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DJ
I will miss it seeing i don’t buy that pile of tripe called the Racing Post, that is why i wrote "maybe i’m misunderstanding"
Strange that Pru, because it would have been you that misinformed me!
Sorry about that, Glenn.
There was a brief – very brief – period in which it looked as if we would be fully staffed, and it would have been about the time I last saw you.
Then three people who had agreed to join us – one had even signed a contract – pulled out at very short notice and a bit later two of the racing analysis desk were seconded to racing news. And the rest, as they say…..
I remember that, shortly before I was approached about the project that became The Sportsman, I was involved in a discussion on here in about February 2005 concerning the need for an alternative to the Racing Post.
I argued strongly that there were not only plenty of people out there with the skills and dedication required, but that enough of these people would come forward to make such a thing work.
My experience over the last 15 months suggests I was wrong, though, as stated previously, I have nothing but admiration for the efforts of those who tried and who frequently found themselves doing the work of two or more people.
It is not my purpose to pick over the carcass of The Sportsman. However, when people post on here that it is soooo difficult to get into racing journalism these days I wonder where the hell they have been this last year or so. Even after The Sportsman went into administration on July 20th – thus meaning that the much-needed extra permanent staff could not be acquired – there were lots of openings for freelancers, let alone for any bright young thing prepared to turn up in West London to work their socks off in order to make an impression. ÂÂÂ
Pru
Do you think anyone else will have a go at providing competition to the RP?
Despite some people’s opinion that there is’nt room for two racing papers, i think there is (if done properly) as the sales of the Sportsman before it’s closure started to show
EW
If there is room for 2 racing newspapers, why does Rupert Murdoch allow MGN to operate a monopoly? He has the perfect platform through News Corporation and Sky/ATR to market such a product but chooses not to.
DJ
I wish i knew, i’m sure with the right design and targeted at the right people it would work
It interested 65, 000 people first off, so that proves there are people wanting an alternative imo, but sadly poor design cost it dearly and the revamp was way too late
(Edited by empty wallet at 10:34 am on Oct. 10, 2006)
Quote: from Prufrock on 10:05 am on Oct. 10, 2006[br]However, when people post on here that it is soooo difficult to get into racing journalism these days I wonder where the hell they have been this last year or so.
At University working hard to get a good degree and, before that, at school working hard to get into a good University.
Empty
Totally agree with you. The demise of The Sportsman should not be taken as definitive proof that a second racing paper is unviable.
IMVHO, there are four main areas where a racing paper must excel:<br>Clarity of race cards<br>Clarity of race form<br>Logical (and hopefully successful!) tipping<br>Well presented results
Everything else is secondary to this. Looking again at my first day copy of TS it is obvious to see that the cards and form were disasterously poor. Who the hell was responsible for them?
Many people on TRF immediately pointed this out, so where was the market research before launch?
I believe The Sportsman’s failure has nothing to do with competition, not launching at Cheltenham etc. It was poorly presented with not enough focus on racing. By the time these problems had been addressed, it was too late.
Unfortunately, one rarely gets a second chance at making a first impression.
Mike
Spot on Mike and i just cannot understand why someone such as Murdoch’s empire ( who were probably watching with interest) could/cannot see the same
I agree that the Sportsman should have concentrated more on horse racing in order to succeed. Punters who gamble on other sports do not need to buy a daily sports paper but horse race punters often do. <br>I think that betlarge is right regarding the poor clarity of the race form in the Sportsman which was why I preferred the R/Post.
Grass
There was nothing wrong with the "sports" paper idea.
<br>Why should racing take presedence? why can’t all Sports be covered, but covered equally well
The presentation was sh1te, simple
<br>
(Edited by empty wallet at 11:35 am on Oct. 10, 2006)
It is interesting to hear that a lot of people think a second racing paper could be sustained. I’m not sure that a daily is worth doing unless a deal with the betting shops could be reached (guaranteeing about 16,000 daily sales just from that) but surely a good quality Saturday/Sunday paper is viable.<br>A circulation of around 20,000 would be more than enough to sustain such a title if it had a realistic-sized staff and modest offices.
At University working hard to get a good degree and, before that, at school working hard to get into a good University.
I imagine any graduates ended their studies in June or early July. The only application from a University leaver I received since then was from someone trying to break into sports journalism.
This is not intended to be personal, however, but merely an illustration that there were openings and a chronic shortage of talented young hopefuls willing to chance their arm to fill them.
As mentioned before, good luck.
Gras
<br>THe "sports" punters were’nt happy with their coverage either
Andy Gray, Alan Brazil , Helen Chamberlain, FFS, there are some sports punters on here and loads more on another forum that would put those feckers knowledge to shame
<br>I know Simon Rowlands asked if anyone was interested joining up, whether any of these people took him up on it i don’t know.
A lad called Eddie Murray was suggested to him, he ended up covering BB. the "sports" punters seemed very happy with his contributions from what i read
You need the right people in the right place
I agree that concentrating on Sports betting was also a massive mistake.
Ask a sports punter his thoughts about United v Liverpool and he’ll give you an opinion straight away. There is no need to ‘study’ anything. I’ve bet on sports for years solely on the basis of my knowledge which comes from following them on TV and in the papers – I don’t need windy articles about them – least of all from Andy Gray & Alan Brazil!
Compare that with a punter looking to bet on a forthcoming sprint handicap at Nottingham – you need the form. The only sport that I can think would reward such study would be golf.
I think The Sportsman’s founders got carried awaywith the statistics about how much money is now bet on non-racing activities. Whilst that looks to be a valid market, it’s not one that has a big demand for analysis. In effect, sports betting journalism is really just a byproduct of sports journalism itself – and that is covered bigger and better in today’s regular papers.
Horseracing demands in-depth analytical coverage by it’s very nature, sports betting does not.
After all, how many daily, weekly or annual form guides are produced for sports other than racing?
Mike
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