Spike TV, formerly TNN, is aiming at a more diverse audience with its programming.
Cars are red-hot on the small screen these days. Home and body makeovers were the wave just a few months ago, but now a lot of attention is focused on things that go fast.
Consider these developments:
•Next month, Spike TV will launch a series of car and motorsports shows under the banner “Motor Mayhem.”
•This month, the Learning Channel started airing “Overhaulin’,” a car-makeover show in which a junker is made into a flashy street rod without the owner knowing. The channel also has “Rides,” a hot-rod series hosted by Jason Priestley.
•The Discovery Channel has had success with the series “Monster Garage” and “American Hot Rod.”
•MTV has drawn viewers with “Pimp My Ride,” a show on which a wreck is turned into something sweet, though in this case, unlike “Overhaulin’,” the owner knows. “We have auto programming on Saturday and Sunday,” said Kevin Kay, executive vice president of programming and production at Spike TV.
“It’s extremely popular, and it does really well. We’re taking a cue from that, and seeing guys are into this programming, we thought it would be fun to have Motor Mayhem month.”
Spike TV, once known as the Nashville Network, has long shed its country-fried image in favor of targeting younger urban males.
“Ride With Funkmaster Flex” may be the best example of a Spike TV show aimed at that crowd. The series, soon to start its second season, is built around disc jockey Flex, who talks cars with celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Tyra Banks, Missy Elliott and stock-car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“We like our audience to be as diverse as the world is,” Kay said. “One of the issues we had with the Nashville Network was it was very Southern and white. We get a very urban audience in Flex.”
It’s the same crowd that has driven films like “The Fast and the Furious” and “Biker Boyz.”
“Flex did something I thought was great,” Kay said. “He brought the hip-hop sensibility. The (car) tuner culture is huge … that world is a younger demographic than the NASCAR dads.”
But Spike will also air “Stock Car Nation,” a weekly series covering stories from the NASCAR universe. On Sunday, it will show “Spike 52: Greatest Drivers,” looking at the best racecar drivers ever.
Spike is also airing events on the Champ Car open-wheel racing series.
And, in what the channel hopes will be an annual event, come January, it’ll stage the first “AutoRox,” an awards show for the best cars of the year.
Kay said he’s not concerned about there being too many car shows on TV – yet.
“I guess there’s always a chance you could max out,” he said.
“But this is one of the reasons we’re doing this variety. We’re trying to expand it.
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AP-NY-04-28-04 1037EDT
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