get into a demographics argument with olderby, but I believe his 65% figure might only include Cook DuPage and Lake counties. I consider Will, Kane, McHenry and Kendall to be part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Actually, I consider a couple Indiana counties to be part of our metro area, too, but they wouldn't count for Illinois prep football.

All of this might well be moot. This morning, I read the TV sports listings in the Tribune and prep games weren't included. If the IHSA publicity efforts are this weak, then i can't expect them to employ modern programming strategies.

Another IHSA misstep, to add to RD Watcher's comments, is their failure to explain that over-the-air TV is available to almost everyone. Go to Best Buy, Walmart, Target, etc. For about $25 you can buy an inside antenna that will likely pick up channel 26.2. If not, bring it back and get a stronger version.

Finally, please understand that CaravanMan is not a Mt Carmel guy. He named himself after a old rusty Dodge van - seriously. He doesn't like being confused as one of our alumni, and neither do we.

Good luck to all tomorrow.
 
Interesting discussion. Good points all around - my gut would be that the incremental advertising or sponsorship dollars by marginally increasing television viewership of the games isn’t really much/any. There could be other reasons to rotate class game times, but I don’t think maximizing viewership is going to be a driver.

I’d guess that viewership is more impacted by competition - specifically competing college or NFL football games in the same time slot and secondarily other TV swaying the casual fan to other channels. Even something like weather in the state - is the average casual fan stuck inside channel surfing or have more options available to them - would have bigger impact than order of games to traditional prime time slots

maybe this is what edgy is alluding you, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there are some strange alignment of incentives here. Who gets paid for what? And who makes decisions about game times? About broadcast channels / services?
 
MC63 said:
A couple points --- yes, prep football might be a niche sport, but the best way to add new converts is to schedule your top games when the potential audience is greatest.

Also, the 3A game might have been great, but no one knew that until the game was underway a while. With TV, you're selling the promise or hope that a game yet to be played will be outstanding. The 5, 6, 7 and 8 games tomorrow are very attractive. Most of the schools are very well known for football excellence.

It makes no difference to me if a school has D1 signees or not. Despite all its trophies, Mt Carmel has had relatively few D1 stars over the years.

I don't want to get into a demographics argument with olderby, but I believe his 65% figure might only include Cook DuPage and Lake counties. I consider Will, Kane, McHenry and Kendall to be part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Actually, I consider a couple Indiana counties to be part of our metro area, too, but they wouldn't count for Illinois prep football.

All of this might well be moot. This morning, I read the TV sports listings in the Tribune and prep games weren't included. If the IHSA publicity efforts are this weak, then i can't expect them to employ modern programming strategies.

Another IHSA misstep, to add to RD Watcher's comments, is their failure to explain that over-the-air TV is available to almost everyone. Go to Best Buy, Walmart, Target, etc. For about $25 you can buy an inside antenna that will likely pick up channel 26.2. If not, bring it back and get a stronger version.

Finally, please understand that CaravanMan is not a Mt Carmel guy. He named himself after a old rusty Dodge van - seriously. He doesn't like being confused as one of our alumni, and neither do we.

Good luck to all tomorrow.
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So for a guy who has bitched and moaned for the better part of the season, are you going to be in attendance today or will you be the “get off my lawn guy?”

It must suck to be this miserable.
 
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Not that there isn't a point, but the way this came off screams classic "Chicago arrogance"... of course no team outside of Chicagoland could ever be quality enough for primetime...
 
LakeCtyNewt said:
So for a guy who has bitched and moaned for the better part of the season, are you going to be in attendance today or will you be the “get off my lawn guy?”

It must suck to be this miserable.
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"Miserable?"

I prefer "feisty," Actually, being Irish they're interchangeable.

Newt, please find any instance over the last 18 years when I've bad mouthed a player or coach. Not gonna happen. I have criticized the administration at HF and Cary Grove, and they truly deserved it.

However, if someone (and there is no shortage of volunteers) takes a cheap shot at my school, I'll be all over them.

Finally, if I'm in attendance or not is a decision based on health, and respectfully, that isn't your concern.
 
MC63 said:
"Miserable?"

I prefer "feisty," Actually, being Irish they're interchangeable.

Newt, please find any instance over the last 18 years when I've bad mouthed a player or coach. Not gonna happen. I have criticized the administration at HF and Cary Grove, and they truly deserved it.

However, if someone (and there is no shortage of volunteers) takes a cheap shot at my school, I'll be all over them.

Finally, if I'm in attendance or not is a decision based on health, and respectfully, that isn't your concern.
Click to expand...

You bitch about the games and the coverage yet you can’t get off your posterior and go watch it live. Man up or stop bitching
 
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MC63 said:
Tonight, we'll see the 3A and 4A championship games ... contests where 95% of the state have no interest whatsoever. Yes, these kids are very deserving of fan support, but most Illinoisans have never heard of them and are not likely to watch.


However, if the IHSA split the programming so that the 1, 3, 5 and 7 games were on Friday and the 2, 4, 6 and 8 on Saturday ...we'd have the SR/ Rochester and Nazareth/ MC games in prime time tonight. Imagine the difference in ratings. Imagine how much more the IHSA could charge for its coverage.

Perhaps an outlet more viewer friendly that You-too might be inclined to step in.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but the ratings wouldn't be that dramatic. Having done it, I can tell you it wouldn't.

Now attendance on the other hand....
 
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