Southwest CT population has grown by 42%

[Stinger92860]

http://blog.ctnews.com/trending/2013/04/24/trending-where-weve-grown/

This why UConn needs to market in Fairfield county (and NYC). Fairfield county is in the NYC dma and we don't take advantage of it. It's just plain stupid. Play Bball games against good teams in Bridgeport. Play psu at MetLife.

 

[pepband99]

You really need to re-read that article, if you think it supports your premise. It doesn't, for the most part.

The highest-growth towns are already UConn strongholds, and have been forever. It's the much-closer-to-zero-growth-gold-coast-towns that we need to market, not Brookfield, New Fairfield, Danbury, Monroe (where I live), etc.

 

[Carl Spackler]

This is why I believe Yankee Stadium should be a venue that we play football at once in awhile. It is my opinion that a UCONN football game there is much more likely to draw the casual Fairfiled county fan, than the vast majority of games played at Rentschler field. Once they start coming to those games, there, in the Big Apple, that's when you can rope those casuals into season buyers and get them to make the trip up I-91 to Hartford. Getting to E161st street, for a typical sports fan in Fairfield County isn't much different than a normal business commute on a weekday morning. Routine.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Regardless of whether or not you think the towns are growing or not,they are pretty affluent communities, with an affinity for anything New York City, and we need to tap into them more than we already are. Basketball at the arena in Bridgeport, and Football in Yankee Stadium, are the way.

 

[epark88]

The Stamford campus needs to get some serious love as well.

You listening, Susan and Warde? SERIOUS...

Sent from my BlackBerry Z10 using Tapatalk...

 

[upstater]

What they describe as secluded areas suddenly being developed happened well east of Fairfield as well. I grew up off route 80, and when we moved there in 1977, it was a one lane road off I-91 with a lot of wooded areas. But it was developed, new subdivisions, etc. That kind of growth happened in many areas.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

The Stamford campus needs to get some serious love as well. You listening, Susan and Warde? SERIOUS...

Acknowledging you're likely focused on athletics alone, but "In February, the governor (Malloy) proposed a 10-year, $1.65 billion plan for the (Stamford) campus that will add new majors, increase enrollment by 110 percent, add 35 new faculty members and create dormitories for students." A good chunk is potentially coming out of CT taxpayers' pockets and not so much mine, but that's some serious potential love for Stamford, Fairfield County, and the Stamford campus' current and future potential.

 

[CL82]

This is why I believe Yankee Stadium should be a venue that we play football at once in awhile. It is my opinion that a UCONN football game there is much more likely to draw the casual Fairfiled county fan, than the vast majority of games played at Rentschler field. Once they start coming to those games, there, in the Big Apple, that's when you can rope those casuals into season buyers and get them to make the trip up I-91 to Hartford. Getting to E161st street, for a typical sports fan in Fairfield County isn't much different than a normal business commute on a weekday morning. Routine.

Start offering home, away, neutral (Yankee Stadium) to B1G teams. That would give us three games a year against the B1G. The Yankee Stadium game being a carrot that only cuse is likely to be able to offer.

Benefits:

1. Familiarity with the program for the B1G will help them see us as more of a peer.​

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2. Winning these games will go a long away toward getting us ranked.​

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3. We will associate the University of Connecticut with New York in the public's mind.​

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4. Once the tradition is established it will make scheduling far easier.​

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5. We will distinguish ourselves as being different than the rest of the AAC. Important for rankings and for a priority slot at the next realignment.​

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6. One decent quality home game a year, plus a neutral game that is a reasonable commute in decent location.​

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7. Maybe, just maybe, the Fairfield County guys will finally feel loved.​

 

[RuffRuff]

And not only population, but wealth. I know it's somewhere but it would be interesting to see what chunk of the CT wealth sits in Ffld Country relative to the rest.

To me it's an absolute no brainer to target exposure in a pocket of the state that is really a suburb of NYC. Leave the cow town image behind. It's smart marketing - if NYC is what these leagues want, take advantage of your own turf. Play games at NYC stadiums, Barclays, etc. It should be agenda piece number one on their pr campaign. They have the venues, they have the geography, maximize it. It's right in front of your face. Living and working in Ffld county, I know I'd be much more excited to see a game at a NYC venue versus the airport outside of Hartford that has zero buzz.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Here's are some stupid questions: what factors determine the borders of the existing DMA? Are those revised on a regular basis? Is this something that our state leaders can advocate for? And if the zones are redrawn to reflect Southwest CT as separate from NYC, will it be enough to make us more appealing?

 

[Vowelguy]

Start offering home, away, neutral (Yankee Stadium) to B1G teams. That would give us three games a year against the B1G. The Yankee Stadium game being a carrot that only cuse is likely to be able to offer.

You're assuming Yankee stadium would be up for it, without charging an arm and a leg. And since it would be a November game, doubtful the BiG would sked non conference. Plus, what interest does the BiG have given that they will have games at RU? Nor would Delaney have any interest in helping uConn get a foothold in NYC.

I'm skeptical anyone fom the Big or ACC would be interested.

 

[Vowelguy]

And not only population, but wealth. I know it's somewhere but it would be interesting to see what chunk of the CT wealth sits in Ffld Country relative to the rest.

In terms of income ...

35% of personal income in CT is in Fairield cty

Median household income :
Fairfield cty = 78,000
Norwich cty = 65,300
Hartford msa = 64,900. (Hart + Toll + midd ctys)
New Haven cty = 60,500

 

[Jimdish255]

At this point we should be giving away the new merchandise if that's what it takes to pique interest in all of these counties. Drop 10,000 hats in Times Square too.

 

[husky91]

Should be at least 2 home games in Bridgeport annually, probably get at least 8k and a better crowd than most XL games.

 

[CL82]

Here's are some stupid questions: what factors determine the borders of the existing DMA? Are those revised on a regular basis? Is this something that our state leaders can advocate for? And if the zones are redrawn to reflect Southwest CT as separate from NYC, will it be enough to make us more appealing?

This isn't a stupid question, it is the question. If these were revised UConn's numbers shoot up dramatically.

 

[CL82]

You're assuming Yankee stadium would be up for it, without charging an arm and a leg. And since it would be a November game, doubtful the BiG would sked non conference. Plus, what interest does the BiG have given that they will have games at RU? Nor would Delaney have any interest in helping uConn get a foothold in NYC.

I'm skeptical anyone fom the Big or ACC would be interested.

In a playoff system playing quality opponents will matter. Connecticut is likely to fall on the line of winnable quality opponent. Delaney doesn't schedule games for the B1G schools, their ADs do. There are a lot of B1G alumni in NYC, if the TV numbers are to be believed. I have to believe that scheduling games there with attendant alumni events would be desirable to those schools. Now the big impediments are the last two factors. I really didn't think about the fact that that the Yankees are unlikely to be willing to tear up their field during a pennant race. That is an issue. I guess you'd have to see if people are willing to play an OOC game in November. They may if we aren't considered much of threat to win, but enough competition to keep it interesting. Obviously, you have to make sure you can deliver numbers to make it worthwhile. With the right schools I think that this is possible.

 

[upstater]

Rather than thinking about this in terms of how popular UConn is in Fairfield--given the number of transplants and NYC-oriented people--you need to adopt an approach similar to the B1G's Delany's. Stop thinking old-time over-the-air TV markets, start thinking cable. For the purposes of cable TV, Conn's market DOES include Fairfield. Since the end game for the conference networks is all about carriage fees, you can throw concerns about ratings and mixed fandom out the window. The big question is, does the county have enough fans that would pressure cable companies to pay up for conference TV network packages that include UConn. It's not a matter of ratings (though those obviously help).

 

[pepband99]

Here's are some stupid questions: what factors determine the borders of the existing DMA? Are those revised on a regular basis? Is this something that our state leaders can advocate for? And if the zones are redrawn to reflect Southwest CT as separate from NYC, will it be enough to make us more appealing?

I can help with this one...

DMA's are a product of Neilsen (the company most people associate with TV ratings). The DMA's themselves have, historically, been built around what a given municipality could view over-the-air (OTA), as that was the primary source of TV. Once cable came into the picture, the DMA's were used to determine what affiliates the various cable comp's would carry (keeping in mind that the earliest cable systems were merely a large community antenna with feeds down, so they would normally be based on OTA coverage).

Here is where it gets tricky.

As cable (and later DBS with Dish and DirecTV) came into play, the DMA's haven't really changed, despite some places (Fairfield County being an EXCELLENT example) really not making perfect sense. Why? 2 reasons...

1) The viewing pattern of a given place not changing. Even on cable systems with dual-DMA affiliates, most people will go to "the one they know" for a given network. If the ratings don't change enough to prove a given area isn't watching a different affiliate more than the given one in a DMA, it will never change.
2) DBS systems are, by law, only able to provide one DMA feed, with very few circumstances otherwise. This has been especially annoying for me, as it doesn't allow for dual-DMA feeds on satellite. It also exacerbates my point 1, as it means that anyone with satellite as a provider will only get the NY networks in Fairfield County (with very few exceptions).

There *is* some movement afoot to change this, though. WFSB has been broadcasting a "WFSB Fairfield County" to cable companies, as well as on their DT4 OTA feed (ironic in that pretty much nobody in Fairfield County has a snowball's chance in hell of getting their signal OTA).

WTNH is also on record as to wanting change here: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/WTNH-to-begin-news-partnership-with-the-Post-1061306.php

Personally, I've met with our congressional reps on this very matter, specifically for DBS. While I don't think a large-scale DMA move is possible, I would love for both affiliates to be carried on DBS, mostly for emergency and coverage reasons. Sports would actually be a sticking point, as you would effectively be trying to move the NY/BOS pro market from the CT river to the state line, or at least closer to it.

Sorry for the long post - this is a hobby of mine.

 

[upstater]

Very informative.

 

[pepband99]

Rather than thinking about this in terms of how popular UConn is in Fairfield--given the number of transplants and NYC-oriented people--you need to adopt an approach similar to the B1G's Delany's. Stop thinking old-time over-the-air TV markets, start thinking cable. For the purposes of cable TV, Conn's market DOES include Fairfield. Since the end game for the conference networks is all about carriage fees, you can throw concerns about ratings and mixed fandom out the window. The big question is, does the county have enough fans that would pressure cable companies to pay up for conference TV network packages that include UConn. It's not a matter of ratings (though those obviously help).

You're sort of right, which is why Rutgers is such an interesting test case.

If B1G Network goes after the DMA (which, in theory, they could), will NYC proper, and god-forbid FAIRFIELD COUNTY actually pay a higher carriage fee to watch RUTGERS? Good luck selling that!

http://articles.mcall.com/2012-12-1...1210-20121210_1_big-ten-network-snl-kagan-btn

 

[OkaForPrez]

You're sort of right, which is why Rutgers is such an interesting test case.

If B1G Network goes after the DMA (which, in theory, they could), will NYC proper, and god-forbid FAIRFIELD COUNTY actually pay a higher carriage fee to watch RUTGERS? Good luck selling that!

http://articles.mcall.com/2012-12-1...1210-20121210_1_big-ten-network-snl-kagan-btn

Exactly. My understanding is that carriage fees and the tier a channel is provided in are applied end to end for the entire DMA. Therefore even if Rutgers fans demanding the channel amount to 10% of the customers in the DMA, if they are loud enough they can warrant the channel on a more basic tier and "tax" the rest of the customers who could otherwise care less. For UConn to matter to the B1G, Rutgers alone would have to fail to land the BTN on the appropriate tier commanding the highest per household carriage fee. Hypothetically if they take the BTN from Gold to Silver, and Uconn + Rutgers takes it from Silver to Bronze, a modest increase in per household fee * the number of households in the massive DMA would still be a lucrative business decision.

The reason I was asking if there was an opportunity to chunk out Fairfield county, is that alone might be enough to push UConn over the hump from a revenue standpoint. Hartford/New Haven + Fairfield is a large market. If the fairfield households were taken out of the volume variable that Rutgers might capitalize on by themselves and replaced solely in our sphere of influence that might be enough to take our projected revenues over the bar of the current split per school in the major conferences and thereby make us a profitable addition or at least break even. If that were the case, the impact on our state would be worth getting our congressional leaders involved in pushing the conversation.

In my opinion its worth valuing the opportunity.

 

[pepband99]

I think the B1G has a bigger issue, though.

Selling a Rutgers price bump to the whole NY DMA is going to be nearly impossible, I would think. NYC, the 7 upstate counties, Long Island, and CT/PA is the majority of the market, and the ones who care little, if any, about Rutgers. There is going to be a very big carriage fight to watch when those contracts come up.

Here's the question - does adding UConn bring the whole DMA up to their "B1G market" level? I would think not, which is why we haven't been invited yet, but does it get the B1G close?

 

[frankthetank]

I think the B1G has a bigger issue, though.

Selling a Rutgers price bump to the whole NY DMA is going to be nearly impossible, I would think. NYC, the 7 upstate counties, Long Island, and CT/PA is the majority of the market, and the ones who care little, if any, about Rutgers. There is going to be a very big carriage fight to watch when those contracts come up.

Here's the question - does adding UConn bring the whole DMA up to their "B1G market" level? I would think not, which is why we haven't been invited yet, but does it get the B1G close?

Like I've said elsewhere, faith in Maryland delivering the DC market (which is actually solid from a cable perspective regardless of how poorly they have played football lately) is what has allowed the Big Ten to have a speculative play in the NYC market with Rutgers. Jim Delany isn't dumb. He knows that the BTN is not going to be able to charge the same amount in the NYC market as it can in Columbus or Omaha. They're going to be willing to take less there to get basic carriage compared to DC and other markets because the NYC market itself is so huge. The thing is that I think a lot of people here are likely hoping that NYC is central to the Big Ten's plans, and I just have never seen that to be the case. Sure, it (and every conference) *wants* to own the NYC market, but they find it just as likely that national brand names like Penn State and Michigan do as much for carriage there as UConn would. (For that matter, the ACC sees the same thing with the likes of Notre Dame and Duke.) The Big Ten is banking Rutgers PLUS PSU/Michigan/Ohio State/Maryland/etc. being leveraged to get basic carriage in the NYC as opposed to Rutgers itself, which is something that a lot of people (not necessarily here, but nationwide) are missing in the strategy.

Now, I don't know if it is going to work. The problem is that if it doesn't work, I don't think the powers that be within the Big Ten believe that adding UConn would make it work, either. They legitimately think access to Penn State and Michigan games are as important to the prospects of the BTN in the NYC market as anything else and they'd rather wait 10 years for new shots at Texas, UVA and UNC. I'm telling you, the Big Ten is a *patient* group. They have certain targets and they'll wait for them. Maryland was one of those targets that they were waiting for, so that's why Rutgers got a lucky winning lottery ticket to come along when the Terps suddenly showed interest in moving. There is absolutely, positively zero desire for the Big Ten to expand to 16 for the sake of getting to 16. None. It has always about getting what the university presidents deem to be the "right" schools - AAU institutions with the right combo of national brand name value, long-time football tradition and TV value (whether in the form of a national name like Nebraska or demographically advantageous areas like Rutgers and Maryland).

 

[Stinger92860]

You really need to re-read that article, if you think it supports your premise. It doesn't, for the most part.

The highest-growth towns are already UConn strongholds, and have been forever. It's the much-closer-to-zero-growth-gold-coast-towns that we need to market, not Brookfield, New Fairfield, Danbury, Monroe (where I live), etc.

My premise is that UConn needs to market in Fairfield County. If the high growth towns are strongholds that is good, yes? I live in one of the Gold Coast towns, lol, it's always funny to hear that. So again, I say we need to market in Fairfield county. That's where the money for burton and shenk came from.

 

[Stinger92860]

You're assuming Yankee stadium would be up for it, without charging an arm and a leg. And since it would be a November game, doubtful the BiG would sked non conference. Plus, what interest does the BiG have given that they will have games at RU? Nor would Delaney have any interest in helping uConn get a foothold in NYC.

I'm skeptical anyone fom the Big or ACC would be interested.

How about Gillette?