Radio coverage of trotting attacked

Press, 6 July 1977, Page 28

Radio coverage of trotting attacked

A claim that if the executive was satisfied with the coverage of night trotting by Radio NewZealand then it was easily satisfied, was made by Mr R. W. Roussell (Otaki) at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Conference in Christchurch yesterday. The meting agreed with Mr Roussell and directed the executive to take steps to end the monopoly of race broadcasts held by such stations. Mr Roussell was critical of what he described as the declining service. “Fields had often travelled 300 m before commentaries started, and then there were long delays before dividends became available,” he said.

The scratchings service was criticised, as was the cutback in mid-week services.

‘•What is going to happen to clubs racing mid-week? Where is it going to end? When are we going to stand up to them? he asked.

“The corporation purports to justify its service by basing it on surveys from time to time. Fluctuating results in their random polls with a limited number of persons polled are used. “When Radio New Zealand finds that polls indicate a decline in support for its service, it is an excuse to further reduce its coverage. This leads to a further loss in public interest, which is then used as an excuse for a further cutback.

"The broadcasting service is grudging and reluctant and is at

its lowest ebb for 20 years,” said Mr Roussell.

He suggested that the Racing and Trotting Conferences should conduct their own poll on the subject. “We should call their bluff and request that all races be broadcast or none at all. We should allow private radio stations to broadcast races and obtain a service similar to that in Australia,” he said. Dr B. W. Nixon (Greymouth) deplored the lack of television coverage of trotting. “We are a poor relation to galloping in that sphere,” he said. Earlier the president (Mr G. C. Cruickshankl said that there would be drastic cuts in the racing senice for mid-week meetings. Onlv main feature races would be broadcast on the network, he said.