October
MayFree for all
What a pleasure it has been over the past few months for South Australians to watch interstate racing on free-to-air television.
There was a time when SA racing allowed some free-to-air viewing locally. Today, you might be lucky to see the last few hundred metres of a major race on the news.
My understanding is coverage is given to pay television to guarantee returns. This is obviously a sound business move. But to completely cold-shoulder mainstream punters is not the cleverest of moves. I say this because my interest and obviously that of many other punters has drifted to the eastern states due to their coverage.
SA’s Super Sunday no doubt attracted many local sociallites who obviously enjoyed themselves. That’s fine. But what about the everyday punter from wide and far? This is a very big state. They can’t all travel to Morphettville.
Being 80 and having all the problems that go with that age, I have to rely on the excellent racing commentary from our local caller on TAB radio. But this all ends with the last horse passing the post.
My advice is simple. A little sweetener now and then goes a very long way. Betting on SA racing will continue to decline if you completely ignore the local punters.
I know it will be a long time before we see more free-to-air races on TV. But what a pleasure it will be to see and enjoy watching your selections racing for your pleasure.
Campbelltown (SA)