NBC Coverage

[JohnGalt1]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

I just want them to do away with the disorientating blimp view during the race. I cannot tell which horse is which from that angle, nor do I see how a casual fan can tell where their horse is.

That's my big complaint about NBC and ESPN when showing races.

Use a normal view or track feed of the live race, then they can use the blimps and other tricky camera angles for the replays.

[Riot]

Derby Wagering, Attendance Up Despite Weather
By Blood-Horse Staff

Wagering on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) rose 7.8%, Churchill Downs reported, and attendance increased by 1.5% even with heavy rain prior to the start of the May 1 program along with scattered thunderstorms and showers during the day.

All-sources handle improved to $112.7 million on the first jewel of the Triple Crown compared with $104.6 million last year, the track reported. All-sources wagering also was up by 4.3% for the full Kentucky Derby card, with $162.7 million wagered on the 13-race card compared with $156 million in 2009.

The figures were especially encouraging given the equipment failure at AmTote’s Oregon hub, which led to lost wagers and customer service problems for TwinSpires.com, XpressBet, Arlington Park, Fair Grounds and other wagering outlets.

On-track attendance was reported to be 155,804, an increase over 153,563 last year. Combined attendance for the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and Derby rose from 258,430 to 271,850.

“After setting attendance and wagering records on Oaks Day, we can’t say enough about Kentucky Derby fans who didn’t let the rain dampen their enthusiasm, said Kevin Flanery, Churchill Downs racetrack president. "The Louisville community and the entire nation of Derby fans again lent tremendous support for this great event. We were very pleased with the level of wagering on the Oaks and Derby race cards and see the overwhelmingly positive responses of our customers, both on and off track, as validation of our efforts to present our product in new and innovative ways that can be embraced by core and casual fans alike.

"We are sorry customers throughout the country experienced difficulty placing wagers on the Kentucky Derby and the undercard and we promise to get a full and complete accounting from AmTote of the failures today.”

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

How about the Suffolk Downs Suckfuk go Downers?

A gentleman and a scholar, as I've already said.

[dean smith]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

think poker exploded because of Phil Hellmuth's personality?

Poker didn't explode because of Phil Hellmuth's personality. And it didn't explode because they decided to shine a light on the gambling aspect, either. Every idiot born yesterday knows that poker is gambling and always has been.

Poker exploded for one reason and one reason only: They found new and interesting ways to televise it and ESPN put it on the air....a lot. Television then educated the public and after a few episodes, every middle-aged man and college frat boy in America thought he was Doyle Brunson. Luckily, there was plenty of opportunity for them to put their money where their mouths were -- on their ADW Internet wagering sites.

[rpncaine]

Chris Moneymaker didn't hurt. That's when I think it went ballistic. That dude hitting SS with $100K was good publicity. I didn't see any of the network news this weekend, I just wonder if it got any attention on that?

[philcski]

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis

My Wife, who could care less about horse racing, watched the entire ESPN broadcast, formulated her own opinion based on what she saw... and hit the Exacta and Tri.... She went to the track with me (for the first time as a horseplayer) today for the closing of TBD... Just sayin'....

GTFO... that is great! That is how you create a horseplayer.

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

How about the Suffolk Downs Suckfuk go Downers?

Originally Posted by rpncaine

Chris Moneymaker didn't hurt. That's when I think it went ballistic. That dude hitting SS with $100K was good publicity. I didn't see any of the network news this weekend, I just wonder if it got any attention on that?

It hit some news stands, my mother saw it in her papers this morning (Buffalo News, Rochester D&C) but the dumbfuks reporting didn't even do due diligence on the story- they reported it as "some guy walking around with briefcase full of $100k in cash", not that it was a CNBC contest that he won the opportunity to bet.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by dean smith

Poker didn't explode because of Phil Hellmuth's personality. And it didn't explode because they decided to shine a light on the gambling aspect, either. Every idiot born yesterday knows that poker is gambling and always has been.

Poker exploded for one reason and one reason only: They found new and interesting ways to televise it and ESPN put it on the air....a lot. Television then educated the public and after a few episodes, every middle-aged man and college frat boy in America thought he was Doyle Brunson. Luckily, there was plenty of opportunity for them to put their money where their mouths were -- on their ADW Internet wagering sites.

Poker is pure gambling. Nothing else, nothing more. The millions of people that played poker after the exposure were looking to gamble anyway, they werent brainwashed into it.

TV educated the public about the strategy being used which is basically the gambling aspect. I understand that three live shows weeks apart on Saturday afternoons in the Spring isnt the same as edited wall to wall coverage. And i understand that NBC or ABC or ESPN is under no obligation to educate people on anything. But the idea that someone is sparked to bet on the races by flowery interviews or human interest stories versus someone winning a couple hundred dollars is flawed.

[blackthroatedwind]

Perhaps an attempt to explain why people like certain horses, and why they don't like others, could enlighten people a little about what is so interesting about handicapping that many people devote their lives to it's pursuit. There are many stories within a race.....surely some of these could be interesting.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Alan07

The Kentucky Derby's television ratings are the highest in 18 years.

NBC says Saturday's coverage of Calvin Borel riding Super Saver to victory for the third time in four years drew a 10.3 overnight rating and a 23 share. That's up 1 percent from last year's 10.2/22, when 16.3 million viewers made 50-1 shot Mine That Bird's win the most-watched Derby in 20 years.

Well that's good news, any way you cut it.

My biggest gripe was, as usual, how they didn't show the finish order or payouts until much later. I used my phone to go to my adw site and get the pays.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis

My Wife, who could care less about horse racing, watched the entire ESPN broadcast, formulated her own opinion based on what she saw... and hit the Exacta and Tri.... She went to the track with me (for the first time as a horseplayer) today for the closing of TBD... Just sayin'....

That's awesome... I love it.

[Buckpasser]

From the NY Post:

And yet NBC took this big, evolving story and repeatedly ignored it. For the next 90-plus minutes, instead of leaving the odds up along the top or bottom of the screen, NBC posted them once in a while, occasionally, now and then, seldom.

But NBC annually does this to Derby viewers and to itself. Imagine if the folks who run CNBC decided to keep the screen free of the latest stock market prices?

And so, once again, when we need no graphics, the screen is loaded with them; when we need 'em, there's nothing there.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_...MAg9T4kXvnbUMP

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Yeah if I had my druthers I'd prefer looking at Diane Lane over Looking at Lucky dropping a deuce before the walkover.

Pants -- I'm with you on that one... gotta love Diane Lane.

[dean smith]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Poker is pure gambling. Nothing else, nothing more. The millions of people that played poker after the exposure were looking to gamble anyway, they werent brainwashed into it.

TV educated the public about the strategy being used which is basically the gambling aspect. I understand that three live shows weeks apart on Saturday afternoons in the Spring isnt the same as edited wall to wall coverage. And i understand that NBC or ABC or ESPN is under no obligation to educate people on anything. But the idea that someone is sparked to bet on the races by flowery interviews or human interest stories versus someone winning a couple hundred dollars is flawed.

I dunno. In our celebrity-obsessed culture, seeing Michael Jordan, Jessica Simpson, and other glamerous people there and singing its praises gives a lot of people out there reason to think, "hey, maybe this isn't just a seedy, degenerate sport. This is HIP. What am I missing?" Think of them as celebrity endorsements, much like Charles Barkley for Right Guard, or Catherine Zeta-Jones for that phone company.

And really, whether you believe television doesn't -- or is under no obligation to -- educate, it does on a very basic, fundamental level. When Costas talks about different horses' running styles and how it could affect the outcome, or when guys like Goldberg give their picks and tell you why, it piques interest in people, which they may investigate further on their own later.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Danzig

it's a sport that i can see women liking. i know i do...which is why i wish they'd focus more on the racing part of it. show some of the previous races from the horses, show them on the backside while talking to the trainers. if you get women interested in the actual racing, and not 'i'm wearing an outfit by so and so', you might see a return in future.

BUT, thing is, they want viewership, not more folks going to the track. nbc isn't in it to boost handle or attendance.

but you arent the typical "woman".. I mean your family vacations are centered around watching big russian guys check other big canadian guys into walls and gambling on ponies. You are like the coolest woman in the world.

typical "women" who watch the Derby (and Derby only) do it for the hats, dresses, and parties.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

Exactly.

I had NBC on for about two minutes and couldn't take it.

Pure torture.

women, in general, arent gamblers (besides penny slots). Of course there are exceptions. But when you go to a casino or race track.. its men that are doing the gambling. The women you can find playing the penny slots.. the men are losing $4000 playing poker and black jack & pick 3's.

The way to get the girls to tune in to the Derby, is to show the other stuff. If the Derby coverage was basically a simulcast feed, nobody would watch it.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Frank Stronach was on the right path when he had those Frank's drink bimbos at Gulfstream. Bring more hot women to the track and that will bring guys who get drunk. Drunk = higher probability of gambling.

Pi.ss on the fashion shows. Put hot women in bikinis and they will cu...err come.

NBC coverage started at 4.. race didnt start til 630. There is only so much "human uninterested in their stories" out there. I personally am a fan of showing hot chicks in dresses for 2 hours. Though I agree with your suggestion more.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

women, in general, arent gamblers (besides penny slots). Of course there are exceptions. But when you go to a casino or race track.. its men that are doing the gambling. The women you can find playing the penny slots.. the men are losing $4000 playing poker and black jack & pick 3's.

The way to get the girls to tune in to the Derby, is to show the other stuff. If the Derby coverage was basically a simulcast feed, nobody would watch it.

I know that you said there are exceptions but I just can't agree.

Women aren't gamblers?

Penny slots?

I'd assume there are many more men than women who gamble but still..

How do we know this, that they don't gamble as much?

When you're at the track what's the ratio of men to women like?

[my miss storm cat]

Oh right well I got distracted by the last post but this is what I really wanted to say here.

MAKE IT STOP.

The Kentucky Oaks, the filly version of the Kentucky Derby, is broadcast on Bravo, which skews heavily toward female viewers. There are Derby segments on "The Today Show" in the run-up to the race focusing on everything from fashion to how to create the perfect mint julep.

"Women are watching the Derby more for the spectacle than the sporting event," McCarley said. "There's a balance you have to strike for the different people that you're watching."


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/...n6447802.shtml

Originally Posted by dean smith

I dunno. In our celebrity-obsessed culture, seeing Michael Jordan, Jessica Simpson, and other glamerous people there and singing its praises gives a lot of people out there reason to think, "hey, maybe this isn't just a seedy, degenerate sport. This is HIP. What am I missing?" Think of them as celebrity endorsements, much like Charles Barkley for Right Guard, or Catherine Zeta-Jones for that phone company.

And really, whether you believe television doesn't -- or is under no obligation to -- educate, it does on a very basic, fundamental level. When Costas talks about different horses' running styles and how it could affect the outcome, or when guys like Goldberg give their picks and tell you why, it piques interest in people, which they may investigate further on their own later.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Perhaps an attempt to explain why people like certain horses, and why they don't like others, could enlighten people a little about what is so interesting about handicapping that many people devote their lives to it's pursuit. There are many stories within a race.....surely some of these could be interesting.

You think its entertaining to broadcast why expert A thinks horse B is better then horse C..For whom the diehard horse guy? I think the average joe or Joette wants to see and hear Nick Lachey or some hot babe in a hat or some human interest story about a lemonade stand. The issue is the Derby needs to be on a Network that caters to Horse Racing, then the broadcast could be honed to horse players. While it's on main stream TV..Pack up the Sackatoga Buss storys

How horrendously dry and fruitless is listening to Randy Moss during the BC, not to me or horse racing diehards but to my sister who goes to SA three times a year? How is my sister going to follow a single thought (no matter how qualified) Moss is offering?