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The Final MEMO Thread (And it's POSITIVE, too!)

JakePosted on 01/25/07 at 16:57:00

So I read that TNA plans on doing a 2-hour, Monday night show in February when WWE Raw will be pre-empted for a... dog show? Jeez, Vince, that desperate for a network? I bet Triple H still won't put anyone over.

Anyways, I had some ideas that I think TNA should use for that Monday show.

MEMO TO TNA:
  1.) Go Live.
  2.) Main Event World Title match.* (I'm thinking Four-Way Dance?)
  3.) Let it go at least 20 minutes.
  4.) World Title CHANGES HANDS.
  5.) Joe/Angle 4.*
  6.) Sacrifice Chris Sabin. I don't care to who, and I don't care how. Just fucking do it.

If TNA really wants to be taken seriously, I think this is how they go about doing that. Do the PPV matches on FREE TV; HYPE THE FUCKER OUT. Make sure everyone and their mother knows this show is on. Make Vince shit his pants. Stay away from the goofy angles, keep it serious. A PCS skit or something with Eric Young is fine, but keep VKM off the TV. Don't make your viewers think about Vince McMahon or the WWE, MAKE THEM FORGET. Make it count. Please.

*I believe the show is on February 12th, the night after Against All Odds. If Angle wins [the title], then Joe/Angle 4 with the World Title on the line.
pszPosted on 01/26/07 at 01:02:25

Don't make your viewers think about Vince McMahon or the WWE, MAKE THEM FORGET.
Ahh, to dream the dream....


(TNA became nearly unwatchable to me when it was "WWE this and WWE that". I watch TNA to watch TNA... Not to be reminded that I, and the majority of veiwers, suck for also... Watching WWE :-P)
Rick GarrardPosted on 01/27/07 at 01:21:00

So I read that TNA plans on doing a 2-hour, Monday night show in February when WWE Raw will be pre-empted for a... dog show? Jeez, Vince, that desperate for a network? I bet Triple H still won't put anyone over.
The same dog show outdrew WCW Nitro (even without Schiavone giving the ending away), and will totally bury TNA in the ratings.  I can see Shane Douglas now... "So Jeff, how does it feel to have your company's "special" (Shane rolls his eyes) show get it's collective ass handed to it by a bunch of bitches that aren't on the WWE payroll?"

Jarrett vs Douglas would be a good feud if Douglas were able to come out of retirement.

And Jake, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show used to take the place of WWF Prime Time years ago... so this isn't the first, nor will it be the last time that WWE moves its programming for the dog show.  And it is really a big ratings grabber when it is on.  Just look at the past history of the event.  And don't forget, February is one of the four ratings months when advertisers get to set their rates for their programming based on viewers, and now that WWE doesn't control their ad revenue (USA Network does for RAW) this is in USA's best interest.  

Memo to Jake:  Buy a clue before arguing a point you know little about.
pszPosted on 01/27/07 at 02:56:07

Gorilla Monsoon used to remind veiwers that Prime Time would be off (or moved to another day) every year...

And Heenan would inevitably make a comment about dogs and Monsoon's mother...
AnubisPosted on 01/27/07 at 05:39:45

On 01/27/07 at 01:21:00, Rick Garrard wrote:The same dog show outdrew WCW Nitro (even without Schiavone giving the ending away), and will totally bury TNA in the ratings. I can see Shane Douglas now... "So Jeff, how does it feel to have your company's "special" (Shane rolls his eyes) show get it's collective ass handed to it by a bunch of bitches that aren't on the WWE payroll?"
It only beat WCW in 2001, WCW's death year.  At least based on the numbers I found on the WKC show.

On 01/27/07 at 01:21:00, Rick Garrard wrote:And Jake, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show used to take the place of WWF Prime Time years ago... so this isn't the first, nor will it be the last time that WWE moves its programming for the dog show.  And it is really a big ratings grabber when it is on.  Just look at the past history of the event.
Not really.  It seem to average 2.5-3.5 most years based on the research I did.  It is really freaking hard to find TV ratings history, but I did find the ratings for several years.  2.5-3.5 isn't that impressive when the show it's replacing does better ratings most weeks (Raw is pulling around 4.0 still I think).

For the most part, I can't think of many successful preemptions.  They do it with tennis and golf a lot, and those don't usually pull better ratings than the normal programming.  Same here.  Especially goes for when they have news preemptions, which usually fail miserably.

Preemptions are pretty much always a disaster for networks.  I still can't figure out why networks do it most of the time.

On 01/27/07 at 01:21:00, Rick Garrard wrote:And don't forget, February is one of the four ratings months when advertisers get to set their rates for their programming based on viewers, and now that WWE doesn't control their ad revenue (USA Network does for RAW) this is in USA's best interest.

Memo to Jake: Buy a clue before arguing a point you know little about.
This time maybe you should do the same.  I went looking for the ratings, and the ones I found were in the 2.5-3.5 range.
JakePosted on 01/27/07 at 18:09:47

Well, TNA isn't taking my advice. :(

The previously rumored Monday Feb. 12 TNA Special looks to be pretty much set in place.

USA Network will be airing the Westminster Dog Show, pre-empting Raw. This leaves TNA wide open to try and attract some new viewers. They yet-to-be-named special will run either 2 or 3 hours, and be made up of recent PPV matches and introductory features on the company.

Although a live show was also discussed, since it is the day right after the Against All Odds PPV, the decision was made to keep it a pre-taped special, so they can focus on what TNA does best, mainly in post-production & video features.

Credit: Mike Johnson, Pro Wrestling Insider
Too bad, I think they could have made a real iMPACT! with a live, new show. Then again, what do I know? :P
HugeRockStar760Posted on 01/27/07 at 19:28:19

On 01/27/07 at 18:09:47, Jake wrote:Well, TNA isn't taking my advice. :(

Too bad, I think they could have made a real iMPACT! with a live, new show. Then again, what do I know? :P
That's not comforting to know that what TNA does best is post-production and video features. I was hoping what they viewed as what they do best was wrestling.
Snabbit888Posted on 01/27/07 at 19:36:57

The key to remember is that even if the dog show gets a little less on the ratings, it brings in more advertising revenue than WWE does.  Thus, of course USA will preempt RAW for it.
Rick GarrardPosted on 01/28/07 at 03:02:32

Eukanuba (sic?) and Iams and Ralston Purina definitely pay top dollar for the ads during said dog show.  I'm sure they pay way more for the once a year spots than what Subway, Burger King and The Rock's Straight to DVD Movie of the Week pay for their "promotional consideration" spots.
JakePosted on 01/29/07 at 19:24:20

Rajah.com
Because of a pre-emption due to the Westminster Dog Show, WWE RAW will not be airing on Monday night, February 12th. Instead, a taped episode of RAW will run later that week on Thursday night, February 15th.

SpikeTV and TNA are siezing this opportunity and going to war with WWE. TNA Wrestling has announced they will air an unopposed 2-hour special on Monday night, February 12th featuring "TNA's Best PPV Matches of 2006".

Now, the Wrestlinig Observer Newsletter reports TNA will also air a 3-hour primetime special on Thursday night, February 15th to go head-to-head with the taped off-night episode of WWE RAW.

TNA is looking to expose hundreds of thousands of WWE RAW viewers to their product on Monday night 2/12, when RAW is off the air. That momentum combined with a 3-hour primetime special 3 days later against a weakened off-night RAW is the best chance TNA's ever had to post a big number against WWE's flagship show.

This is a tremendous opportunity for TNA. Its been reported for months that TNA and SpikeTV have discussed a Monday night timeslot for iMPACT! If TNA does strong numbers for the unopposed Monday night special and their 3-hour Thursday night special against WWE RAW, a move to Monday nights might happen sooner than anybody expected.
Actual head-to-head competition? I'm there. I sure hope Dish Network sends my fucking DVR by then (I ordered the fucker in SEPTEMBER).