Friday, March 25, 2011

Observations about job cuts at TVG

Clearly as a Jersey resident I have no wagering use for TVG (a non-NJ state), but really enjoy their race coverage, and the few who have read my online contest wraps will note my favoritism over HRTV, which I find erudite and does not necessarily cater to the virtual wagering audience.  I really respect Laffit Pincay, but think the network is too happy running promos for its other programs and focuses way too much on Santa Anita, and find some of the other cast a little "above" me, as opposed to the salt of the earth TVG hosts.

Anyway, what prompted me to write on TVG was a text from my friend Terry, who never misses his daily afternoon soaps and Judge Judy but rarely watches racing, asking what I thought about a story that crossed the wire about a handful of layoffs at the Betfair-owned network.  Assuming the Bloodhorse.com story is accurate, I am disappointed with the departures of Chris Kotulak and Bob Baedeker ("Mr. B"), the latter of whom reminds me of my dad and I found to be one of the best handicappers on the network.  The Franks, meanwhile, were OK, though less-frequent hosts, and I always sensed had other careers in racing anyway (i.e. Mirahmadi is a track announcer on the California fairs circuit).

My two cents in short...the reported departures signal, perhaps, that TVG is looking to focus on its younger hosts, with "catchier" shows like Todd & Simon Tuesdays and The Friday Night Late Double, which infuse a little more personality and attempts, especially with the latter, to give more of "an in-crowd" feel to a night at the track.  The stodgier audience no doubt will be turned off by hints of entertainment-style racing television, but it is clear that the industry really needs to attract younger horseplayers to the game, and if that means Greg Wolf and Christina Oliveras talking about clubs and live music with handicapping or polling dimwits at the Hollywood what they played for a late daily double, then so be it.  In the meantime, as a fan of the network, I wish the departed hosts nothing but success in their endeavors.

7 comments:

  1. Funny I worked from home today and took in a little TVG during a late-afternoon break. I watched a 1-9 horse win the Turfway Park opener by about 10 lengths. It was very exciting.

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  2. Make sure to tune in M-T-W around 9p for some excellent card from Northfield, "Home of the Flying Turns" - even BETTER action ;)

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  3. Is TVG's attempts to capture a younger audience working? I had my 25 year-old daughter watch the Late DD. After squirming her way through an hour she asked me if she could leave. She said those old guys, Greg Wolf and Tim Bader were embarrassing.

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  4. JustWondering, there are probably 2-3 time zones that probably do not watch the show anyway, since it's on somewhere around midnight Friday (into Saturday), if I recall. I also recall the show being 30 minutes long, so if there's 2 hours per month of programming you detest, then so be it. All I'm observing, in terms of the Bloodhorse report on the layoffs, is that maybe TVG is trying a different approach to draw a younger set. Hollywood, for its part, is selling its product on Friday night's with live music (i.e. B-52s last year, Snoop Dogg this season), so it's clear that people in the game are experimenting with new means to attract customers, whether you, your relatives or I like it.

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  5. billhobo,

    my question was whether or not the experiment has been a success. i admire the effort, we do need young blood in the sport. the management team at tvg is rife will old guys and degenerate gamblers. do they really have a handle on what young people want? i do not know but quite frankly, i doubt it. if they are serious about attracting a younger audience, there should be a management team in place that is knowledgeable in this aspect of the medium.

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  6. Agree totally. Honestly, though, I have no idea about the make-up of Betfair's management team. I am curious where they'll play, however, as one of the parties (if I recall) to the MP bid.

    Thanks for posting, BTW; discussion is always fun.

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  7. i worked there for 11 years. i know it pretty well. not a fan. horse racing is pretty messed up as a whole. whatever they get, it will be self-inflicted. funny how the fans seem to be the only ones that really know & care. i think the reason we are in our current economic state is because of poor business practices as a whole.

    good discussing with you. more than happy to share my thoughts.

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