Racing: Trackside gives punters a choice

Trackside presenters Ryan Bradley (left) and Brendan Popplewell inspect their new studio in Stanley St. Picture / Richard Robinson

Racing channels will diversify so coverage of all three codes will improve

An end to races doubling up on both channels and the return of thoroughbred and greyhound magazine shows are the highlights of the new era of racing television about to dawn in New Zealand.

The Racing Board is in the final stages of moving its broadcast channels Trackside and Trackside radio to a new base in Stanley St in Auckland, next to the famous tennis centre.

The state-of-the-art studios and technical areas will be the envy of even the country's largest television channels with their huge working areas and HD technology.

But for punters the move will signal something far more tangible.

Trackside's two channels have been known as TAB TV and Trackside but from Friday morning will become Trackside 1 (Sky channel 62) and 2 (channel 63) with minimal crossover between the two.

That duplication in the past has led to the frustrating experience of the same race being on both channels, while some races from Australia have not been broadcast.

Under the new system the number of no-TV races will reduce enormously.

Trackside 1 will be the home for all New Zealand racing with a greater emphasis on pre and post-race coverage, especially at larger meetings. The better Australian meetings, predominantly Melbourne and Sydney gallops, will also be shown on Trackside 1.

Trackside 2 will be mainly overseas racing while Trackside 1 concentrates on domestic racing. Trackside 1 will also screen industry shows, including the return of New Zealand Racing Retro.

The once-popular then lamented thoroughbred show will return in October, with the presenter line-up yet to be confirmed. It is likely to screen in a Monday night time slot whereas the much-watched Australian Racing Retro will now be shown live on Sunday morning.

Greyhound racing will get its own show, while the harness racing magazine show The Box Seat will return around October 1 with the same presenter line-up as last season.

The move from Trackside's old homes - Avalon studios with main offices in Petone - does not come without upheaval.

Of the 42 roles eligible for relocation, only 17 staff will make the move from Wellington to Auckland.

Recruiting is under way for new staff, right up to the senior level, with high-profile applicants from overseas.

But on the whole the presenting team looks likely to remain much the same for raceday operations, with the trickiest job possibly filling the Racing Retro desk, whose panellists have to walk a fine line between being interesting and informative and not alienating themselves from industry participants and even those who run racing.

For that reason senior raceday presenting staff may not be solely used on Racing Retro, so the show is likely to see some new talent introduced to Trackside watchers.

Trackside broadcasting executive Glen Broomhall says the changes are not just exciting for those inside the business but will have a very obvious benefit for viewers and punters.

"We will be putting a lot more control in the viewer's hands," says Broomhall.

"By having far less duplication on the two channels we will be showing as many races live as possible and letting people know which channel to be on to watch the race they want to see. It is a very exciting time for all of us involved."

Another bonus of the move will be a separate audio channel for TABs and racetracks so the commentary on as many races as possible goes into these outlets.

The Stanley St base will begin sharing broadcasting work with Avalon from September 1 and will take over the entire operation from October 1.