Episode 008 of BobcatsPlanet Radio

**ziggy** · 04-14-2009 07:45 AM

Episode 008 of BCP Radio is live and available for download

Right Here

Download it and Memorize it.

**teej** · 04-14-2009 09:48 PM

Excellent work gents, I agree with your stuff on the lack of a fan experience, and I'm emailing Michael Thompson about it right now...the onus isnt on us to come up with stuff though, its on them.

I think Spoelstra should get coty over Karl, but he wont

I also totally agree with Mek getting no respect from the refs, I think Raja gets the most of anyone on the team.

**Ampsportsduo** · 04-15-2009 01:22 AM

First and foremost, thanks for listening.

Originally Posted by teej

the onus isnt on us to come up with stuff though, its on them.

I know two guys that would love to have the onus put on us... err them. I would love to work for the team to enhance the fan experience. What I feared leaving that game was that everyone in the organization was satisfied and thinking the fans were too. The team won the game, closed the home season on a high note so everyone goes home happy, when in reality I felt like that game was a microcosm of some of the problems that plague this organization and its relationship with the city.

The Bobcats have been forced to cut large portions of their staff and I know people in the organization bust their tails every game night and this discussion is not an indictment against them or their work ethic, but rather the culture of accepting the status quo. I don't know what goes on behind the scenes and maybe people are over-extended and don't have the time to invest in entertaining ideas to make the games more of an experience, but with money tight they need to think (and I mean no disrespect) like a minor league team. The Bobcats are not a made entity in the league or in the community and to coast largely on the merits of the game alone will only serve to retard growth of the fan base, particularly amongst casual fans and families.

I don't mean to be long-winded or belabor the point, but I believe in what this team is doing on the court and think by adding some off-the-court elements, this team's popularity could dramatically increase within the community. The team should step up their production value (to use a radio term) for the games and should also become re-invested in their website. The landing page is arguably the best in the league for simplicity and information, but dig any deeper and it feels like you're traveling back in time to shortly after the draft. The media presence at Bobcat games is fairly sparse, so the team needs to take it upon itself to promote the product. One of the most cost effective ways to do that is with some hard work on the website. The recent video of Ray and Crash was hilarious, but even it's buried and difficult to locate. They seem reluctant to remove or archive videos of players no longer on the team, because the site would be reduced to a mere shell. A trip over to the NBA Cares site shows the Bobcats have done nothing in the community since June of last year. With the My Hero Gala, Mek's initiative in Africa, as well as the holiday dinners for children and the heavy involvement in both Presbyterian Hospital and the NBA's Green Week (and probably plenty more) nothing could be further from the truth, but the team is not being proactive in getting exposure for all of the good work the players and the organization are doing. If the organization doesn't have enough respect for itself to maintain their own website (the front door to their business), it is not difficult to understand why they are having trouble attracting new fans.

I don't think they need to give cars away or have $1,000,000 half court shots, I prefer to think of simple things that all fans can enjoy, so even if you're a spouse being dragged to a game or a member of a church group that doesn't know the difference between a dribble and a dunk, there's something happening in TWC Arena that you can enjoy. They have incredible technology in the building and using it to not only advertise, but enhance the atmosphere (thereby enhancing the advertising) could be a cost-effective way of not only having the patrons enjoy NBA basketball, but fall in love with our team.

When you take your significant other out for a special night (and end up spending way more than you intended, leaving you eating Hot Pockets for the next two weeks... I've said too much), you don't just pay for the main course. You pay for the pianist, the candles, the Maître d', the whole ambience of the dining experience. The first time you go, you pick it because a friend recommended it, but over time and as you and your significant other add memories of nights there, it becomes "your" restaurant. The Bobcats should embrace that thought process and realize that on some nights the food (the game) isn't going to be the best, but they can more than make up with it, by creating a fun experience for their customers. Candles aren't that expensive, but they sure can make a difference.

**teej** · 04-15-2009 03:09 AM

I agree almost completely. First off, Ziggy's site is more relevant and easy to navigate than theirs...and hopefully with some of my devious facebooking skills just as insider. They never update anything but the homepage, and I don't even think they do a good job of doing that. But whatever, I only go there to buy tickets and get occaisonal updates.

As far as the staffing goes, I think they have overstaffed on ticket sales and understaffed on everything else, both quantity and quality. Looking at the staff on the website, which I'm sure hasn't been updated in lightyears, they employ 44 ticket sales people to 37 other non-basketball staff. 6 people do the entire event presentation, and 4 people do marketing. Maybe theyve tried too hard to sell tickets and not hard enough to make the product sellable? I don't know, none of the other teams have staff directories I could find. But maybe theyve been putting the wrong focus out.

I know that Michael T has a backround in the minor leagues, so hopefull that can rub off on the other staff. But anytime Sean May is giving the speeches for Green Night (if anyone is the antithesis of energy-conservation...) and Fan Appreciation (antithesis for Fan Appreciation too), it shows that someone calling the shots is off their rocker. Those Harris-Teeter bags were understandable especially with NBA Green Week, we've used them, but lanyards?? I don't get it.

And I totally think they need to involve the scoreboard more, do some more fancams, dance offs, wheres that guy that dances like Michael Jackson and has colored wigs, we all know he's gay but its funny as hell to watch! What happened to the blimp they had last year? I saw it when I was at the Orlando game, then it disappeared. And they should do more with the open space outside Sec. 230.