tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560898823512627114.post2094993702667613603..comments2024-02-01T00:37:24.768-05:00Comments on PTP: Television is Not Trending Racing's WayPull the Pockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05082676049275768769noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560898823512627114.post-78760547953260502792013-04-25T07:25:55.832-04:002013-04-25T07:25:55.832-04:00Is it any wonder the horse racing programs are not...Is it any wonder the horse racing programs are not watched? THEY ARE DEADLY BORING!! NBC needs fewer shots of tedious talking heads and more scenes of what is actually going on with the horses and their connections before and after their two minute run in the sun. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560898823512627114.post-62980768373278802742013-04-24T07:21:29.343-04:002013-04-24T07:21:29.343-04:00And rightfully so!And rightfully so!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560898823512627114.post-57080823921433227002013-04-23T23:35:07.418-04:002013-04-23T23:35:07.418-04:00The sport isn't freefalling into oblivion. One...The sport isn't freefalling into oblivion. One reason why the year's preps didn't do better on TV is it's tough to find the NBC Sports Network. Unless you're looking for it you don't know it's on. If it was on NBC or ABC like it was for many years, people would stumble upon it and watch.<br /><br />Also, more than ever, we in America have become a big event population. Super Bowl, the Derby, the Masters. The Belmont Stakes today, routinely outdraws the Belmont in the days of Secretariat and Affirmed. <br /><br />No doubt racing has challenges and needs to court younger fans, but 35 years ago, when I first started to go to the track, people were saying that it needs to attract a younger audience or all the old fans will die off. Well, guess what. The older people from the 1970s have been replaced by the next generation of older people. The reason why: a)retired people have the time to go to the track and b)generally speaking they are the ones who have more disposable income.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560898823512627114.post-8580279788301455752013-04-23T12:32:47.863-04:002013-04-23T12:32:47.863-04:00As long as horse racing and drugs are used in the ...As long as horse racing and drugs are used in the same sentence and trainers go unpunished for repeated offenses, the game will continue to freefall into oblivion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8560898823512627114.post-11723759362008233682013-04-22T07:30:26.094-04:002013-04-22T07:30:26.094-04:00Has anybody checked to see whether the handle incr...Has anybody checked to see whether the handle increased on the points-qualifying preps compared with, say, the previous 3 years?<br /><br />Apparently, the field sizes as well as the viewers didn't increase appreciably with the live TV coverage supporting the new eligibility rules.<br /><br />In my opinion, it's the win-or-place-and-you're-in aspect of the preps which minimizes the possibility of horses on the Derby trail facing each other multiple times, and thereby create rooting interests.<br /><br />There should also be 4-5 one-hour shows starting the week following the AK Derby; each introducing 4-5 contenders and their connections, and showing replays of their prep races.<br /><br />The pre-race portion on Derby day should feature traditional coverage like the Derby day finery of the connections and racing celebrities, and the trainer interviews on the way from the barn to the saddling area.<br /><br />But it also needs a rundown of the Derby contenders by each major data venter, e.g, DRF, Bris, Ragozin, Thorograph, EQUIFORM, and JCapper -- a competition within the competition -- NOT the lame NBC analysts. Perhaps the vendor rundowns could be shown on a final 1-hour show in prime time.<br /><br />Until novices get to see the variety of ways people (including professionals) make selections, and connect it with what happens on the track and in the pools, it’s hard to appreciate all the rewarding challenges involved in the game.Indultonoreply@blogger.com