FIRST Nationals on "Regular" TV

[MattK]

I dunno about you but only a hand-full of people I know actually get NASA TV.

I think we should work hard this year along with FIRST to get The Championship Event broadcast on "regular" TV. A station that would come in someone's basic cable package.

Does anyone have any ideas?

It would be kinda weird but kinda cool if we could get MTV to do something. Middle and High Schoolers are their largest (target) audience.

We could get like some clean rapper to do a rap about FIRST... maybe someone like Will Smith. JK, the guy is okay in movies (MIB) but I really dont like his music.

[miketwalker]

Well, the problem with "regular" tv... is they make lots of money from their normal shows. I mean, it's hard enough just to get a real blurb on a news station, last year CNN did all of about what, a 2 minute interview basically saying "so you built a robot, and won with it... good job" As for the MTV thing... eh... a typical music video changes scenes every 1 second... the viewers of that station wouldn't be able to tolerate watching a robotics event, and especially not for multiple days, at most they might get like a highlights, and that would only be like robots being broken and stuff, cause most people have come to expect battlebots, and wouldn't understand. I think we should aim for news stations, and just getting blurbs on some things, and maybe even some type of mention from things like MTV, but that would be hard, like I said they'd probably only do a short highlights thing, and wouldn't go for the game, but the damage done to robots and such.

[Tytus Gerrish]

i got Us at our car wash on our local news WPBF25 They interviered me for 5 minutes, anierviewrd Chet for 5 minutes, took a lot of footage AND we were the Last blurb on Less than 30 seconds

Well, its better than nothing

the problem with regular tv is advertising you need an audience and a sponsor(Comertals) that want to sell somthing to that audience, and anyone else who dosent(the infnante logos on robots and team shirts) will have to be blured out

Our best Bet is PBS

[MattK]

Hmmm C-SPAN has that book-tv thing. Maybe they would cover us. Its a station that most people get, yet is willing to let people give 2 hour speeches to book publishers.

[Keith Chester]

While the demographic is right for MTV, and it certainly would be a great thing for them, I doubt they'd be able to deliver a viewer satisfying version of FIRST. And if they did, I'd doubt it'd look like FIRST.

What FIRST needs is a TLC or Discovery channel special, dedicated to follow teams throughout the season. But not a simple documentary, something more personal than some of us are willing to allow ourselves to be recorded.

Then again there is no such thing as bad press.

I know I'm back and forth in my post but it is late and it's a touchy subject. I suppose it's a good idea, but I'd aim for the tech channels first. (And yes I know that tech TV had specials about FIRST before which I unfortunately missed. If anyone has a copy of it let me know, I missed it!)

But the problem is how to convince these broadcasting networks to take time and money, and thus risk, into looking into our endeavors? Certainly once they experience FIRST for what it is there will be no need of convincing anymore, but it takes more than just a well written letter to convince them to take this risk. A large open community letter with mass signatures may be one way to approach it, but doubtful.

The best way to tackle this problem is to create a demo tape. Take as much footage from previous years, and take out the most creative and spirited examples. Step away from your position as a team and pick out the most creative or outrageous (ie creative: RoboKong or Cradle Robber of 25, us, in 2001, or Beatty's (71's) 2002 bot. ie of outrageous: Rocky's (Sorry, I forget the team #!) awesome soup can design in 2002, or 118's Masssive hand machine in 2001 [only saw videos of this, was a machine to remember!)

After taking the robot design footage, pick out exciting moments in matches. But beware- while FIRST is not about flipping opponents or bashing through another robot, it may be ebst to include a few of these clips simply to show that these are REAL machines, dangerous as well as engineering marvels. however, overdo it on the flips, crashes, and bashings, and it sahll not be the FIRST we know. There is no need to send that in.

Follow this by footage of the throngs of oddly dressed crazy people screaming not just for their own teams, but for their opponents as well. Who wouldn't have their curiosity peaked by seeing a team of ugly yellow Hawiian shirts or a team of bright green shirted people clapping sticks as loud as possible to an unforgettable chant?

Of course this footage simply put to music means absolutely nothing to anyone who doesn't know what FIRST is already. Which is why it needs to be approached by storytellers. Match strong voiced narrators telling the background of each story, both the game, the happenings of the game, and the creativeness of say, the robot design displayed. It is only with this accompanying narration will the video work.

(For you Phillip Roth fans: )

Or at least that's one man's opinion. First name Smitty, last name Word.


Note: I began replying when the thread first started. Now it seems my long post kept me from being first so I didn't get to read other posts before finishing this.

[MattK]

Originally posted by Replic
While the demographic is right for MTV, and it certainly would be a great thing for them, I doubt they'd be able to deliver a viewer satisfying version of FIRST. And if they did, I'd doubt it'd look like FIRST.

What FIRST needs is a TLC or Discovery channel special, dedicated to follow teams throughout the season. But not a simple documentary, something more personal than some of us are willing to allow ourselves to be recorded.

Then again there is no such thing as bad press.

I know I'm back and forth in my post but it is late and it's a touchy subject. I suppose it's a good idea, but I'd aim for the tech channels first. (And yes I know that tech TV had specials about FIRST before which I unfortunately missed. If anyone has a copy of it let me know, I missed it!)

But the problem is how to convince these broadcasting networks to take time and money, and thus risk, into looking into our endeavors? Certainly once they experience FIRST for what it is there will be no need of convincing anymore, but it takes more than just a well written letter to convince them to take this risk. A large open community letter with mass signatures may be one way to approach it, but doubtful.

The best way to tackle this problem is to create a demo tape. Take as much footage from previous years, and take out the most creative and spirited examples. Step away from your position as a team and pick out the most creative or outrageous (ie creative: RoboKong or Cradle Robber of 25, us, in 2001, or Beatty's (71's) 2002 bot. ie of outrageous: Rocky's (Sorry, I forget the team #!) awesome soup can design in 2002, or 118's Masssive hand machine in 2001 [only saw videos of this, was a machine to remember!)

After taking the robot design footage, pick out exciting moments in matches. But beware- while FIRST is not about flipping opponents or bashing through another robot, it may be ebst to include a few of these clips simply to show that these are REAL machines, dangerous as well as engineering marvels. however, overdo it on the flips, crashes, and bashings, and it sahll not be the FIRST we know. There is no need to send that in.

Follow this by footage of the throngs of oddly dressed crazy people screaming not just for their own teams, but for their opponents as well. Who wouldn't have their curiosity peaked by seeing a team of ugly yellow Hawiian shirts or a team of bright green shirted people clapping sticks as loud as possible to an unforgettable chant?

Of course this footage simply put to music means absolutely nothing to anyone who doesn't know what FIRST is already. Which is why it needs to be approached by storytellers. Match strong voiced narrators telling the background of each story, both the game, the happenings of the game, and the creativeness of say, the robot design displayed. It is only with this accompanying narration will the video work.

(For you Phillip Roth fans

Or at least that's one man's opinion. First name Smitty, last name Word.


Note: I began replying when the thread first started. Now it seems my long post kept me from ebing first so I didn't get to read other posts before finishing this.

You are right, we do need to be put on some channel like discovery. It would actually seem to fit into their line-up really well.

They have monster garage, American Choppers... the list goes on with those kind of shows.

I think we should approach a station like if you where to approach a sponsor. If a company like BAE is willing to give out millions to FIRST why cant a TV station (who will also make $$$ back on it)

[Ryan Albright]

well thinking about mtv. They have that show real life. We can get them to follow like a couple of teams from jan 4 to the championship. They go with the teams to regionals and then to the big show. they can call it REal life i am a robotics fanatic

[Keith Chester]

Certainly it's a good idea but it's been done in a documentary I've seen on TV before- 3 2001 teams were followed throughout the season. But it does not begin to do justice to the sport itself.

Perhaps a series would be better? But once again, a series means money, time, and thus risk for television companies. Though a FIRST series certainly would be the only show I'll tune in to watch every week, save West Wing.

[Ryan Albright]

ya true look at fox they do alot of stupid reality shows why dont they acutally take a serious that will do better then "paradise hotedl"

[Keith Chester]

Don't get me started on FOX.


Any other ideas on how to adequately represent FIRST in the video medium?

[Ryan Albright]

hey sorry i am just trying to give ideas here

[Koko Ed]

We have video around the site of the Championship being shown on ESPN.

[Pin Man]

One of the sports channels I get show parts of nationals... Like the last day... i believe it's ESPN...

[Pat McCarthy]

This past season a video crew came in and video taped my team. Supposedly they were gathering footage to put on a 1 hour special about FIRST for the Discovery Channel. Team 67, my team, was not chosen to be followed for the whole season, but I heard that Team 254, the Cheezy Poofs, was chosen, and was taped for most of the season. I don't know the other teams that were taped, but there will be three total.

I think i heard someone say the show would air sometime in the fall on Discovery. It sounds like it will be a great show with great publicity for FIRST!

Originally posted by Replic
Any other ideas on how to adequately represent FIRST in the video medium?

Well, just so we have this in one place and the status of them:
Suggested Mediums:
NASA TV (Too small viewer base to be effective)
FOX (Mostly Disagreed, except for short blurbs)
FOX family and other divisions of FOX (see above)
MTV (Divided No)
MTV2 (Only plays Music and Commercials)
CNN (Mostly Disagreed, except for short blurbs)
NBC (Mostly Disagreed, except for short blurbs)
MSNBC and other divisions of NBC (See above)
CBS (Mostly Disagreed, except for short blurbs)
ABC (Mostly Disagreed, except for short blurbs)
ABC family and other divisions of ABC (See above)
Discovery (Not Discussed in Detail)
Discovery Health (No, wrong subject)
Discovery Wings (No, wrong subject)
Discovery Science and other Tech. based (Not discussed)
ESPN/ESPN2 (Not Discussed in Detail)
C-SPAN/C-SPAN2 (Not discussed in Detail)
TLC (Added Aug 11, 2003; Not Discussed in Detail)

Why:
NASA TV, as stated not enough people watch it (I don't even get it)
FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, these can all be lumped as they have similar viewer bases and therefore similar demands for programming. In my opinion they will most likely not partake of a broadcast, however they ,might run a news segment every night for the week in one of those 'running updates' that they have. This will raise awareness of FIRST quite a bit, but we are discussing how to have the whole thing or a sizable portion of it broadcast, so theses are out of the question
CNN, similar viewer base as above, but because they do a lot of reporting in the technology genre they might run a post-championship 1-hour segment on the championship.
MTV, they do music. I feel that unless we play on the 'wow' and 'cool' factors and less on the 'these kids are doing something educational' side of FIRST we can rule them out.

This leaves Discovery and its divisions, TLC, ESPN and it's divisions and C-SPAN with it's divisions. I feel that they are the most likely prospects, although I think we should try for Discovery, TLC or ESPN first, then all of their sub-catagories and C-SPAN, then C-SPAN2 in that order because my personal opinion is that Discovery and ESPN (predominately Discovery) have a viewer base that is closer to who would watch than C-SPAN, and that we should try for the main stations first because in many places (me included) don't get the sub-stations (Discovery Wings, etc...) without paying an obscene amount (not me) for the 'deluxe' cable and a smaller viewer base. With that said...

Remember:

FIRST holds broadcast rights and can choose to give or not give these to any station, and that station can choose to turn FIRST down even if it is offered, so please, please, please don't try to organize this on your own, we don't want any lawsuits. Furthermore all of FIRST's sponsors probably have a say in this. What I'm saying is you probably need to talk to Mr. Dean Kamen.

...So with that said continue discussing.

Note to the above post: I've added to the list the divisions of discussed stations just so those bases are covered. Keep in mind that my opinion may have influenced some of the status ( ) blurbs, and nothing here is meant to inflame anyones tempers. If you feel I've made a mistake in the status of a station, or have lumped topics incorrectly, or anything else, just PM me or post it here with what you want fixed and I'll change it as soon as I log on. Or just have Brandon ban me if you get really ticked. Just kidding.

Just my 2.1 cents