May 23, 2005 Observer Newsletter: TNA close to TV deal, NJPW record low Tokyo Dome attendance

We are one step and most likely just a few weeks away from having the second edition of the Monday Night Wars.

While TNA’s television situation remains up in the air at press time, the most likely scenario is that sometime, probably as early as the next few weeks, TNA will debut on WGN in a Monday night 8-10 p.m. Eastern time slot. This would give them the first hour unopposed, and a second hour would be head-to-head with the first hour of Raw. Contracts have not been signed nor has a deal been verbally closed, but a final, decision on TV, is almost surely going to be made within a week or two at the most.

TNA officials have one meeting left with Spike TV. Outwardly, Spike has continued to act as if they are not interested in a pro wrestling franchise, and feels UFC, which they’ve been able to market in a manner where ad rates per capita go for a far higher price than the negatively viewed by s the ad community pro wrestling business. Perhaps the most underpublicized story this year in wrestling is the recent socioeconomic breakdown story that showed out of 180 different prime time television shows, World Wrestling Federation shows finished 180^th when it came to percentage of upper middle class and upper class viewership, a survey that more than just confirmed, but put an exclamation point on the prevailing advertising viewpoint of pro wrestling. Still, they have kept in contact with TNA, but it has always been, and still is, a longshot.

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