Barrett-Jackson / Speed Channel E-Mail

[Camaro Billy]

Here is a copy of an e-mail that the president of our Maryland Camaro Club sent to Barrett-Jackson and Speed Channel about the TV coverage of Camaros and Chevys at this years auction.Also of the responses he rec'd back -

Dear Speed Channel Producers,


I felt strongly compelled to write to express my dissatisfaction and disappointment with your coverage of the 2007 Barrett Jackson Collector Car Auction. In years past, Speed Channel’s coverage was fairly well balanced, with equal airtime given to the many diverse automobile offerings. This year was a different story however, with an obvious slant favoring certain brands, namely Ford and Mopar products.

Initially, I thought it to be coincidental that so many commercial breaks happened to correspond with the numerous General Motors musclecars crossing the auction block. As time went on, it became painfully obvious that, exclusive of Corvettes, much of the GM crowd was being left out in the rain. This was especially evident with the many auctions of Chevy’s ever-popular pony car, the Camaro. Time and time again Camaros were all but shunned, with a repetitive rotation of commercial messages being strategically aired during scheduled Camaro offerings. Many top-tear cars such as COPOs and Yenkos received barely a mention, with none of the fanfare or in-depth overview reserved for Shelby Mustangs and Hemi Cudas. This was most noticeable during Saturday’s prime time auctions, when only a small portion of the Camaros that were being auctioned actually made it onto the air. Even when something as historically significant as the very first Camaro coupe to roll off of the assembly line came up for auction, it was only briefly mentioned due to the large amount that it had garnered.

Now I realize that this year’s show was sponsored by Ford, and I understand the sponsorship loyalty, but this was bordering on the ridiculous. I’m sure that Camaro lovers are not the only enthusiasts who felt the ill effects of your biased coverage. It is indeed a travesty that such an important facet of the collector car hobby as Barrett Jackson has now apparently been tainted by auto industry politics and rivalries. Sure, everyone has their favorite car, but favoritism in your coverage cheats potential buyers, the sellers and most importantly, your viewers out of a truly rewarding Barrett Jackson experience.
It is my sincere hope that Speed Channel will once again return to the balanced and impartial coverage of the Barrett Jackson Auction that collectors have come to depend on.


Respectfully,

Tony Eichler

President, Maryland Camaro Club

http://www.mdcamaroclub.com/



Tony,
Thank you for your email and for your interest in
Barrett-Jackson. I am sorry the broadcast did not
air enough Camaros and other GM muscle cars to make
the show enjoyable for you..
As we plan for next year, I will do all that I can
to be sure we have the appropriate number of GM
vehicles in the SPEED mix.
It is very difficult to plan and coordinate a live
event with as many moving parts as ours and have
everything come out as perfectly as we may have
wished.
Some cars sell faster than others and the commercial
breaks are always looming.
I assure you there was no conspiracy to keep the
great GM cars off the air, in fact the majority of
our consigned vehicles were GM products. For
Barrett-Jackson and SPEED to shun the Camaro would
be un-American, and I assure you that is not the
case. GM and specifically the Camaro, Chevelle,
Corvette, GSX, 442, GTO, Firebird, and on and on is
the foundation of what has made Barrett-Jackson
America's auction house.
Thank you again for your email and your objective
observation.
Best regards,
Steve Davis


Mr. Eichler: having seen Steve Davis's response to your email I can only
echo his comments....by no means was the commercial placement designed
to slight GM products. The final decision regarding this type of thing
rests with me.
There are many factors that go into the "placement" of comml breaks and
frankly the "make" of vehicle comes way down the list........much of
this is done on the fly and we react to block action so...."the best
laid plans of mice and men".....frequently go out the window once we are
on the air.... I'm sorry we did not provide the coverage of the cars you
waited for and I assure you we will endeavor to move the manufacturer
mix higher on the list when placing the breaks in future telecasts.

Rick Miner
SPEED
Sr Vice President of Production & Network Operations
Executive Producer