Dave Meltzer stuff

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

I still would have preferred for Brock to beat Cena to set up a rematch, but if their plans for Brock are for "dream matches" with HHH, Rock, Taker and (possibly) Austin, maybe it's good that they let a non-retired wrestler get a win over him while he's there.

[NintendoLogic]

I don't think they'll do Brock/Taker. At this point, Taker is too brittle to do more than one match a year, and isn't Brock/Rock penciled in for Mania?

[rovert]

Not really a sports fan or American but fairly well connected fan @FrontRowBrian tweeted this:

 

I heard yahoo CEO was forced out because he didn't renew Dave Meltzer's contract. Dumbass.

Anyone?

[Gregor]

There was an AP article this morning that mentioned that the CEO had falsely claimed to have a computer engineering degree. It didn't mention Meltzer.

 

I know nothing about this, though, and wasn't familiar with the situation before reading that article.

 

EDIT: Should probably have linked to the article. Here you go. It was a computer science degree that he falsely claimed to have - sorry.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

I don't think they'll do Brock/Taker. At this point, Taker is too brittle to do more than one match a year, and isn't Brock/Rock penciled in for Mania?

Might MMA mark Taker be so lured in by the thrilling opportunity to work a shoot fight with a real live UFC champ that he'll agree to do a non-Mania match?

[Eduardo]

EDIT: Double post.

[Eduardo]

Dana White Attacks Dave Meltzer

 

EDIT: Dana comes off as so insecure. No way to spin it, it was a good show but UFC got really shitty ratings on FOX.

 

EDIT 2: Nice to see most on twitter are giving Dana White shit for this.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Raging Noodles

[KrisZ]

UFC gets so much print in the WON this is going to be interesting to see how Dave reacts.

[Cox]

Somebody needs to do a photoshop of Dana White superkicking Dave Meltzer on the set of the Barber Shop.

[Log]

Dana's really right, though. Demos are what's really important. And you do have to factor in all that stuff about total television viewers that night, etc.

[Bix]

Dana's really right, though. Demos are what's really important. And you do have to factor in all that stuff about total television viewers that night, etc.

Strikeforce on CBS won in the key demos, too.

 

Todd Martin (who I've been finding myself agreeing with a lot lately, oddly enough) made a very astute observation about Dana's rant in the thread about this on THE BOARD: Dana likely comes off worse if you don't know who Dave is (and that he has a very successful small business with the WON and will do fine without Yahoo), Dana likely comes off even WORSE. A $100 millionaire mocking a reporter for getting laid off will always come off badly, but most people watching probably think Dave is some middle class guy who Dana is toying with.

 

Even with Fuel's viewership being what it is Dana is probably lucky he didn't get to do this on TV as planned, because it would've come off even worse.

[KrisZ]

It's not over yet he still may go off on Fuel

[Dooley]

Dana's right. He's petty and juvenile about it, but he's right. Meltz doesn't understand that it isn't rasslin' where everybody lives and dies by the last TV rating. They headlined network TV with no stars (sorry Nate) and still won the key demos. Fox is happy. Sure they want a bigger number, but no one's wringing hands behind closed doors. They signed a 7 year deal for a reason. Long-term strategy: it exists in real sports and real business. Something Meltz doesn't understand.

 

And the Strikeforce comparison is way off. Strikeforce might still be on CBS if it wasn't for the brawl. That's what pissed off CBS, not numbers.

[rovert]

Wow Dana is a prick.

 

 

Dave's own comment on the forum:

 

Here's all I want to say.

 

Dana called me and told me what he was going to do ahead of time saying he didn't want to blindside me. He was pissed at the article in last week's Observer and if he's pissed he doesn't hold it in. And I've got no issue with that or with him. I wish he hadn't brought up the Yahoo thing just because it brings sympathy to me that I don't want and that it probably does him no benefit to the outside world to be doing. It appears he's kicking a guy when he's down and I'm not down, so it didn't bother me, but to the outside world, I don't know how it comes across.

 

Rather than rallying around me or saying Dana's hurting into Eric or Vince, just read the article. If you think I wasn't fair and presenting both sides of the story, then he's right to be mad. If you think I was fair, then that's cool. Any discussions should be about the points in the article because if anyone thinks I'm mad at him, well, that's the furthest thing from the case.

 

As far as I'm concerned, I thought the article was fair. He didn't. We've disagreed before and agree far more than we disagree when it comes to the product.

[sek69]

Demos tend to be the way people with invested interests spin shitty TV ratings. Other sports like football don't bother with demos, they just announce a million bazillion people watched the NFL that week. When Dana has to break it down by demo, that's kind of a roundabout way of saying no one buy UFC hardcores watched, and the whole point of going on Fox was to attract new/casual viewers with the hope of turning them into PPV buyers at some point. Dana's response comes off like Vince McMahon getting pissed at Bob Costas.

 

Also practically no one has Fuel, they might as well be having these shows in Dana's backyard in terms of how much exposure they get from them. These guys can have the fight of the century and no one will know it happened. It's the classic tree falling in the forest scenario.

[rovert]

Forgot to ask this in my other post but who you do you think is Dana's intended audience for this rant? MMA media, TV industry, creating a n us vs them moment for meathead MMA fans or just Dana himself?

 

Demos tend to be the way people with invested interests spin shitty TV ratings. Other sports like football don't bother with demos, they just announce a million bazillion people watched the NFL that week.

Well that's Eric Bischoff's game isn't it?

[cm funk]

Was interesting how Dana prefaced his comments by saying how much he likes and respects Meltzer, and then taking not one but two digs at him for losing the Yahoo gig, lol.

 

I didn't read Dave's article yet, but I got the gist of his thoughts from the radio shows. I can see both sides of the argument, because Dave gets too analytical when talking about the "booking" of UFC and with injuries and suspensions and all the other BS that comes with MMA Dana can't plan things out like he would in an ideal world.

 

But Dana going into attack mode means Dana is pissed off and Dave's article probably hit too close to home. I wouldn't be happy right now if I were Dana White either....he still can't break into the NY market, FOX ratings aren't blowing people away, FUEL isn't in enough homes and TUF isn't drawing great ratings, he's got a dearth of marquee matchups and fighters.......lot's of reasons to be mad right now, and Dave is an easy target to pick on

[sek69]

UFC has overexposed itself and the ratings are starting to reflect it. Fuel doesn't count since no one has the channel, but the last season of TUF was the lowest rated ever. Fox shows have been getting less viewers each time out, and most of the PPVs without a main event hook have been down too. Add in things like the NY state legislature passing the buck again, and dealing with high profile drug test failures, it's easy to see why Dana would be in a punchy mood.

 

I actually give Dave a lot of credit for his response, he has every right to be all "fuck that guy" and he took the high road. That couldn't have been easy, especially given him mentioning Dave's Yahoo gig and making it sound like he was some unemployed geek and not a successful small business owner.

[kjh]

Dana's pissed off because Dave pointed out the pink elephant in the room. Dave's got his own network sources and though he won't publicly say this, he knows Dana is full of crap. If they were so high on the UFC brand, then why did FOX air some commercials that pushed "four fights" without mentioning UFC whatsoever. And that was before they got the lowest rating for a network MMA special ever.

[Loss]

Wow Dana is a prick.

 

 

Dave's own comment on the forum:

 

Here's all I want to say.

 

Dana called me and told me what he was going to do ahead of time saying he didn't want to blindside me. He was pissed at the article in last week's Observer and if he's pissed he doesn't hold it in. And I've got no issue with that or with him. I wish he hadn't brought up the Yahoo thing just because it brings sympathy to me that I don't want and that it probably does him no benefit to the outside world to be doing. It appears he's kicking a guy when he's down and I'm not down, so it didn't bother me, but to the outside world, I don't know how it comes across.

 

Rather than rallying around me or saying Dana's hurting into Eric or Vince, just read the article. If you think I wasn't fair and presenting both sides of the story, then he's right to be mad. If you think I was fair, then that's cool. Any discussions should be about the points in the article because if anyone thinks I'm mad at him, well, that's the furthest thing from the case.

 

As far as I'm concerned, I thought the article was fair. He didn't. We've disagreed before and agree far more than we disagree when it comes to the product.

This response is Dave at his best. It takes a very mature person to ignore personal digs and focus on the issue anyway. That makes him unique in most fields, but especially in the industry he covers. I've always considered the ability to keep the laser focus on the actual issue and not the personal gaga Dave's greatest strength. It gives his reporting more credibility too.

[NintendoLogic]

I was rather puzzled by Dave and Bryan saying on the radio show today that Cena had to go back to being happy-go-lucky because of the divorce. Aren't the people most likely to know about the divorce (that is, Internet fans/dirtsheet readers) the ones who hate Cena's goofball act the most?

[rovert]

Dave on the radio re: Dana:

[Bix]

I'm glad Dave addressed the Dana thing on the the podcast, because it made his reaction a lot more clear. To me, the forum post read like "He may have mocked me, but at least he called first!" while on the podcast, it was more "He called me first to warn me, which was really weird."

[jdw]

Interesting reading. I suspect that the "cuts too close" comment is probably close to the mark on part of what set Dana off.

 

Fuel hasn't been a great fit since 37M homes is still just 37M homes, and Fox isn't having great luck getting it into more. On the other hand, Fox does look like it will be doing a real "anchor" sports network coming up, similar to NBC and CBS to challenge ESPN. Fox is better positioned than both of them since they have content:

 

BIG 12: Second-tier rights: $1.17 billion, FOX, 13 years through 2024-25

PAC 12: First- and second-tier rights: $3 billion, ESPN/FOX, 12 years through 2023-24

 

And of course they had the UFC.

 

NBC has hockey, which is a ratings sink hole. CBS Sports Channels has... really nothing. That why you'll read some talk of one of those two overpaying for something like the dying Big East package: they need *anything* to fill the schedule.

 

The properties of some value coming up that Fox, CBS and NBC (along with Time Warner and ESPN) will be fighting for:

 

NBA: after 2015-16 season

Big 10: First-tier rights after 2016 football season

MLB: after the 2013 season

 

There are other ones out there, such as ND football... but I suspect the next TV deal and realignment will force them to join either the Big 10 or ACC at that point.

 

UFC is a "valuable" property to Fox because it fills up so much time relatively cheaply. $90M for an insane amount of hours of programing. Hockey is $200M a year to NBC, and how much content?

 

I don't know if I would go doom & gloom on UFC given what changes are likely coming to Fox and how the UFC will be a pretty significant part of it until Fox gets so much content that UFC gets squeezed. Still, given all the content that ESPN has, it remains pretty amazing how far down the list of properties before you find squeezing going on. If Fox has ambitions with it's Sports Networks, both regional and national, UFC will keep getting rolled out.

 

John

[kjh]

If UFC were just stuck with Fuel, then they'd want out of the deal I imagine. The FOX deal was supposed to springboard the company to the next level, help create them tens of thousands of extra regular PPV customers and so far that hasn't happened. Moreover, they expected TUF's ratings to be boosted by being on FX, but instead they've slumped to a 0.7 rating, well below the station's prime time average. When the FOX deal was signed I didn't expect it to be a game changer, but it has panned out worse so far than anyone could have expected, outside of the strong ratings for Velasquez vs. dos Santos.