Archives » Media/TV/Film
What's Lost
... when newspaper reporters on the racing beat are laid off or retired, then replaced by general sports writers, who might be fine journalists but have little understanding of the sport or the industry and its ongoing stories, is exemplified in this dull bit of LA Times reporting on SoCal synthetic surface tracks, which rehashes every point every racing fan or even vaguely interested reader has already come across elsewhere, padded out by press release quality quotes....
Posted by JC, Sep 4, 2008 01:00 PM
An Expansion
So often, when the subject of mainstream media and racing comes up, it's because coverage is being cut at yet another newspaper. The Wall Street Journal is going in a different direction, at least for the Breeders' Cup, reports AdAge: The Wall Street Journal is developing a special ad section for the Breeders' Cup this October, the paper's first ad section about a sports property and the Cup's first ad buy in the paper. (The Breeders' Cup has been advertising in the WSJ online.) It is an ad section; the focus is advertising the Breeders' Cup and interested marketers, but...
Posted by JC, Aug 12, 2008 08:25 PM
Upcoming
Along with Teresa Genaro of Brooklyn Backstretch, I've been invited to appear on Call to the Post with Seth Merrow of Equidaily on the Capital OTB channel at 9:45 a.m. Monday (the show is streamed live online; Albany-Saratoga region viewers can watch on cable channel 12) to talk about how the web has changed the relationship between racing and its fans. Should be a fun discussion ... And on Thursday, sometime during the 4:30-5:30 p.m. hour, Dana Byerly of Green but Game and I will be on the Sirius radio show At the Races with Steve Byk (archived for listening...
Posted by JC, Aug 3, 2008 12:15 PM
LAT Turf Writers Out
Tell Zell's list of Los Angeles Times journalists cut loose by the paper's most recent round of buyouts and layoffs on Monday includes veteran turf writers Bob Mieszerski and Larry Stewart, and it looks as though the Times didn't bother to have another sports writer in place to pick up the Del Mar beat -- there's nary an article about the meet's opening in the paper today, a lack that does not bode well for future Southern California racing or Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita print coverage this fall ... Which reminds me of a point made by Maryjean Wall,...
Posted by JC, Jul 16, 2008 09:05 AM
On the Eve of an Anniversary
It was four years ago this month (June 17 to be exact) that Railbird began. As hard as it might be to believe now, when there are more than 35 members of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance and dozens of blogs published independently or by the NTRA, Blood-Horse, and DRF, the racing blogosphere was a barren place those days. There was Equidaily, and Oregon Racing News, and trainer Tim Woolley's infrequently updated original site. It would be five more months before Handride emerged, six months until Left at the Gate, and almost a year to the blog explosion. I was then...
Posted by JC, Jun 13, 2008 12:10 PM
Tipping Point
I've been thinking quite a bit about racing media lately -- about Maryjean Wall's retirement, a certain track publicist's old media conception of "significant coverage," John's keen observation that blogs (amateur and pro) had the edge over mainstream media when it came to Derby coverage, the apparent success of The Rail -- and it occurs to me that this is the year turf coverage tips from print to web, when much of the best reporting, commentary, and analysis appears online first, if not exclusively. Of course, I'm biased, given all the time I've been devoting to a little project nearing...
Posted by JC, Jun 3, 2008 03:20 PM
Blood-Horse Goes Digital
Last month, I wrote about waffling over renewing my Blood-Horse subscription. Too much print, I complained, and wished for an online-only version of the magazine. A few days later, a nice note from Blood-Horse circulation director Marla B. appeared in my inbox. They were working on just such a product, she wrote, and offered access to the beta, which is how I've been happily reading the magazine since. The screenshot above gives a sense of what Blood-Horse digital looks like: Basically, the complete contents of the print magazine are loaded into a cool browser-based reader, allowing the viewer to...
Posted by JC, Apr 21, 2008 10:00 AM
FSIM Opens Next Friday
Filmmaker Brad Hennegan and the man* who bought the first tickets in New York to the Friday night opening of FSIM. Don't forget! "The First Saturday in May," the feel-good documentary by the Hennegan Brothers that follows six 2006 Kentucky Derby prospects, including Barbaro and Lawyer Ron, from preps to post, opens in theaters across the country beginning April 18. Find a theater near you. Thumbs up! Both Dana and Teresa have all the details on the New York screening and reviews of the movie. Since I'm an inept critic, I'll throw you over to Green But Game and...
Posted by JC, Apr 10, 2008 11:55 PM
Keeneland Classic Channel
Great idea, oddly executed. "Tune in"? Not online....
Posted by JC, Apr 1, 2008 02:40 PM
See This Movie
Congratulations to John and Brad Hennegan! The brothers' award-winning documentary "The First Saturday in May," which follows six contenders on the 2006 Kentucky Derby trail, will open in 18 cities on April 18 (and more the week after), thanks to a partnership with Truly Indie and Churchill Downs. Check out the movie's freshly designed web site to find a theater and view the trailer....
Posted by JC, Mar 20, 2008 04:50 PM
Online Only, Please
A renewal notice for my Blood-Horse subscription popped up in the mail the other day. It's been sitting on my desk since, as I waffle on re-upping for another year. Here's the thing -- and I say this as someone who started out in print media, is an inveterate book collector, and subscribes to many magazines and little journals -- I don't want any more print in my life. I don't need any more print, unless it offers me something that can't be found online -- and that's not quite the case with the Blood-Horse. Sure, I like looking at...
Posted by JC, Mar 20, 2008 09:20 AM
Now Playing on Hulu
TVG. The racing network has launched a broadband division and uploaded a selection of evergreen trainer and jockey profiles and handicapping clips to the favorably-reviewed video site, which attracted a bit of buzz at SXSW when it was announced Monday that the site would come out of private beta this week. You might be thinking this is no big deal, but Hulu is no YouTube. Content isn't user-generated, it's original programming from NBC Universal and a raft of other providers -- including the NHL, NBA, and Fox -- and despite some shortcomings -- such as no downloads or international access...
Posted by JC, Mar 13, 2008 05:00 PM
Now in the Netflix Queue
"The Killing," filmed at Bay Meadows, directed by Stanley Kubrick, recommended by Bill Christine (via Equidaily)....
Posted by JC, Mar 3, 2008 08:50 PM
Paulick, Blood-Horse Part
The Thoroughbred Times reports that Ray Paulick has left Blood-Horse, where he was editor-in-chief since 1992 and oversaw all of the magazine's editorial products, including the recently launched web venture Blood-Horse NOW. No comment, no details from Paulick or Blood-Horse....
Posted by JC, Aug 22, 2007 08:25 AM
DRF Sold for $200M
TheDeal.com reported this morning that Wicks Group has sold Daily Racing Form to Arlington Capital Partners for "just shy" of $200 million, despite the recent slowdown in the credit markets. Neither Wicks nor Arlington have confirmed the sale yet. Interesting tidbit pointed out by PaidContent: "The company has had more owners in the past 19 years than in [its] first 94."...
Posted by JC, Aug 20, 2007 08:00 PM
ESPN Will Still Show CCAO
- When news broke Monday morning that Rags to Riches was out of Saturday's Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont, it seemed logical that ESPN would go back to their original plan to show the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, which had been bumped for the Oaks and the anticipated appearance of the Belmont winner. Well, that's not happening. "[ESPN] just couldn't react fast enough," said Craig Dado, Del Mar's vice president for marketing. "I guess it serves them right. I think that's what they call karma" (North Country Times). - Breeders' Cup officials unveiled a new Breeders' Cup...
Posted by JC, Jul 17, 2007 06:00 PM
No Box, No Coverage
Last November, when the Boston Globe made the disappointing announcement that racing entries and results would no longer be published in the paper's sports section, sports editor Joe Sullivan tried to soothe readers who protested that "a Sunday box on feature races" would appear throughout the year. Two months later, there's a small problem with that promise: There are no Sunday boxes on feature races. True, there wasn't much to report through December. It was a quiet season. Yet, today's Sunday paper has nothing on yesterday's San Rafael, in which likely 2005 Juvenile champion and early Kentucky Derby favorite Stevie...
Posted by JC, Jan 15, 2006 05:20 PM
Globe Cuts Entries & Results
As of today, the Boston Globe will no longer publish entries and results for area dog and harness tracks or entries and results for New York thoroughbred tracks. "The Globe sports section has to evolve along with the changes that have taken place in sports," writes sports editor Joe Sullivan in explanation of the decision. The paper does intend to print entries and results for Suffolk Downs when it reopens in the spring, and apparently will run "a Sunday box on feature races" throughout the year. Well, I guess that's better than nothing. Elsewhere in the paper: The Globe reprints,...
Posted by JC, Nov 27, 2005 09:15 PM
"Who Do You Like Today?"
The NTRA is launching a new advertising campaign with the slogan, "Who do you like today?" replacing "Go, baby, go" (Blood-Horse). Patrick of Pulling Hair & Betting Horses thinks the new tagline puts too much emphasis on wagering, but I think it says more about the social aspect of the sport than the gambling. I've had a lot of racetrack conversations that start with some variation on the slogan -- "Who do you like here?" or "Any tips today?" -- followed by a couple of minutes talk about various horses or that day's races. It's companionable, and it's one of...
Posted by JC, Oct 13, 2005 04:00 PM
All the News That's Fit to Print
Word count of the one article in the Sunday New York Times sports section on yesterday's five grade one stakes races at Belmont: 532 Word count of an article in the same section summing up Saturday Ivy League football action: 536...
Posted by JC, Oct 2, 2005 07:00 PM
Making Sense of TVG
So, I've had TVG for two days now and in that time it has mostly delighted me, occasionally angered me, and sometimes -- like now -- confounded me. Harness racing at Hawthorne is on, showing to the strains of "Movin' On Up," which was preceded by "Gimme a Break" and "Good Times." That's right -- sitcom theme songs. And I thought the dentist office muzak playing yesterday afternoon was bad. What gives with the bizarre musical accompaniment?...
Posted by JC, Jun 15, 2005 08:00 PM
Wygod, Canani Don't Deserve All the Blame
Only after Sweet Catomine finished a poor fifth in the Santa Anita Derby as the 4-5 favorite did owner Marty Wygod reveal that the filly had bled in a workout less than a week before the race and then spent two days in an equine clinic. (LA Times) "I was 50-50 about running her. I was thinking about scratching," he told reporters after the Santa Anita. The debate over how much disclosure trainers, owners, and tracks owe to fans regarding a horse's condition is sure to be a hot one for the next week or two. But let's not put...
Posted by JC, Apr 10, 2005 10:00 PM
Dream Derby: The Finale
"American Dream Derby," GSN's racing-related reality show, stages a live finale episode at Santa Anita tonight starting at 7 p.m. (Eastern Time). Only three contestants remain of the original 12, and they're three of the most annoying -- Eric, LeVar, and Sara -- that appeared on the show. I admit to tuning out after the second week -- there just wasn't enough racing action or horse drama to keep my interest -- but think it might be worth checking in this evening to catch the race that'll decide the winner. The American Dream Derby Stakes is the final post at...
Posted by JC, Feb 21, 2005 10:35 AM
Dream Derby: Week 2
Episode 3: In which LeAnn Rimes pays a visits and spends more time on screen than any of the horses. We begin with a look back at episode two. No one can believe that Jewel picked Shoot Yeah over Kool Smoke. "I was stunned," Deanna says as we see shots from the match race and Jewel's departure. Poor Jewel. She was so enthusiastic, so ... wait, she's gone, we don't have to trouble ourselves with thinking about her anymore....
Posted by JC, Jan 18, 2005 06:30 AM
He's Out
British racing pundit John McCririck became the second contestant booted off of "Celebrity Big Brother" last night. "Thank God I'm out," he said after the decision was announced. McCririck was denied one of life's necessities during his captivity, reports Louis, our man in Great Britain: "He went on a sulk for a day and a half because Big Brother would not give him any Diet Coke. He refused to speak to anyone in the house until he was given some. Big Brother taunted him by offering all the other housemates some in private and then offering him a glass of...
Posted by JC, Jan 18, 2005 05:35 AM
The Reviews Are In
And the headlines say it all. The movie about a zebra who thinks he's a racehorse wins no love from critics. "Racing Stripes" ... - Pulls up lame - Fails to show - Can't break out of the pack - Brings up the rear - Hits trifecta of cute, crude, and contrived - Ebony without irony - A horse of a disappointing stripe - An also ran - No barn burner - More nag than racehorse Ouch. Love the wordplay though....
Posted by JC, Jan 15, 2005 10:35 AM
Dream Derby: Week 1
"American Dream Derby," airing on the Game Show Network, premiered on January 10 and features 12 contestants vying for a prize of $250,000 and a stable of eight Thoroughbreds. Each week, one contestant is eliminated following a match race. The final episode will air live on February 21. Episode 1: In which introductions are made. The show opens with shots of the contestants wandering around Santa Anita Park intercut with interview clips. Here's a determined-looking woman named Susan telling the camera, "There's nothing I care more about than horseracing," and a young man named LaVar looking dazed to be at...
Posted by JC, Jan 11, 2005 09:05 AM
Dream Derby Premieres Tonight
"American Dream Derby" premieres tonight on the Game Show Network at 9 p.m. The New York Times declares the show "less idiotic than many examples of the reality genre," yet the challenges involved -- contestants dig through manure with their bare hands, dunk their heads in a molasses and oat-filled trough, and race around the track with 120lbs on their backs -- suggest it's not that much less idiotic. No matter. It's about racing, and that'll be enough to get me in front of the TV tonight. Related: The Baltimore Sun profiles contestant Jewel Savage, racetrack novice and devoted Christian,...
Posted by JC, Jan 10, 2005 11:50 AM
A Favorite for Eviction
Legendary British racing pundit John McCririck is one of eight cast members on the new season of the reality series "Big Brother." Locked up in a house with former actress/model Brigitte Nielsen, feminist Germaine Greer, and a gaggle of minor celebrities, the "self-confessed sexist" has wasted no time offending his housemates. (ThisIsLondon)...
Posted by JC, Jan 7, 2005 12:45 PM
Stronach Hops on Reality Bandwagon
First Donald Trump, then Richard Branson, and now, Frank Stronach. The Canadian billionaire and racing mogul is reported to be in talks with the producers of such fine TV fare as "For Love or Money" for his own reality show. "Details are not being released because once an idea gets out there, rivals try to copy it and get it on the air first, 3 Ball executive producer Todd Nelson said yesterday." (Globe and Mail)...
Posted by JC, Dec 16, 2004 09:05 AM
Only in the Movies
Stripes: The little zebra that could. I give this film a week in theaters. (Warner Bros.)...
Posted by JC, Dec 11, 2004 11:15 AM
World Series of Handicapping
ESPN's World Series of Poker is the model for the network's planned broadcast of the National Handicapping Championship next February. (Thoroughbred Times)...
Posted by JC, Dec 8, 2004 09:15 PM
Calling Trump
A great idea: "Many of you know one of NBC's big Thursday night hits is 'The Apprentice,' where candidates on two teams try to avoid being 'fired' by Donald Trump as they try to win tasks ... One of these in the first two runs of the show has been an advertising campaign, in the first run for Marquis Jet and in the second for the NYPD's recruitment campaign. Assuming there will be one if 'The Apprentice' returns for a fourth run next fall ... it would be great if Breeders' Cup, Ltd., the NTRA and NYRA work together with...
Posted by JC, Dec 8, 2004 08:45 AM
Those Were the Days
"'Woodie's World,' an ESPN Classic series that revives sports memories through the commentary of the late Heywood Hale Broun, will look back at the winter bus trips horseplayers in New York would take to Bowie Race Track in Maryland as well as a journey Art Rooney took to Saratoga Race Course before he purchased the Pittsburgh Steelers." The show will air at 7 p.m. (EST) on Thursday. (Thoroughbred Times)...
Posted by JC, Nov 30, 2004 07:25 PM
Casting Call
Matt Graves volunteers to cast Funny Cide: The Movie. "This is no easy job unless you know the Funny Cide folks pretty well.... We have to start with Gus Williams. I really don't know where on this planet you could possibly find a clone of Sackatoga Stable's most visible and vocal member, but Jack Knowlton suggested Don Rickles, and that's probably as close as you could come. "Knowlton is still the human star of this show, but he might be the easiest one to cast. I see Tom Hanks with that All-American-boy look and that down-home charm. How about Marsha...
Posted by JC, Nov 10, 2004 08:00 AM
All-Time Low Ratings for Cup
"Despite the buzz surrounding Thoroughbred racing the past two years thanks largely in part to dual classic winners Funny Cide and Smarty Jones and the movie Seabiscuit, NBC Sports registered the lowest overnight ratings ever for its telecast of the Breeders' Cup on October 30 at Lone Star Park. The five-hour telecast earned a 1.9 rating and a four share, down 13.6% from last year." (Thoroughbred Times)...
Posted by JC, Nov 1, 2004 03:36 PM
Reality Show Hopefuls
Turned out by the hundreds Saturday at Santa Anita. (Pasadena Star News) Related: Those interested in "American Dream Derby" can still apply to be contestants. (GSN)...
Posted by JC, Oct 4, 2004 06:47 AM
So You Want to Be on TV
Then get to Santa Anita today, for the "American Dream Derby" casting call. The reality show is looking for 12 contestants and about 20 horses. Shooting begins October 31. (Blood-Horse)...
Posted by JC, Oct 2, 2004 07:45 AM
Reality Racing
Reality television, perhaps having exhausted all possible who-wants-to-marry my-madeover-millionaire-dad angles, comes to horseracing: "American Dream Derby will cast a dozen contestants and purchase at least that many thoroughbred horses in this unprecedented series that will encompass the twists and turns of a reality show along with real-life occurrences surrounding race horse training and the relationship between owners, jockeys and trainers." Auditions will begin in September. (Yahoo Financial News)...
Posted by JC, Jul 23, 2004 03:30 PM
Elsewhere
In my search for other racing blogs, I came across this newly-begun effort, In the Final Strides, from the author of Gambling Blues. The impetus: Jay Cronley at ESPN (scroll down for the entry). "I really believe that there is an 'old guard' of writers for horse racing ... and that while they are very well connected and good at what they do, this sport needs youth," writes Mr. Blues. Agreed....
Posted by JC, Jun 30, 2004 07:50 AM
