Maybe I am interpreting this wrong, but the COTA folks have to feel like their balls are in a vise now.
With all the yammering about getting a permanent purpose-built facility for F1 in the US and no interest in temporary street circuits, Eccelstone gets the permanent circuit (COTA) and then agrees to a temporary street circuit in NJ right after? Talk about fragmenting your product.
With all the promoting going on (and presumed to continue), making NJ sound like Monte Carlo and "the best of both worlds" (F1 street race by day, metropoliton party by night) it can only diminish the interest in Austin GP in 2013, just one year after it is built.
I like Austin night life, but I can't imagine it will hold up against NY in the worldwide F1 fan's eyes. COTA will be a curiosity in 2012 and unless the economy picks up I suspect it will struggle starting 2013.
Good thing Moto, Aussie V8 and LeMans are signed up....might be an opening for NASA in 2013