James Sharman Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Unfortunately changes are afoot for The Footy Show. The bottom line is just that, for a show to succeed in television it needs to be supported by strong viewership numbers. Now, while The Footy Show had a consistent and loyal following, on certain days it was a very small following. Therefore, with budget strings being tightened in what is going to be a very expensive year for The Score (HD conversion) The Footy Show will be phased back. Here are the changes: Friday show – cancelled Saturday morning show – continues, but will be adjusted to focus on promoting our EPL coverage. Saturday evening show – continues (in what form is yet to be determined) Sunday show and match – continue Monday show – cancelled Along with these changes, we have had to say goodbye to Paul James and Neil Davidson. Both Paul and Neil have been huge influences on The Score’s soccer coverage over recent years, and are respected as being among the most insightful and knowledgeable experts in North America. They will be greatly missed. On the bright side, the adjustments do mean that there will be a greater degree of soccer content throughout the week on The Score. I will be working on features/interviews/field shoots, on a weekly basis, that will give you your footy fix on a regular basis. Brian Budd and myself will still be guiding you through the weekend, and believe me when I say that The Score is still committed to giving our sport the support and exposure it deserves, but like any business we are accountable to the bottom line. I personally apologize to all our regular viewers, and thank you for your support, and who knows, down the line we could be back with a vengeance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhat Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 That is quite unfortunate. I did enjoy the show and tried to catch it as much as I could. Thanks JS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Not good. I must say that Paul James has found his calling. He is great on TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM2 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 James Class act in thanking Paul James on the show, so often a change takes place and the next week the person isn't there without any explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertuzzi44 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Keep trying to sneak in Canadian content, it's much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 quote:Originally posted by James Sharman Brian Budd and myself will still be guiding you through the weekend... Please tell me you are kidding. I'm sure Brian is a nice guy but as a commentator he is nearly incoherent. Listening to him is painful. Scale back to two half-hour shows and keep Neil on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 That's a bit rude isn't it ted? When the actual show presenters come on the board to update us I think we don't need to slag them off unless they're asking for criticism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Ah man, quite enjoyed the Friday show as I am usually off work in time to catch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I mentioned this already on the usector board, but I am sorry to see Paul James go. I realize he is still on Gol TV's Extra time, but the viewership for that must be even less than the Score gets. James was a true champion of the Canadian cause like no other and the only member of the media (at least until very recently) who I felt properly called out Mo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I hope Paul James gets back to something soccer related out side of Extra Time. I really liked the friday night shows. Anyways best of luck to all of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Too bad. Really enjoyed the show, especially the Friday edition. Paul James was great. Hopefully he'll resurface soon. Best of luck to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Too bad. Really enjoyed the show, especially the Friday edition. Paul James was great. Hopefully he'll resurface soon. Best of luck to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud Mouth Soup Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I'm sure we'll be blessed with 784 more weekly hours of hockey. Too bad, and thanks James. Best of luck to Paul and Neil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearcatSA Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 quote:Originally posted by ted Scale back to two half-hour shows and keep Neil on! Yeah, I was wondering about other alternatives. What it have made enough of a difference to ditch the Monday program, but keep the Friday show including Neil with Paul and Budd? Podcast these guys? I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sKriSh Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 This really sucks, the Friday show was the best in terms of format and discussion. Paul was such a great promoter of Canadian footy and I hope that you can still include some Canadian content in the new format. I really hope this doesn't mean more horse racing and NCAA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Sharman Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 Thanks guys. Indeed, I am still committed to covering Canadian issues. I will use the forum to let you know what and when we'll be doing stuff. Still, let me know your ideas form features/interviews at thefootyshow@thescore.ca Cheers, and keep the faith, one thing I've learned about this business is that things can turn around real quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 quote:Originally posted by James Sharman Thanks guys. Indeed, I am still committed to covering Canadian issues. I will use the forum to let you know what and when we'll be doing stuff. Still, let me know your ideas form features/interviews at thefootyshow@thescore.ca Cheers, and keep the faith, one thing I've learned about this business is that things can turn around real quickly. I'm sorry but the Score should have never gotten away from the daily Sportsworld show. It was on every day, at the same time. It had regular segments. I knew when it was on and where to find it. When you guys moved away from that, I stopped watching. Your shows were mainly on weekends when I spend my time actually watching games. They were all on at different times. It made it really difficult to follow. Keeping Sportsworld and cross promoting with the BPL rights would have been the way to go. But hey, I don't make the decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 quote:Originally posted by James Sharman Thanks guys. Indeed, I am still committed to covering Canadian issues. I will use the forum to let you know what and when we'll be doing stuff. Still, let me know your ideas form features/interviews at thefootyshow@thescore.ca Cheers, and keep the faith, one thing I've learned about this business is that things can turn around real quickly. I'm sorry but the Score should have never gotten away from the daily Sportsworld show. It was on every day, at the same time. It had regular segments. I knew when it was on and where to find it. When you guys moved away from that, I stopped watching. Your shows were mainly on weekends when I spend my time actually watching games. They were all on at different times. It made it really difficult to follow. Keeping Sportsworld and cross promoting with the BPL rights would have been the way to go. But hey, I don't make the decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ref Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 quote:Originally posted by James Sharman The bottom line is just that, for a show to succeed in television it needs to be supported by strong viewership numbers. Man, if you feel you are not getting enough viewers what you need to do is to promote the program, not scrap it or getting rid of the two best commentators. You didn't think this too well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanKeay Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 You think it was James choice to scrap the show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrek Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 What sucks about The Score is that you need to subscribe to the Robbers RIP off pack in order to get it. I don't have The Score, but do have GolTV and FSW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massive Attack Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Jarrek What sucks about The Score is that you need to subscribe to the Robbers RIP off pack in order to get it. I don't have The Score, but do have GolTV and FSW. I'm in the exact situation. I have basic cable plus the Sports Package that gets you Gol TV, FSWC, Leafs TV, Raptors TV, etc. I called Rogers to complain that its stupid that The Score isn't part of this package. I'm not paying $23/month extra for cable to get 1 channel I want to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piltdownman Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 quote:Originally posted by masster ... I'm sorry but the Score should have never gotten away from the daily Sportsworld show. It was on every day, at the same time. It had regular segments. I knew when it was on and where to find it. When you guys moved away from that, I stopped watching. Your shows were mainly on weekends when I spend my time actually watching games. They were all on at different times. It made it really difficult to follow. Keeping Sportsworld and cross promoting with the BPL rights would have been the way to go. But hey, I don't make the decisions. I couldn't agree more. I use to watch Sportsworld almost daily, but since I watch every BPL game there is little reason for me to watch the current Footy 'review' Show. I also liked how Sportsworld was more than just football. It really was a great show. That said I think Sharman and Budd do a great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I really enjoyed the show, I think you should have done more online for it. Perhaps release the Friday and Monday shows just online. The Score gets the air time, we still get Footy Show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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