I think TNA can get a push by advertising more and getting their characters fine tuned. I think better quality and being different than WWE is the main thing that TNA should work on. Don't concentrate on what the competition is doing. Make your own product and do it a bit differently. I know that it is hard since alot of things have been done already but, it can be done. I have thought of a few things that I could share with them to make the show different. I am sure that others have on here could share ideas with TNA to make the show different than WWE. Maybe someone should start a thread with creative ideas as the title. We could all share our ideas and hope someone reads them in TNA!
I would make the PPVs happen every two months instead of monthly. I know it is a revenue deal to have monthly PPVs. However, having an extra month to build up to the PPV would help their creative team and writers. It would give the fans more time to "want" to see the program and have the extra cash to purchase it. Even if TNA made the price a little higher for the PPV than what they charge now, it would even out to have six high quality PPVs that people would want to purchase than 12 medium quality shows that the same, loyal fans purchase. If the PPV was high quality, I would forsake the monthly WWE show to have the cash for the "must see" high quality TNA PPV.
I think TNA could survive on Spike if they advertised more on other markets. I see WWE advertised on the Comdey channel and Cartoon network. TNA needs to do that. They need to get their talent on talk shows and in the mainstream media. Get more exposure. Going on the road with house shows help but to get the attendence figures that they need and to raise the ratings, they need to get more exposure through marketing. They have to get a wrestler or wrestlers on The View, Regis, Good Morning America, Late night shows, Award shows, Kids shows, Game shows, etc. They need to be in magazines and other media markets to expose themselves more. Not Playboy magazine but, other magazines that potential viewers would pick up in the mainstream. They need a name brand male and female wrestler to be their face and the spokesperson for the TNA brand. It has to be a person that is not a former WWE person that will get questions about their career in WWE. They need to make new fans that might not have watched TNA or wrestling before tune in and stay tuned in.
They need to expand their roster to include wrestlers from all demogrpahics. They need Hispanic, Caucasian, African-American, Men, Women and Children to tune in. they need more than one age bracket to tune in. Appeal to a broad audience through creative marketing of the certain wrestlers. Create characters that appeal to those markets. WWE is working hard to attract Hispanic viewers and expand into Mexico. What does TNA do? They let an internationally known Hispanic champion walk out of the organization without a fight. They need to expand the roster to add wrestlers that do not appeal to the creative team members and writers but, appeal to the people tuning in to see the program. They need the roster to reflect the viewers that are watching. They need to fine tune the program to give viewers what they want to see while attracting new viewers. Trim off the lame asses that are not appealing or getting the job done. Fine tune and re-create the others to make them more appealing to viewers. Hire new wrestlers that are appealing and want to work. Create the new wrestlers into what the viewers want to see. Then get exposure for the right reason...not ESPN coverage for hiring Pacman who was a waste of money or trying to hire Bobby Knight. That is flash in the pan and forgotten by the non-wrestling fans that you are trying to get tuned in. When you get new viewers, give them something to want to tune back into the show again. High quality, edgy, funny, sexy, interesting programming with high quality, edgy, hard core (at times), innovative wrestling that isn't shown in the bumping world of WWE.
I agree that splitting into two shows on Spike instead of one show for two hours might help. Get the product into two different time slots with two different formats. See if you can appeal to one demographic with one show while attracting another with the other. Then blend the two shows into one PPV.
I am a fan of TNA. I attend the tapings at Univesal as often as I can. I watch the show on Spike and PPV. I have purchased TNA merchandise. I want to see them succeed. They seem to make baby steps in the right direction and stumble but, seem to be overall moving slowly in the right direction. Often, I am left to wonder what made management do what they did and what drug are they on? However, overall with a new and growing company, mistakes and regrets are part of the growing process. Hopefully, TNA makes a few tweaks to the process and the company and will succeed.
I hope the announcing is the first tweak. I cannot say enough how awful it is. I have watched the show in mute on more than one occasion! A heel announcer is needed for the next show! I would make a "Save us Mitchell from West and Tenay" sign for the live show on the 27th- however, it would be taken away -for sure!
Make me want to tune into the show to hear what Mitchell has to say this week or what comment will he make to Tenay and West. Even share the heel announcer spot between Mitchell and Nash to keep it light and changing all the time. Who will be there this week and what will this person say? Just no Bubba Ray, he is too predictable, "your Motha" can only go so far before it gets "not funny"! The live audience when the show is taped cannot hear the commentary from Tenay and West so, there are no spoilers on that commentary that could be leaked. All would have to tune in to hear the heel announcer remarks of the day. The only spoiler would be who was sitting at the desk with Tenay and West when the show was taped.
