Horse Racing Coverage: you are the producer

[Tal]

Congratulations on your appointment as the decision maker in the new, ITV coverage of British horse racing. You will be on every Saturday for 3 hours, plus the big festivals like Cheltenham, Royal Ascot, Aintree and Glorious Goodwood.

Channel 4 has done it for a few years, both on its own and, previously, alongside the BBC. Their numbers have declined and your brief is to get more people watching, not just the punters but the families, too. It's about informing the public about what's going on, but also selling the brand and the event of a day at the races.

Your lead presenter will be Ed Chamberlin, who previously has been doing Monday Night Football on Sky Sports but is an avid racing fan.



You can choose whatever you want, but your brief is to get the ratings up and to keep the racing purists happy (even if they'd prefer it to be like the "good old days" where four middle aged white blokes rambled on while flicking through the Racing Post)

So, how would you go about making your coverage a success? Who are your co-presenters? What do they do? What regular features would you have on: Fashion? Features on owners and trainers? Tours of stables? Explanations on what makes an endurance/sprint horse? How handicapping works? To what extent do you talk about betting?

Who do you look for sponsorship from? Bookies? Clothing companies? Whoever pays the most money?

As someone who quite likes the current format (a little bit of everything, but a leaning towards the betting side of the sport), I clearly have it wrong. Even on a poker forum, I expect there will be some strong views to the contrary.

What would you do?

[Marky147]

Think Chapman would definitely be on the firm.

He's marmite, but at least he doesn't just toe the line, and will ask questions others won't.

Get rid of Fitzgerald.

[BigAdz]

Im watching it now, and Tanya just annoys me more and more every week.

She is supposed to be there as a source of info, and a facilitator. I don't want to hear that she is going to back the "lovely old Hoof it" or whatever is the oldest horse in any other race, I want the opinions of the people you are there to interview, not yours. Get shot of her. Programme miles better already.

Thankfully they are back showing a decent amount of form footage of a race from a furlong or so out, more of that please. The programme was almost pointless when their footage was of the horse crossing the line in a solo caption(whose fucking idea was that in the first place???)

If you have coverage later of seven races, lets have a fair amount of time on each, if its a betting programme, not just the main two or three.

Ring a few more trainers up, say 3 a week for a quick update on some of their big hopes that day.

Bollocks to competitons/stud visits etc.


And Cunningham can go too. Much like me, he loves the sound of his own voice too much, but then I'm not on TV every week pushing my '10 words when 1 will do' verbal diarrhoea down the screen. Let the other person speak you ignorant twat (NB he does this on Racing UK all the time too, so not based on one view today).

[TightEnd]

No to anything on fashion

No to Rishi Persad

No to Emma, Gina and especially Tanya

Mark Braveheart can prattle on about no betting til the cows come home but he's got Arab patronage and 200 horses.

feel the programme needs it, and bookie sponsors as well as new non racing sponsors too. who is watching it if there is no betting content? not enough people are interested in the racing per se to drive viewers up

Struggle to see how you are gonig to beat Jim McGrath and Graham Cunningham for form content


so Ed chamberlain and a lady co-presenter

Jim and Graham

a person in the ring who can get the lowdown, isn't mccricick and isn't tanya or that bloke Gleeson

someone to interview people in the paddock pre and post race. Probably female

fewer guests who say "you know" at the start and end of every sentence. that rules out most jockeys, you know

[tikay]

your brief is to get the ratings up and to keep the racing purists happy

I don't believe those 2 things are compatible.

For instance, it grates me something shocking to be forced to watch Fashion nonsense during racing, or that Gok bloke, but you mention (correctly) the need to make it more family-viewing orientated, & so that sort of nonsense is needed.

I'd like to see more focus on the blood lines & breeding, but that would only be of interest to super geeks.

It's a shame that everything revolves around ratings, but that is how it is these days.

FWIW, I think Ch4 have covered racing really well, almost as well as the BBC used to.     

[tikay]

I would certainly include Emma & Jim McGrath in the line up. I don't have a problem with Tanya, either, I like to see common people dressed up to the nines.

[BigAdz]

your brief is to get the ratings up and to keep the racing purists happy

I don't believe those 2 things are compatible.

For instance, it grates me something shocking to be forced to watch Fashion nonsense during racing, or that Gok bloke, but you mention (correctly) the need to make it more family-viewing orientated, & so that sort of nonsense is needed.

I'd like to see more focus on the blood lines & breeding, but that would only be of interest to super geeks.

It's a shame that everything revolves around ratings, but that is how it is these days.

FWIW, I think Ch4 have covered racing really well, almost as well as the BBC used to.     

Not quite sure that is correct.

As a racing programme, I bet no one switches over to look at fashion tips. They know its a racing programme, so if they have no interest in racing they wont watch. So make it the best racing programme you can, and pull in everyone that loves racing. That should be enough to please the ratings guys.

[TightEnd]

your brief is to get the ratings up and to keep the racing purists happy

I don't believe those 2 things are compatible.

For instance, it grates me something shocking to be forced to watch Fashion nonsense during racing, or that Gok bloke, but you mention (correctly) the need to make it more family-viewing orientated, & so that sort of nonsense is needed.

I'd like to see more focus on the blood lines & breeding, but that would only be of interest to super geeks.

It's a shame that everything revolves around ratings, but that is how it is these days.

FWIW, I think Ch4 have covered racing really well, almost as well as the BBC used to.     

Not quite sure that is correct.

As a racing programme, I bet no one switches over to look at fashion tips. They know its a racing programme, so if they have no interest in racing they wont watch. So make it the best racing programme you can, and pull in everyone that loves racing. That should be enough to please the ratings guys.

no the problem is that there is more competition for leisure time. fewer people have got interested in racing. this is accelerating, so if they just do racing stuff, viewing figures fall further

diversfying the content (and maybe being able to attact non bookie sponsors as a result) is right, but not fashion please

[BigAdz]

your brief is to get the ratings up and to keep the racing purists happy

I don't believe those 2 things are compatible.

For instance, it grates me something shocking to be forced to watch Fashion nonsense during racing, or that Gok bloke, but you mention (correctly) the need to make it more family-viewing orientated, & so that sort of nonsense is needed.

I'd like to see more focus on the blood lines & breeding, but that would only be of interest to super geeks.

It's a shame that everything revolves around ratings, but that is how it is these days.

FWIW, I think Ch4 have covered racing really well, almost as well as the BBC used to.    

Not quite sure that is correct.

As a racing programme, I bet no one switches over to look at fashion tips. They know its a racing programme, so if they have no interest in racing they wont watch. So make it the best racing programme you can, and pull in everyone that loves racing. That should be enough to please the ratings guys.

no the problem is that there is more competition for leisure time. fewer people have got interested in racing. this is accelerating, so if they just do racing stuff, viewing figures fall further

diversfying the content (and maybe being able to attact non bookie sponsors as a result) is right, but not fashion please

I beg to differ.

If you dilute the programme, I wont watch any more. You broaden it, and I bet my wife still won't watch it. I suspect that is a fairly common view.

Find me a person that doesnt watch it now and ask what it takes to get them to watch it, and I bet they just say if its to do with HR, they just wont.

[Doobs]

your brief is to get the ratings up and to keep the racing purists happy

I don't believe those 2 things are compatible.

For instance, it grates me something shocking to be forced to watch Fashion nonsense during racing, or that Gok bloke, but you mention (correctly) the need to make it more family-viewing orientated, & so that sort of nonsense is needed.

I'd like to see more focus on the blood lines & breeding, but that would only be of interest to super geeks.

It's a shame that everything revolves around ratings, but that is how it is these days.

FWIW, I think Ch4 have covered racing really well, almost as well as the BBC used to.     

I thought the bbc were always terrible at covering racing.  No time at all for Julian Wilson or Willie Carson.  Rishi Persaud still seens fairly clueless despite all his time on both channels.

Fashion can all go in a half hour program after.  Today's fashion at Ascot.

Got to say I used to love John McCririck when I wasn't that serious.  Think you need a loud personaility.

I like Emma too.  The new female lead is supposed to be very knowledgeable and has presented in Australia.  Think she seems a fine choice.

Definitely lots of betting moves and stuff.  I used to love that when starting out.

Love Jim McGrath too, more of him.

They need to sign up Tikay.  Hear he is a big winner at the gambling.  Also get his sidekick Chompy on to get the reality tv crossover audience.  Would love to see them two on the fashion slot.  

[Karabiner]

Lovely old Hoof It, Tanya knew.

[BigAdz]

Lovely old Hoof It, Tanya knew.

LOL. Give you that one. Although she didnt tip it, I just looked for the oldest horse when writing!

[Marky147]

All the great racing this week, and still the NAP is landed at the death, with Tanya's fave moment being Hoof It

[BigAdz]

All the great racing this week, and still the NAP is landed at the death, with Tanya's fave moment being Hoof It

LOL. If you follow Tanya, you are an even bigger mug than you tell us you are!

[Marky147]

All the great racing this week, and still the NAP is landed at the death, with Tanya's fave moment being Hoof It

LOL. If you follow Tanya, you are an even bigger mug than you tell us you are!

Reading comprehension problems in your old age mate?