Holy $hit, this would be a freaking disaster... Johnson won’t cut rates on unsold PSLs as Jets blackouts loom By BART HUBBUCH Last Updated: 5:11 AM, May 13, 2010 Posted: 2:57 AM, May 13, 2010 Local TV blackouts of regular-season NFL games — something not seen in these parts in more than 30 years — are looming ominously for the Jets. In an exclusive interview with The Post yesterday, Jets owner Woody Johnson acknowledged his team has more than 10,000 personal seat licenses still unsold just three months before its first game at 82,500-seat New Meadowlands Stadium. A league source with knowledge of the situation told The Post the Jets’ unsold PSLs numbered a whopping 17,000. Johnson disputed that figure yesterday but did not deny the number was still north of 10,000. Johnson also told The Post that he will refuse to lift the hugely unpopular PSLs for the unsold lower-bowl sea s on a game-by-game basis just to avoid blackouts this fall. “No, we’re not going to do that,” Johnson said of selling the lower-bowl seats without PSLs for individual games, shaking his head for emphasis. Additionally, Johnson said the team has ruled out cutting the price of the unsold PSLs, which range from $5,000 each to as high as $30,000 each for club seats and from $4,000 each up to $20,000 each for lower-bowl seats not in club sections or suites. “[They are] fairly priced right now,” Johnson told The Post when asked about dropping the PSL cost. “[They’re] selling, and [they’re] selling right along our trendlines, so we’re good to go.” Described by some as extortionate money grabs, PSLs are controversial “licenses” giving the buyer the right to buy season tickets for a particular seat within a stadium. The licenses are forfeited if the PSL owner does not purchase the 10-game season ticket for that seat every year. The Jets did not require fans to buy PSLs for the roughly 28,000 seats in the upper bowl of the new stadium, and virtually all of those tickets have been sold. Prompting serious concerns within the Jets of the $1.6 billion stadium’s debut being marred by Gang Green’s first regular-season TV blackout since 1977 is the location of many of the unsold PSLs. A source said at least 8,000 of the available PSLs are for seats in the lower bowl but not in club sections or suites. That’s an important distinction because, according to the NFL’s blackout policy, all “non-premium” seats — seats not in suites or club sections — must be sold for the game to be shown on local TV. Conversely, the Giants are in much better shape and seemingly in no danger of what would be their first regular-season blackout since 1974, the year after pressure from Congress prompted the creation of the league’s blackout policy. The Giants have fewer than 1,500 unsold PSLs (ranging in price from $7,500 to $20,000 each), all in club sections that don’t count toward the blackout. The Giants charged as little as $1,000 each for their PSLs, and the team said yesterday that all of its non-premium PSLs have been sold. Speaking at the stadium ceremony yesterday to unveil New York’s 2014 Super Bowl bid, Johnson expressed confidence that his team’s marketing efforts ultimately will pay off. The Jets have been almost manic in their sales pitches recently, according to numerous people who have received cold calls,unwanted, in many cases, from team reps hawking the PSLs. “We’ll eventually sell [the remaining PSLs],” Johnson told The Post. “I’m 100-percent confident that we’ll sell them. Whether it’s exactly in the timeline that we predict now, we’re going to sell them. I think our product is too good. And when people see the stadium and come see [non-football] events here, they will sell.” The pricey PSLs — put in place so the Jets and Giants could offset the cost of building the new stadium — are so unpopular that both teams long ago blew through decades-long ticket waiting lists. An even more telling sign of the discontent: There already is a burgeoning market of Jets and Giants fans with a strong case of PSL buyer’s remorse. A survey yesterday of three major PSL resale sites (stadiumpsl.com, craigslist and eBay) showed individuals offering 26 Jets PSLs and an eye-popping 134 Giants PSLs for cost or far below cost — and that’s months before either team has played a game. Even at a profit, any PSL resales this year would nullify the contract the buyer signed with the teams. Neither the Giants nor the Jets are allowing resale of PSLs before March 1, 2011, unless it is to an immediate family member. It’s all adding up to a potentially embarrassing black eye for the Jets — thousands of empty seats and local TV blackouts for a team coming off a trip to the AFC Championship Game. To that, Johnson would only say: “I can’t envision it.”
When they say blackout on local TV does that mean that those of us with DirectV could order Sundayticket and still watch the games?
Obviously Woody won't say that they'll be selling single game tickets in this article, because then no one will buy another PSL. But they will have to put up single game seats for sale in late August when they realize it's either that, or blackout the largest TV market in the country. I don't think the NFL will let it happen. They sold $15 tickets to the Falcons, Jax, and Carolina games last year. They will be forced to do the same in 2010...and this is the same reason I refuse to buy a PSL. Burn me once, shame on me...
woody only has to sell scalpers last minute after pre-season the eight regular season games at face with a no money down PSL and no payment to 2011 PSL with a "WINK WINK" you can walk away no problem if you want to move a lot of tickets. Let scaplpers do dirty work of moving tickets
If Jets game are blacked out I will no longer be a fan of this team. This is complete and utter horse shit. I have a friend who had season tickets in the upper deck and lost her rights to those seats because someone who had higher seniority to her didn't want to pay the psl price of the lower deck and moved upstairs. I know someone else who could very well afford the $25,000 psl price that was placed on his seats but he declined to pay such outrageous prices. The calls first started there are limited tickets left you better hurry up and buy. He was given a deadline, it came and went and the calls continued to come. I believe they are still hounding him to purchase tickets. The Yankees learned their lesson with their legends seats and cut prices on tickets mid season and refunded money or somehow compensated people who already paid the prices. Why can't Woody Johnson learn from that and adjust his pricing? What an embarrassment it would be to have the Jets blacked out.
A couple of thoughts on this. First, a blackout does not hurt Woody much at all. The broadcast revenue is evenly split amongst the 32 teams and is already paid by the time the game airs. The people it hurts most are the fans. The people most financially impacted are the networks airing the game. The economics have drastically changed since blackouts were last an issue in the 1970's. Every set of eyeballs watching the NFL counts these days to the tune of thousands of dollars in advertising revenue based on ratings. CBS cannot afford to lose it's #1 market for the 4 or 5 weeks the Jets play at home on Channel 2. Not only would the Jets not be shown, no game would be put in its place at the same time. CBS would have to show a game head to head later against the Giants meaning even lowe ratings. This means their ratings for those weeks would be in the tank and they would have to offer "make goods" to the advertisers. Basically when ratings fall short of what was promised to the advertisers when they shelled out preminum dollars for an ad spot, the network will make up for it with discounted or even free ad time down the road. It is because of this that I don't think there will be blackouts. the economics have changed. CBS (and even the other netwotrks airing a Jets home game) will risk losing millions of dollars in revenue if the game is not on the New York market. etween the networks, league and the jets, enough coroprate arms will be twisted to ensure the PSLs are sold. It may take until August and another discount is offered, but the seats will be sold - though not to Jet fans just corporations.
When Woody says that the PSL prices are reasonable doesn't make alot of sense because if they were reasonable the stadium would either be sold out or close to sold out, not having almost 25% of the seats unsold. I really wish someone interviewing him would say if you needed the PSL to help pay for the new stadium and that you couldn't afford to pay for your half by yourself then why would you get a new stadium.
Few things: 1) Yeah, this is an old rant, but it's more relevant now than ever. I just want to say "Thank you" to all the clowns who didn't want the Jets on the West Side of Manhattan. Those seats would have sold. And really, given that it would have been a multi-use venue, either there would have been significantly lower-cost PSLs (which would have value beyond just football games, thereby providing investment value) or no PSLs at all. Where are all those guys now, who were bitching they didn't want to have to come into Manhattan? Buy the seats smartasses. You got your way, now it's time to pay your dues. 2) If you think the league won't black out games you're crazy. Goodell has been adamant in every case thus far that if there is a blackout situation, there will be a blackout. There is a very real risk that we're not going to see half of our games. 3) I will really have to evaluate how I feel if there is even a single blackout. My first reaction to this news this morning was "Well mother***k them! If you black out, I'll follow another team!" But that's hard to say now. I've endured Kotite, Walton, Coslett, Herm. I've watched Marino, Elway, Brady and Manning rip my heart out. I've been emotionally invested in this team for more than 2/3 of my life. I want to be there when it all finally pays off. This whole thing disgusts me. Woody's attitude most of all. I understand he wants to make his money, but he's crazy if he thinks people are going to pay these outrageous prices for seats they're sharing with Giants fans, in an economy that's still in the toilet. Not to mention, what happens 12 months from now when there's a work stoppage?
