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Just read a story in “The Hated Daily Mail” (registered trademark) that the BBC is considering dropping the racing tips from Radio 4’s flagship “Today” programme.
Although only a brief segment in Radio 4’s morning sports news the tips provide a guaranteed mention of racing to around seven million daily listeners.
Former BBC racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght described the proposal as “massively disappointing but not a complete surprise” and “another kick in the teeth for horse racing”.
Lysaght continued: “Any publicity racing can secure is valuable and the Today programme audience is huge. Anything related to gambling clearly prompts debate at the moment and rightly so, but the tips are just a bit of fun rather than serious advice to bet and to suggest otherwise would be to misunderstand them.”
Of 566 horses picked during 2022 just 108 were winners, and if listeners had put a £1 stake on each fancied runner they would have lost £69 over the year.
Does this matter? Or is it another sign of growing hostility to gambling – the activity on which racing’s finances depend?
The sooner they ditch it the better – I can’t see what purpose it serves other than to give the regular non-sports presenters a chance to show their hostility/disdain (depending on who it is).
Are we to believe there are thousands of people blindly backing these selections, which are given with no context or explanation of any sort. It doesn’t seem very likely.
I’ll tell you what is “massively disappointing” though – any mention of Cornelius Lysaght – if ever anyone was ill suited to promoting racing to a 21st century audience it’s him.
“the regular non-sports presenters a chance to show their hostility/disdain (depending on who it is).”
Do you actually listen to Today? The other presenters, especially Nick Robinson and Mishal Husain, always have a laugh with the racing tips, not at them.
“I’ll tell you what is “massively disappointing” though – any mention of Cornelius Lysaght – if ever anyone was ill suited to promoting racing to a 21st century audience it’s him.”
100% this.^
Can’t begin to understand why he’s bitter about the BBC getting rid of him – he had a right result lasting as long as he did.
Absolutely useless from the day he started there to the day he got his P45.
Obnoxious individual as well.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Yes I have listened to Today, I wouldn’t give an opinion otherwise. An old-fashioned approach I know.
You draw a distinction between laughing with and laughing at, fair enough, that nuance has clearly gone over my head, but what element of racing selections requires any sort of laughter?
To me it comes across as “this is something no one cares about so we can poke fun at it” which I find disrespectful and which doesn’t happen with other sports.
If television is less relevant in the internet era than was once the case, you can multiply it by a hundred for radio.
I find it very difficult to believe seven million people tune in to this – there just can’t be that many people trapped in cars on long-distance journeys who literally can’t manage to tune in to any other station.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Ian,
Had you noticed that an anagram of Lysaght is Ghastly?
Surely somebody in the press room picked up on this and used it?
AP
I was a bit surprised by the 7 million figure quoted in the story. It does seem quite high. I would not listen to “Today” if you paid me.
I cannot say I am bothered if the racing tips are dropped but I suppose it is a further sign of the BBC’s dislike of racing.
I did not bother looking at the comments below the Mail’s article. I think it is fairly safe to assume most of them would be very hostile to racing and betting. It is about the only subject on which comments in the Mail and the Guardian have any common ground. A particularly unappealing unholy alliance.
I have met Lysaght twice. I can’t say I like him but I do not especially dislike him either. Whenever he stood in for Nick Luck on “Luck on Sunday”, he was never much good.
“Had you noticed that an anagram of Lysaght is Ghastly?”
I hadn’t noticed that, Alan.
Most objectionable person I ever worked with and I hear he spent a lot of time in press rooms haranguing the unfortunate racecourse staff working in there if the food, drink and general facilities weren’t to his liking.
It seems that in the media self importance is in inverse proportion to actual importance.
Des Lynam was a million times better known than Lysaght and a more likeable, modest, man you couldn’t wish to meet.
Takes all sorts, I suppose.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"All a far cry from Wogan’s Winner (or Tony Fairbairn’s loser) on the R2 racing bulletin of yore. First I’d heard of Lysaght was when he came on a Radio 5 (pre 5 Live) racing bulletin on Danny Baker’s Morning Edition circa 92/93. Quite the breeding ground for turf broadcasting excellence as his deputies were Robert Cooper and Clare Balding.
“To horse!”
Wogan’s Winner was a harmless bit of fun delivered by the stand-out radio broadcaster named in this thread.
No idea how Wogan got the job in the first place, but I doubt if it was via family connections and/or the old school tie.
What a legendary natural talent Wogan was and he effortlessly transferred his skill to TV later in his career.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Thought his comments (CL) on one of the days he hosted Luck On Sunday – that stable staff shouldn’t get looked after in terms of being offered a meal by racecourses when on duty, were pretty appalling.
Other than that, in almost three decades of following racing daily, can’t remember a single memorable comment from him, or have a link to any article by him, where he had something/anything interesting to say.
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