Why AMA & Clear Channel Seperated......
Clear Channel was doing an ok job but AMA wanted more exposure and eventually get the sport more into the main stream. May be evening have some live events on ABC, NBC, FOX, etc... Now until Jamsport can get things started the first year will be a little better but it will take them 3 or 4 years to get the exposure AMA is looking for. Below is a little comment I found interesting at motorcycledaily.com.
"This is merely my opinion, but it is based on my examination of the facts made available by both the AMA and Clear Channel through press releases in the past week or so. It is also based on my own personal experiences in business and negotiations. Nevertheless, I think I have a pretty good idea why the AMA and Clear Channel are planning to sever their AMA Supercross relationship. Clear Channel has too much bargaining leverage.
Why would Clear Channel's bargaining leverage damage the relationship with the AMA? In a business relationship where one party has substantially more bargaining leverage than the other, it is typical that the stronger party slowly, but surely, takes value to itself and away from the other party.
Clear Channel is a large company with contracts and contacts at many of the major venues traditionally used by the AMA for supercross events (with one exception being Daytona). Clear Channel, apparently, claims that some of its relationships with these venues prohibit any other promoter from staging a motorsports event at the venue during a given year. In other words, Clear Channel may have an exclusive at one or more of the venues traditionally used for supercross events. If supercross is to occur at these venues, it must be promoted by Clear Channel."
Here a little more: "If Clear Channel virtually controls access to important, traditional supercross venues, this gives it tremendous bargaining leverage in its relationship with the AMA, including AMA Pro Racing. When you are the weaker party in a bargaining relationship (as the AMA apparently has been), you can build up resentment towards the stronger party. Furthermore, at some point, if the stronger party pushes too hard, you may feel you have no choice but to break away from that relationship, even if it means difficulty for you in the short term (in this instance, difficulty obtaining access to popular, traditional supercross venues). This is human nature, and this is common in business situations.
Of course, we may never know the truth about what happened in the negotiations between the AMA and Clear Channel. Did Clear Channel really push too hard and piss off the AMA? Did the AMA decide that, regardless of the consequences, it had to break away from Clear Channel? Was the AMA expecting too much from Clear Channel given its lack of bargaining power? We just won't know the answer to these questions -- although we may hear differing stories from both sides."
This artical come out on Nov. 13, 2001.
Trust me Clear Channel would have pushed AMA around until the riders and the fans got screwed.
Personally I think AMA made a good move it will suck for a little while but in the long run it's for the best.
