Champ Car might make TV switch

Everyone is assuming that Champ Car would announce CNBC as their cable TV partner in the USA for 2005. However, a little research by AutoRacing1.com reveals that Champ Car may be changing their mind again. Back in June a Champ Car official asked AutoRacing1 what the Champ Car TV package should look like for 2005. The reply was CBS, SPEED Channel and Eurosport in Europe. The deal could have and should have been negotiated and signed back then. Instead it is now December 19th and the complete TV deal still isn't in place. The CBS piece is there (bravo), the Eurosport piece is there (bravo) and eventually we hope the SPEED Channel piece will be there in January. Unfortunately for teams shopping for sponsorship, having a TV deal completed and announced in June when it should be done would have been a lot better than January 2005. As a result many teams in Champ Car are uncertain of their future because they have not secured all their sponsorship and it may mean OWRS will have to once again reach into their bank accounts to complete an 18-car 2005 grid (ouch). As we have said for the umpteenth time, the following year's schedule and TV deal must be completed in June or July each year (even if there are some TBA's) so that sponsors, who do their advertising budgets for their next fiscal year, can include a line item for a Champ Car program in their August budgeting process rather than it coming out of a discretionary funding pool.