If ESPN Ran a Racing Channel

[Canarsie]

This isn't a hammer TVG thread it's just to see what you guys and gals think what they would do different. Please don't hammer an individual host that's not the intent.

So let me start it off.

1. Require all tracks covered to be in HD

2. Up to date showing of odds.

3. More split screens

4. More interviews with trainers and connections many in depth.

5. Better commercials I would think there would be some national advertisers.

6. Poker shows would be used to fill in the down time.

The reason I am starting this is I watched Saturday at Saratoga and Fox Sports coverage of the WV Derby and both were pretty damn good. :ThmbUp: No drivel, just real good horse talk and it got me thinking.


Your thoughts please?

[Tom]

The would pre-empt it for little league baseball more often than not.
ESPN sucks at racing coverage.

[Marshall Bennett]

The would pre-empt it for little league baseball more often than not.
ESPN sucks at racing coverage.
That actually occured last year only it was a woman's softball game and the entire racing coverage was pre-empted .

[Stillriledup]

The problem with tvg is that they have a conflict of interest, their interest is in making money for themselves, so their content and presentation is geared so that you can bet with them and their betting service. Not that this is all bad, but it does have its drawbacks.

All races in HD sounds good to me.

[kenwoodall2]

1A is bigger audience.

[Bruddah]

Fox Sports would and presently does the best racing coverage, bar none. If I were in charge of programming for Fox, I would hire Randy Moss and set up a Racing Channel.

The competition, including the networks, would soon fall. Hell, the networks don't care enough to make their coverage acceptable to the fans.

[duncan04]

HD would be nice but since a majority of tracks don't broadcast in HD, it would be pointless

[depalma113]

Fox used to cover horse racing. The ratings were dismal and they took a bath.

Unfortunately they tried to make their coverage more for the video game/ wrestling crowd and it turned way too many people off.

[Cardus]

ESPN is terrible at sports coverage.

Seriously.

[alhattab]

This isn't a hammer TVG thread it's just to see what you guys and gals think what they would do different. Please don't hammer an individual host that's not the intent.

So let me start it off.

1. Require all tracks covered to be in HD

2. Up to date showing of odds.

3. More split screens

4. More interviews with trainers and connections many in depth.

5. Better commercials I would think there would be some national advertisers.

6. Poker shows would be used to fill in the down time.

The reason I am starting this is I watched Saturday at Saratoga and Fox Sports coverage of the WV Derby and both were pretty damn good. :ThmbUp: No drivel, just real good horse talk and it got me thinking.


Your thoughts please?

I would love to see a weekly show like the MSG shows from Saratoga on a channel like MSG/FoxSports which can devote the time to racing and for which there is national distribution. I think that show is the model- maybe show one or two more races. They need to be in HD though I see no reason why they can't be- MSG has a bunch of idle cameras around that they use for hockey- can't they use them or loan them to NYRA for use?

[elhelmete]

HD would be nice but since a majority of tracks don't broadcast in HD, it would be pointless

That's exactly right. Unless a track's own cameras are HD, any network (like TVG or HRTV) that picks up its signal would be stuck with it as is. Yes, it can be upconverted to what I call Fake HD but the rule of "garbage in, garbage out" applies.

Converting house systems to HD is cost-prohibitive.

When a network pulls into town to cover a big race, they bring their own truck and place their own cameras (in addition to sometimes taking feeds from house cameras) and HD is the norm. This ain't cheap, which is why it's not done on an ongoing basis.

2. Up to date showing of odds.
I see that all the time, never had a problem.

3. More split screens
Would be nice.

4. More interviews with trainers and connections many in depth.
If these connections would talk, I'd love it. Especially those who never make national headlines.

5. Better commercials I would think there would be some national advertisers.
There's not a channel/network in the country that wouldn't like better advertisers.

6. Poker shows would be used to fill in the down time.
oof. ;)

[JohnGalt1]

Hank Goldberg would be able to give us more winners.