Racing Broadcasts To Be Extended

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30804, 16 July 1965, Page 5

Racing Broadcasts To Be Extended

(New Zealand Press Association) 1 WELLINGTON, July 15. The N.Z.B.C. plans a new racing broadcast policy to extend the cover of racing and trotting commentaries.

When the new scheme is introduced, toward the end of the year, all racing and trotting commentaries will be transferred to commercial stations from non-commercial stations in dual-station areas. Announcing this today, the acting Director-General of the .N.Z.B.C. (Mr L. R. Sceats) said the new policy did not mean race broadcasts would be more restricted in their coverage from the few centres where the commercial station was less powerful than the staions which previously carried the broadcasts. “This seeming disadvantage will be more than compensated for by broadcasting doubles races and selected feature races from the main meeting on a network of stations,’’ he said. Mr Sceats said that in the past doubles races and certain feature races of nationwide interest had mainly been heard only in the regions

from where the commentaries originated. This had caused much complaint. Under the new policy-, the N.Z.B.C. would be able to service the wider public interest by broadcasting doubles races from up to four meetings on any one day, on a network basis. This would be in addition to the selected feature races. “Race listeners will also have the advantage of being able to hear race commentaries, results and summaries from the one station,” said Mr Sceats.