Think like the general public

[kenwoodallpromos]

The general public watches maybe 5 days of racing per year on TV; They read the major news agencies and watch local news and 1/2 hour of national news per day. I think getting them to switch the TV channel over to TVG or HRTV even once in a while would be a great accomplishment!
My question is, if you can drop the horseplayer and think like the general public, what pluses and minuses are there that individual members of the public may consider when deciding whether or not to tune in to some TV racing?

[Space Monkey]

The GP is not going to tune in to average daily shows. We are a star oriented society. The GP has to have an interest or investment in the product to tune in. Look at the NFL. If it wasn't such a great gambling game, it wouldn't be half as popular.
There are a lot of reasons why horse racing has declined, but one thats not talked about by almost anyone but me, is that its just become too complicated a game to play. The conditions of todays modern card are so complicated the average joe can't make heads or tails of them. Average Joe walks into a track and picks up a form and it reads like advanced calculus. They realize that they are in over their heads and lose interest. I don't have any answers, I just think I know the cause.

Hey, the Pats are 7 1/2 over the Dolphins. Give me the Pats 20 times. Its a lot easier.

[kenwoodallpromos]

The GP is not going to tune in to average daily shows. We are a star oriented society. The GP has to have an interest or investment in the product to tune in. Look at the NFL. If it wasn't such a great gambling game, it wouldn't be half as popular.
There are a lot of reasons why horse racing has declined, but one thats not talked about by almost anyone but me, is that its just become too complicated a game to play. The conditions of todays modern card are so complicated the average joe can't make heads or tails of them. Average Joe walks into a track and picks up a form and it reads like advanced calculus. They realize that they are in over their heads and lose interest. I don't have any answers, I just think I know the cause.

Hey, the Pats are 7 1/2 over the Dolphins. Give me the Pats 20 times. Its a lot easier.
OK, I just asked about watching, which you answered about no stars on the daily shows (I guess some players do not think a "star" trainer should be on TVG). If connections are trashed when they appear, what stars should be on the shows? How can the viewing be made simpler to watch? I know for me I would like to see the length of race on the screen longer, and the race conditions shown and talked about more. What about on-screen info about the feature races of the day that will be shown? Announcing pick winners' names from the last day?

[kenwoodallpromos]

I'm trying to figure what would get people to watch just for watching, even if not betting. Would showing odds, finish, and level of last race help?

[ryesteve]

I'm trying to figure what would get people to watch just for watching, even if not betting. Would showing odds, finish, and level of last race help?The non-betting general public couldn't care less about betting information. They want the stories behind the horses and the connections. If you have no reason to care who wins, you have no reason to care enough to watch.