Rusty Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Reports coming through that RITA have let Davey Mac go, as part of the cost cutting... Farewell Mr MacDonald, thank you for your many decades of service to the racing industry, you'll be missed, especially your "brained them", and "bolted in" calls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eljay Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Goodbye almost everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 1 hour ago, Rusty said: Reports coming through that RITA have let Davey Mac go, as part of the cost cutting... Are you joking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangatira Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Rusty said: Reports coming through that RITA have let Davey Mac go, as part of the cost cutting... Farewell Mr MacDonald, thank you for your many decades of service to the racing industry, you'll be missed, especially your "brained them", and "bolted in" calls. run them into the kitty litter Edited May 11, 2020 by Rangatira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangatira Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 7 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said: Are you joking? https://www.lincolnfarms.co.nz/stories/blood-on-the-floor-at-trackside-coverage-to-be-decimated-and-long-time-callers-victims/ Blood on the floor at Trackside - coverage to be decimated and long time callers victims By Barry Lichter • 11 May 2020 TAB staff cuts will see Trackside’s coverage of racing decimated after a “blood on the floor” meeting at Petone headquarters today. While the Racing Industry Transition Agency has made no official announcement yet inside sources say there will be no on course presenters at race meetings, except for 20 marquee events. The knife has gone through all contractors, meaning even respected race callers like Tony Lee and Dave McDonald lose their jobs. Only extremely limited race meeting previews will be done and the TAB will cut its on course staff to seven - with four camera people and a director, and two others. Long time floor manager Mark Claydon has lost his job with no on course presenters to support along with make-up artists. Only three commentators will be used in the North Island - only two of George Simon, Aaron White and Peter Earley will be retained, with the two survivors expected to call Auckland and Cambridge greyhounds if Earley is lost. Mark Rozanowski will call the Central Districts greyhounds, but the versatile Jason Teaz is gone. In the South Island, four callers will be used, including two in Canterbury, Matt Cross, Justin Evans and Trevor Wilkes are safe. Only eight staff will be used in the studio - the 10 people invited to apply for the jobs include Bevan Sweeney, Brendan Popplewell, Greg O’Connor, Aidan Rodley, Marc Cookson, Pip Morris, Darryl Robinson, Pat Comerford, Nicole Simms and Emily Bosson. Craig “The Whale” Thompson, who drove harness turnover with his Whale Watch and on-course interviews is gone as is Mick Guerin. Trackside will essentially turn into wall-to-wall racing and directors will keep their jobs as the TAB plans to import more meetings from overseas to fill in the time. It currently airs for 217 hours a week. Special coverage around racing carnivals will be scaled back. Radio Trackside, suspended last month, will not be reinstated on any AM channels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Are the big wigs at RITA being retained? R.I.P. Racing NZ. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 4 minutes ago, Rangatira said: Trackside will essentially turn into wall-to-wall racing For the most part it already f**king is. 4 minutes ago, Rangatira said: the TAB plans to import more meetings from overseas to fill in the time. F**king joke. No sane person will bet on it. 5 minutes ago, Rangatira said: Special coverage around racing carnivals will be scaled back. If you don't do the big days properly you will lose a lot more than a few dollars. Blood on the floor? Yip, the ground floor. What about those on the top floor who created this mess by their incompetence. What price are they paying? 10 minutes ago, Rangatira said: is gone as is Mick Guerin. Totally gone? Love him or otherwise he was a face of harness racing. It will be faceless entity 7 minutes ago, Rangatira said: Craig “The Whale” Thompson, who drove harness turnover with his Whale Watch Disappointing, because for the uninformed punter he got them interested. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Yeah, this is brilliant it is going to bring in heaps of new punters no doubt, as there will be more gallops from Beaudesert, and camel racing from Dubai. FFS, what an absolute bunch of drongoes! Harness Racing is stuffed, punters don’t want wall to wall racing, this is part of the problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangatira Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 3 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said: Disappointing, because for the uninformed punter he got them interested. hopefully the "orange roughie" steps upto the plate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 3 minutes ago, Brodie said: R.I.P. Racing NZ. I reckon a lot of punters in New Zealand in the older age bracket enjoy their days gambling through watching on Trackside and listening to the likes of Greg O'Connor. There is little enjoyment in watching race after race after race. Big winner might be Australian racing, as they still do it right. You are right, Brodie, could be the middle part of the ending. The beginning of the end was the incompetence of the TAB and RITA. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 23 minutes ago, Rangatira said: Radio Trackside, suspended last month, will not be reinstated on any AM channels. So, presumably, it will be expanded on FM all around the country? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 38 minutes ago, Rangatira said: Trackside will essentially turn into wall-to-wall racing and directors will keep their jobs as the TAB plans to import more meetings from overseas to fill in the time. It currently airs for 217 hours a week. Fuck that'll work! More shyte from Canadian snow tracks and Quarter Horse racing with Yankee commentators. I read that they spent nearly $20m on the new high definition broadcast setup. You know the one which now decides where we race? To broadcast HD TV on TV's most of us haven't got. Yet the flood our screen with low definition shyte from every BF location in the world. Where is our resident expert on these matters JJ Flash? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 9 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said: So, presumably, it will be expanded on FM all around the country? Wishful thinking. But surely, they would have to wouldn't they?! They won't, but they should put the stations on FM. I just shake my head at all this sh!t they (RITA) are doing. Spend more than $50m on a dog of a website, pay $17m per year for it, but can't even have radio Trackside anymore. Absolutely farkn clueless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 3 minutes ago, Rusty said: They won't, but they should put the stations on FM. I bet if they do it will be a simulcast of the TV audio. That'll work since they have cut out the studio continuity presenters! As an aside goodbye Opie and Emily Bosson. They'll both be better off in OZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Instead of paying these Baboons in RITA $750k per year ditch those morons that make stupid decisions and pay the ones they are letting go some of these savings. Seriously, they need to make changes to save but they also need to attract new punters and people to the industry. Without more wagering then there is no real hope in the future! Larger punters encouraged to offload without restrictions to get turnover up? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 8 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: I bet if they do it will be a simulcast of the TV audio. I would take a simulcast over nothing at all. You're down with IT stipe, how much do you reckon it would cost for the AM frequency on air, to maintain and produce per year? And how much cheaper for a simulcast only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 3 minutes ago, Rusty said: I would take a simulcast over nothing at all. You're down with IT stipe, how much do you reckon it would cost for the AM frequency on air, to maintain and produce per year? And how much cheaper for a simulcast only? I don't know. But the annual report should give an indication. Most of the costs would be people costs. Surely they are not doing away with an audio only broadcast? The streaming of video is unreliable if you are moving around and data hungry so I used to use my phone to get the digital version of radio trackside and either have earphones or the volume turned up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Can someone explain the method in the madness to me. What is the grand master plan behind all of these moves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 2 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said: Can someone explain the method in the madness to me. What is the grand master plan behind all of these moves? Fark knows. Is it Dean McKenzie's doing? No doubt we will hear all about it on Trackside radio come Wednesday afternoon with Peter Earley... oh no wait, no, no we won't. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 1 minute ago, Rusty said: Fark knows How does Lichter get all this information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 20 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said: Can someone explain the method in the madness to me. What is the grand master plan behind all of these moves? Happy, if you ever find out, please let us know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 The big wigs on the $750k salary know they need to cut costs, but need to protect their own salaries! How do we do this, either get rid of others or drop ours? Eureka!! They need to make the product better not worse or punters will vote with their feet. This is not going to go down too well with punters when NZ Racing is going to be on equal promotion with overseas racing, as there will be no special promotion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holy ravioli Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 As the economy tanks there will be less and less money available in every facet of NZ racing. It is heading toward a cliff at an ever increasing rate. The only hope for survival is an an aussie takeover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 27 minutes ago, Happy Sunrise said: How does Lichter get all this information? Guerin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 A few extremely dedicated people got dumped unceremoniously today. Guerin, Davey Mac, the Whale and Jason Teaz who I thought had character. Not dumped in my opinion due to the virus but due to the incompetence racing leaders showed over a period of years. I always thought racing was a show with its characters, human and equine alike, being pushed to the forefront but without them it is just like...a meaningless pokie machine. And that is what we have now. That is sad. Truly. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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