My World with Jeff Jarrett - Fox Sports Network [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Today Jeff - on the one year anniversary of My World - we’ll be discussing Fox Sports Network - your relationship with them and how you ended up on FSN and what led to the eventual end of the relationship.

We have talked in the archives in our creating TNA series about how after the first few pay-per-views were happening and the whole Jay Hassman situation - and do yourself a favor and if you’re a new listener head over to AdFreeShows.com to hear all about it as we come up to the 20th anniversary of TNA’s formation…that you knew soon after starting the company doing weekly pay-per-views was going to be difficult. How long into the process did you really think you needed to move into a weekly episodic television series with building to monthly pay-per-views?

How many networks do you remember speaking with?

Did any come to you?

Were you the ones going to the network pitches? Your dad? Who was in charge of finding a television network?

You had already launched Xplosion on November 27th, 2002 on Sun Sports. What was that process like to get that off the ground?

When do you remember first coming in contact with Fox Sports Network?

At the time it’s rumored that FSN and Spike are in negotiations with UFC for a weekly show that will eventually be the Ultimate Fighter. If FSN gets the Ultimate Fighter do you think they would’ve had room for TNA?

In the March 6th Torch it’s reported for the first time of hints of negotiations between TNA and Fox Sports Net. Do you think it went farther back than that?

It’s referenced that the product needed to be toned down and Dutch Mantel - reported as booker at the time - was the one to tell the talent. Direct from the Torch: “The wrestlers were under the impression that executives from a potential network (Fox Sports is heavily rumored as a possible home for TNA) host were watching the show and had made it clear to Panda that they were only interested in a clean product.”

Is that what you remember FSN conveying to you regarding the product?

On April 10th in the Torch there’s a lot of talk of Fox Sports Net and it’s in reference to Rob Feinstein and Ring of Honor. For those that don’t know Feinstein was part owner of Ring of Honor at the time and he was part of a news report that had to do with meeting an underage child for sex. From the Torch: “After TNA attempted to give wrestlers who also work for ROH an ultimatum to choose between the two promotions, Ring of Honor booker Gabe Sapolsky flew to Nashville last week to talk through some issues with TNA officials. TNA officials had been asking wrestlers who worked for them as well as ROH to start turning down ROH bookings primarily because TNA feared Fox Sports Net wouldn’t be pleased if TNA wrestlers were also associated with ROH, given the Rob Feinstein scandal. It’s a situation that rival promoters, bigger or smaller, could have used to try to hurt TNA. TNA officials wanted written proof that Feinstein was no longer associated with the company in any way, so that if the issue were brought up by FSN, they could provide evidence that they took steps to be sure Feinstein wasn’t associated with ROH anymore. Sapolsky discussed the matter with Jeff Jarrett and Bob Ryder last Wednesday. All indications are that an agreement was reached that will allow wrestlers to work for both TNA and ROH based on TNA feeling satisfied that ROH is no longer associated with Feinstein.”

This is something that could be very damaging to not just you but the company and a potential TV deal. How do you remember this conversation going with Gabe and was it a real concern for the company?

Also from the Torch: “Although no announcement has been made and the story has not been verified, several TNA wrestlers are under the impression that the deal with Fox Sports Network is complete. The most common belief is that the show will air on Sunday nights, and that the company will drop the Wednesday pay-per-views in favor of monthly Sunday night PPV events. There is a lot of talk that the deal TNA is negotiating with Fox Sports is essentially a 13-week trial period that the network could choose to opt out of if the ratings aren’t decent. The first show could air sometime in June. One source says some TNA office officials are outright saying, “Once we get on Fox Sports Net...” when discussing future plans, which makes the wrestler believe that it’s a matter of when, not if. Some TNA office workers and wrestlers are hoping that the FSN deal will lead to some major changes in how the show is booked. The feeling is that because the show will be tracked by the Neilsen ratings system, management will finally see which wrestlers are the most over and which wrestlers are not.”

How drastic a change would this be? Was there ever talk of doing the show on Sunday?

Was it always pay to play the deal?

Also reported in the Torch at the time is that Jimmy Hart was helping to broker the deal. Is that how you remember it?

From the Observer on April 19th:
“The New York Post ran a gossip column item talking about TNA’s potential Fox Sports Net television deal. They quoted an unnamed FSN spokesperson as saying no deal was done, but that if a deal is to get done, they are looking at a June start and an afternoon time slot.

There have been many different time slots being talked about of late, including 11am on Sundays, as well as a weekday afternoon slot. FSN is very different from USA, TBS, Spike and other cable networks. It isn’t one cable station, but an affiliation of regional stations, based around the concept of providing ideal sports coverage. There is also a national feed that is in many time slots to use as filler programming between the local sports. Most of the FSN stations only do good ratings when broadcasting major local sports events, and the national shows rarely do well.

The originally talked about Sunday night slot after boxing, had its positives, because boxing provides better than usual ratings. However the boxing/wrestling crossover these days is not big. Also the time slot would be frequently preempted. In addition, at least in prime time, FSN airs live, instead of the staggered feed that most of the major cable networks now run. What is significant is that 11am becomes 8am to West Coast viewers, which means it’s of little value in that part of the country, and a 3 or 4pm weekday slot can avoid preemptions, but becomes Noon or 1pm on the West Coast.

At this point the plan is to tape at Universal Studios in Orlando, which would be a deal Jimmy Hart would have put together (like this TV deal that he was part of opening doors for).”

Man look at Jimmy Hart all over this deal. Why Universal Studios?

From the Torch on April 21st:

“•Jeff Jarrett told UFC officials that the television deal with Fox Sports Network has been finalized. Jarrett met with UFC officials three weeks ago in Las Vegas at the site of the UFC pay-per-view event. Jarrett pitched the idea of doing an inter-promotional angle and some cross-promotional opportunities. UFC’s Dana White passed on both offers, as he said it wouldn’t be a good idea for UFC to get involved with a pro wrestling company”

Jeff tell me all about this please!

Also from the Torch: “•The latest word on the TV schedule for TNA is that they will tape bi-weekly in Orlando, Fla. for FSN. Also, the latest word is that the company will continue to produce weekly Wednesday night pay-per-views, contrary to rumors that the were going to immediately move to a monthly Sunday night schedule. This would be good news for the talent since they will be working more dates and thus earning more money. TNA officials have yet to officially announce FSN deal to the wrestlers, but sources say office workers have been discussing it with their friends on the talent roster”

Did it make sense for you to be paying for a TV show weekly and producing a weekly pay-per-view?

-4/26 Observer:

“More details have surfaced regarding the FSN deal. The time, which will be Fridays at 3pm ET, is being purchased by TNA, although the figure is unknown. Infomercial time nationally doesn’t come cheap.

TNA will be responsible for selling the ad time, hoping to recoup some of that weekly expense. Because it is paid programming and the network isn’t selling the ads, the ratings aren’t as significant in regard to what the network would care about. It’s more a matter of, if ratings are bad, or more, if the show doesn’t result in a decent increase in PPV buys of the Wednesday shows, how long Panda is willing to finance the venture.”

Do you remember what it cost to pay for the spot, produce the show, let alone the talent? Did you have to go back to Panda and talk about the increases in budgets? Was that an easy sell?

It’s also reported in the Torch that if you take the Sunday at 11 AM spot it’ll be $50,000 a week but the Friday afternoon spot would be much cheaper. They also report at the time TNA is losing $30,000-$40,000 a week. Jeff…wow.

In the May 10th Observer:

“They are trying a lot of different ideas for when they start TV, which at this point is scheduled for June. The current plan is to use a six-sided ring for all the matches on the TV show to give it a different look.

They are trying to get some major names like Kevin Nash or Randy Savage to come in when the TV starts, although nobody is confirmed.”

So this is where the six-sided ring comes from. What prompts the move? Who’s idea was it?

Did anybody have any push back at all regarding it?

Are you reaching out to Kevin & Randy about coming in? Is someone else?

The Torch reports the deal on May 15th: “TNA announced that a new weekly show titled “Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact” will air on Fox Sports Net every Friday at 3 p.m. beginning June 4. The deal, believed to be for one year, gives TNA the national timeslot it’s been seeking to try to boost buyrates for its weekly Wednesday night timeslot above current gravely low levels. The timeslot isn’t TNA’s first choice, but the prestige of being affiliated with Fox Sports Net can open doors in the future. If ratings are strong enough and the product is considered up to standards, TNA could shift into a better timeslot in the future. Jarrett wa scheduled to appear on FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show, Period” this week to promote the new show. After footage of the angle with Johnny Fairplay and the Chicago Bears’ Brian Urlacher aired, host Tom Arnold said, “That‘s the best thing I’ve ever seen.” The connection with FSN leads to expanded exposure in many ways for TNA. “The national telecast of Impact! on Fox Sports Net marks a milestone for TNA Entertainment and the wrestling industry,” Dixie Carter, President of TNA Entertainment, LLC said. “Total Nonstop Action Wrestling has continued to grow and exceed expectations over our history. As we celebrate our 2nd anniversary in June, we are excited this opportunity with Fox Sports Net and Universal Studios Orlando will expose a wider range of viewers to our distinctive brand of professional wrestling.” A TNA press release explained how TNA is different from the competition. “TNA Wrestling separates itself from the competitors by delivering quality family programming that focuses on the athletic in-ring action instead of over the top, shocking antics that have become all too common in the mainstream.” George Greenberg, an FSN V.P., stated: “I am pleased about the entertainment value wrestling can bring to FSN. I believe Impact! will bolster our Friday afternoon schedule and provide another FSN destination for young viewers.” FSN reaches more than 80 million homes through its 20 regional sports stations. Jeff Jarrett told Between the Ropes radio that Impact will be “innovative” and “have no limits,” but outside of such ambiguous cliches, didn’t specify the format for the show.”

Also in the same release: “TNA Wrestling will tape its weekly Impact program every Thursday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. at the 22,000 square foot Sound Stage 21. It will draw from theme park attendees. “We are thrilled to have Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Impact! here at Universal,” stated Paul Meena, Vice President and General Manager of the Universal Studios Florida Production Group. “It affords our theme park guests the opportunity to be part of the production audience and cheer for their favorite wrestling icons from a ‘front row seat’.” TNA will keep costs down by flying and paying only ten TNA wrestlers to the tapings each week, so the one hour show will be focused on just a handful of key wrestlers, some of whom will appear only periodically on the cable show, others likely most every week. The weekly tapings will give Universal a weekly attraction and allow TNA to keep storylines on the TV show very current without handcuffing their booking into any long-term plans”

If this deal doesn’t happen…what is the state of TNA at the time?

How badly did TNA need this?

How badly did YOU need this?

-5/17 Observer:

“According to FSN sources, the TV deal is signed for a Friday 3pm weekly time slot starting on 6/4. The name of the show and promotion is not official, but as of last word from Fox, the name they are looking at is Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which would mean dropping the NWA initials from the title. Really the name doesn’t matter one iota, it’s the product. The announcement was to be made on the 5/12 TV show. TNA does expect replays on the Network, but none of that is finalized. The plan for now is running every Wednesday in Nashville and Thursday in Orlando, with 5/26 as the last date for a taped PPV show.”

How crazy is the timeline for you here?

On top of all this…you drop the NWA Title to AJ Styles on a pay-per-view and it’s speculated that the only reason you dropped it to AJ was to win it back when the TV show premieres. What say you?

From the Miami Herald: “•Jeff Jarrett talked to the Miami Herald about TNA’s business plans. “When past wrestling companies like WCW were around, they were precursors to the territory days and were around for 40 and 50 years,” he said. “The WWF, now WWE and before that the WWWF, were around for four or five generations. We are doing something that has never been done, and to start from scratch is a monumental task. We’re headed into the right direction.” Regarding the decision to start on PPV, Jarrett said: “Everybody has a different viewpoint on that. I know if we would have started at local affiliates, it’s been done, and it’s very hard to springboard off that. If somebody walked up and given us a primetime timeslot I think it would’ve been a blessing and a curse. You would have made it on nationally stage immediately but also on a national stage made all the growing pains we’ve been through. Pay-per-view is something we started on and literally gave us an international outlet. We have grown our product in a very short period of time. It’s a unique concept, and that’s what it takes to be successful in businesses. You have to take calculated risks. At this point every risk has definitely had an up side and a down side, but the positives have definitely outweighed the negatives to this point.” Regarding the quality of the PPVs, he said: “Our Wednesday night shows have to continue to evolve to reach a can't miss episode type feel. That doesn't just come from the content that happens in those two hours. It comes from marketing plans. It comes from talent and a lot of different things. We have to continue to differentiate our product from everyone else, not just WWE, but from everyone else. That is a monumental task but a very doable one if we keep focused on it.”

How much media are you doing at this point?

From the Torch:

“•Jeff Jarrett held a locker room meeting prior to the May 12 pay-per-view to announce the Fox Sports Network television deal. Jarrett opened the meeting by thanking the wrestlers for their patience and hard work. He said he had not anticipated what a black eye professional wrestling had in the television industry, adding that he and other office workers had to battle long and hard to get the show on the air. Because of concerns from FSN executives, Jarrett reminded the wrestlers to refrain from swearing or making any lewd gestures during their matches. He also told the crew that the company had hired a new seamstress to help them improve their looks for television. Jarrett added that the company is still in the process of trying to make travel arrangements to get the talent from Nashville to Orlando for the Thursday tapings. He said there was some concern that certain members of the talent roster would have a hard time catching the first flight out of Nashville on Thursday mornings (due to partying the night before), which they would need to do to ensure that they would arrive at Universal Studios on time. As a result of this concern, Jarrett said the company was considering the idea of booking a charter flight that would depart from Nashville late Wednesday night after the pay-perviews. He did not make any promises on the charter idea. Although he did not mention the possibility at the meeting, there has been some talk that the company is also looking into the possibility of bussing the talent to Orlando.”

There are so many moving parts here Jeff. Who are you leaning on the most?

“Jeff Jarrett appeared on FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period” to hype the June 4 launch of the TNA Impact show. The host introduced highlights of Jarrett’s brawl with the Tennessee Titan players as being from “a recent show,” even though the footage was quite dated. They also aired clips of Brian Urlacher throwing Fairplay out of the ring, as well as Jarrett’s attack on Hulk Hogan in Japan. Former Bufallo Bills’ quarterback Jim Kelly was on the show and asked Jarrett if the internet reports about Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage joining TNA were true. Jarrett wisely danced around the question by talking about all of the free agent wrestlers that are available to TNA without specifically saying yes or no to the question”

You call me a salesman Jeff?!?!?! Look at you here…

-6/7 Observer:

“After doing negotiations this week, the company did manage to get the TV into a nearly uniform 3pm Friday start in most of the country. The only exceptions at this point are New York, which airs Tuesday at 2.30pm, Philadelphia, which airs Saturday at midnight and the Comcast Mid Atlantic Sports Station that airs on Saturday at 4am.

FSN wants a clean product, no women tearing clothes or suggestively dressed, no swearing and obviously this also means no blading. But the company is also pretty much under the gun when it comes to the PPVs and while I don’t know blood is banned forever, it will be used sparingly if at all.”

How important is getting cleared in as many markets as possible?

What is your relationship like

-6/14 Observer:
“TNA did its first TV taping on 6/3, for a 6/4 airing on FSN. The show had to be considered a big success. The show looked great and the wrestling, based on high flying moves and with the six sided ring, looked different than WWE. Between the style and the ring, plus a clock keeping the time limit, and a show based on in-ring with no women or backstage vignettes, it came off like a more sports oriented product, particularly with rules like judges in the event of a match going the time limit and titles changing via DQ.

The show was at an 850-seat sound stage at Universal Studios. There is a commitment for 52 weeks from both sides, but this is TV, and anything can end at any time. Because TNA is buying the time, they’ll be on as long as they want to buy the time, unless they make a major screw up content wise and the station kicks them off, and I don’t see them making that mistake. The question is, if the ratings aren’t good and it doesn’t increase business, what their outlook would be on spending so much money per week.

They also had good local publicity as Jeff Jarrett did an angle with Russ Rollins, the host of Monsters of the Morning drive-time show. That’s the most popular Orlando-based show, and it also took Bubba the Love Sponge’s spots in the Tampa market, where he brawled with the host of the show. Jarrett & Jimmy Hart set up the angle and told Russ to keep it from everyone so people on the air and at the station would think it was real. Supposedly the folks at Universal were very upset, wanting a family friendly product, until Hart explained it was a pro wrestling angle designed to get people to come to the show.

The host was there, got a huge reaction from the crowd and said that he knows that wrestling is fake (what a great thing to say to a wrestling audience right as a taping is getting going), but what happened with he and Jarrett that morning was real. Nothing more came of it during the taping.

With Hart, Jonny Fairplay and Ryan Wilson as a giant masked man drumming up interest in the park, they packed the building for the first taping and turned away 100 fans. Like they did in the WCW days when they taped syndication there, they tried to instruct the crowd to cheer and boo, but the crowd did what it wanted anyway. It was an enthusiastic crowd, believed to have been about half local wrestling fans and half tourists at the park.

FSN executives were said to have watched the debut show very closely to see if there was any inappropriate conduct. One of the things hurting pro wrestling in the TV industry right now is that networks don’t trust wrestling people to put on shows that fit within the standards the stations want the shows to fit into. The officials were very happy with the debut show.”

Are you in regular contact with FSN executives on product? Did you have to pass the show through them? Can you walk us through that process?

-6/21 Observer:
“The debut of TNA Impact on 6/4 drew a 0.16 rating based on the markets that aired it in its regular time slot. That would translate to maybe 110,000 homes. The final ratings for these shows, because of different time slots and figuring in different stations, won’t be available until three weeks after the show takes place. For the network and the time slot, it was considered a good number. It’s half of what the network’s flagship “Best Damn Sports Show Period” does at night.”

Is this considered a success to you?

-7/12 Observer:

“The third week ratings were an 0.2, which you can say was down 41% from the previous week (as misleading as saying week two was up 55% from week one), but with numbers that small and the nature of the sample, these variations aren’t that significant. After three weeks, the show was averaging a 0.25. Dixie Carter made the decision for the company not to release ratings, and she did so in the first two weeks when the numbers were good.

Carter was in Los Angeles this past week meeting with FSN officials attempting to get a TV time slot upgrade because the ratings started out strong.”

Why do you think Dixie made that call?

You’re really quick to be asking for a time slot upgrade are you not?

Why did you feel the need to do it so soon?

Was there ever any talk of negotiating down the fee or anything like that?

You’re hoping obviously to translate this into a paying deal correct? Be it with FSN or somebody else?

From the Observer in August:
“While not announced officially, several sources have confirmed that TNA has made the decision to cease weekly PPV shows on 9/8.

As noted from the start of doing weekly TV, this was the only feasible decision. The company had fallen to about 6,000 buys per week on PPV before getting onto FSN. The decision was made to see if the new TV show increased buys. After 10 weeks, there is no indication that aside from one or two shows, the normal levels of buys had changed at all, and the money losses were probably hovering on $100,000 per week.”

How quickly did you realize it was just time to give up on the original goal?

-9/6 Observer:

“Jeff Jarrett has had more talks with FSN management and is said to be more positive than ever about a time slot upgrade. Right now, the Sunday 11am time slot seems less likely than other slots.”

What could a better slot had done for you do you think?

-9/20 Observer:
“The latest negotiations are to attempt to buy what would likely be more expensive time slots, an 11pm Saturday night slot for Impact, and a Sunday morning slot for Xplosion, both on FSN.
FSN has been given the impression they are willing to spend enough to increase the exposure at this point to where they can get nearly any time slot they would want. The problem is, because of the nature of the network, what would figure to be the best time slots would face preemptions, so it needs to air at a time when there are no major sporting events taking place. If the Friday shows had maintained the positive but small buzz they had at the start, I’d be more optimistic when it comes to spending more money for better time slots.”

Were you really looking to buy more expensive time slots?

Next time we see news about FSN is in late November…from the Observer: “It was the biggest week in TNA history, and now, from all signs, when it didn’t pan out, the company is in critical condition. Here is the basic financial score. Panda Energy, in the two plus years it has been funding TNA, has lost approximately $15 million on the venture. This came on the heels of the $1.6 million Health South lost in getting the company off the ground. There may have also been losses that Jerry Jarrett incurred during the interim period between Health South money and Panda Energy money. Because of the cost of buying television time, producing television, and signing higher priced talent, the losses in recent months have hit $200,000 to $250,000 per week.”

Time out Jeff. How…just…wow.

“Far more important than the PPV numbers were the numbers for the two Best Damn Sports Show Period specials. The company was of the belief if they could average a .35 rating on the two 8 p.m. showings on 11/10 and 11/11, that Fox Sports net would turn Monday night into wrestling night. They would have the BDSSP personalities do a weekly wrestling taping, for an 8-9:30 p.m. show in their regular time slot, which couldn’t be better, getting the lead-in on Raw, and building to main events against the usual lengthy interview open.”

The ratings fall short Jeff and immediately there’s talk of issues that have to do inside TNA, with you and Dixie, and FSN.

“There are so many different things going on right now. The Jarretts and the Carters don’t see eye-to-eye, in particular Jeff Jarrett and Dixie Carter… Jerry is now in more of a power position, while Dixie Carter had tried to appease wrestlers complaining that Jeff had booked the entire show around himself..”

What are the issues between you & Dixie at the time?

Are you happy or unhappy at this time?

Did you feel like FSN was giving you no help?

On November 26th it’s reported in the Observer that someone in TNA is told by FSN that the November 26th Impact show was canceled, and nobody passed the message along to anyone. “Keith Mitchell, who does production, didn’t find out until he called FSN to coordinate satellite time for 11/26 and was told, “don’t you know, you don’t have a show.”

Jeff - is this the first sign of issues with FSN or was there something before this?

The show moves to 4pm on Fridays starting on January 7th and on Saturday night’s there will be a midnight replay. Do you remember why the time slot shift?

“Even though Fox Sports net had apparently told Dixie Carter that the show on December 31st would be pre-empted, and it was pushed on both the 12/24 TV show and company website, it actually aired in most of the country.”

Is this just a sign of bad communication in the company?

We talked in the recent Lockdown 2007 about when Spike TV pulled out of its negotiations to keep WWE programming in September and how you guys jumped at the chance to talk to Spike.

Did FSN give you any heat or at this point are you just paid programming?

Did FSN ever give any indication of unhappiness?

When FSN says there’s no way they’ll pay for wrestling after all your conversations with them…did it ever feel disheartening?

In May there’s rumor and innuendo in both the Observer and Torch that FSN was expecting TNA to reup for another year because there had been no progress in the Spike talks. Did you ever think there would be more than one season on FSN?

From the Observer in May: “TNA and FSN were very close on a deal last week when the one year contract expires in just a few weeks. It is now questionable. FSN insisted on a minimum six-month contract, while TNA only wanted to make a month-by-month commitment.”

Was that the only sticking point Jeff?

Was paying FSN every week for the time slot holding TNA back from being profitable?

It’s reported that TNA and WGN are quite close to a television deal when FSN’s time buy expires and to re-create the Monday Night wars again. How close was this to happening?

And finally: ‘Fox Sports Net officials, even though we (the Observer) had reported to the contrary, were under the impression TNA would be renewing its deal, as negotiations had continued. It wasn’t until May 20th that TNA gave them the word they would officially not be renewing, and the 52-week contract will expire with the replay broadcast on May 28th. At press time, the scheduled May 31st TV taping in Orlando had not been canceled.”

This is such a big move to just get off TV without having another deal in place. This takes a gigantic set of balls Jeff. Were you pushing for this? Did you think it was a good idea?

And just like that…Impact is out at FSN while you continue to look for a deal. Did you have any talks with FSN after the last episode airs or was that it for you guys?

This really happens at the end of the 3rd year of TNA. What is the company status at this time? Were you farther ahead, well behind, or where are you at in terms of where you thought the company would be at the end of May 2005?

Without FSN do you think you get the Spike deal?