Race Callers wanted....good one's that is?
 

Despite the improvement in technology and the amount of aids at our disposal to watch, listen and place a race bet, the quality of presentation has got worse. Last night, armed with my lap top, I endeavoured to be anywhere else in the house, apart from my desk top computer and foxtel, and place bets just before the jump. That meant having a Walkman in one ear and listening to racing radio.

I must have missed 10 races in a row, before the predator in me started to come out! By the time they 'cross' to the track, the race is running in real time. Talking Dogs and Harness mostly. There's no warm up live commentary, the studio bloke is banging on with divvies or when the newest TAB's going to open etc. The whole things contrived to give a live punter as little an edge as possible, timing wise. Where not alone though, if that makes you feel better, and for a chuckle I've pasted a post from Bet Angel UK forum by JollyGreen:

"Generally you have a presenter and an expert. They tend to stand there like a pair of book ends looking at each other and then switching to the camera. They blow warm air up one another's.......and talk total guff about the race. We get to hear "I passed the horsebox of that trainer on the journey here" or "He was the first trainer I saw when I arrived" or "the owner is here today" and they use these mundane and very old clichés to offer some kind of tip, a reason why you should back a particular runner. Unfortunately they also find out clichés to describe other runners so when the race is run they manage to throw in the "we gave a mention for that runner!" At this point I am screaming at the TV "yes along with every other sodding horse in the race!"

Now, having heard MXXX XXXXX statement about presenters not being tipsters I have to ask myself one simple question "What the **** do they do then?" Seriously, what are they there for? I listen to their inane drivel and you can count the winning tips on the finger of one finger....as MXXX XXXXX stated live on TV! Why do we need them, why are they paid to sit/stand and offer nothing but bog standard facts anyone could glean from the racing post or another racing website? Surely we could ditch them and concentrate on commentary on the paddock/gallop to the start/gathering at the start etc? We wouldn't have to leave some total guff to suddenly switch to an already started race!

Then we have people like JXX XXXXXX who stands in the paddock reading from the Racing Post. He mentions the horse box, seeing the trainer, blah blah blah. He talks about the sire and the dam and how it performed last time out, all taken from the Racing Post. Then when push comes to shove they ask him for his selection he offers the profound words he always utters "I'll stick with the favourite I think he will take the world of beating!" AAARRGGGGGHHHH! How did I know you would say that Jim!! So the favourite is stuffed out of sight but undeterred and without an inkling of embarrassment he says "I did say this one ran well last time out so maybe that race put him spot on" yet another classic after timer quote!"

lol. Nice post.

RP just a heads up a few of my emails are getting "delayed" to your email address. Perhaps your inbox is full ?

An Update
 

Continued listening to the FM racing broadcast last night for a profitable outcome. Not sure if the AM stations are any better, but the reception is a shocker!

I've worked out what the station policy as outlined to all studio announcers would be:

MEMO

After a race is run fill in time by reading out the divvies for every possible combination of bet type. Then 'bang on' with tips, TAB firmers, up coming social events, trainer/jockey anniversaries, birthdays whatever, kids parties, jumping castles at the local shops, anything you can think off BUT NEVER EVER cross to a race unless it's just a second away from a jump or already jumped.

Better still, if there was a previous race overlap, replay the missed race in favour of a race about to jump! Don't want to give too much away do we?

The Predator has discerned all the verbal signals now, watch the countdown to race start timer, give it 30 secs past and place bets, BEFORE you hear the words, "...and now we'll cross to Kevvey for the 1st at wherever".

AM is too "noisy" these days.
If this was a pole,
Do I listen to TAB radio ?
No,
not anymore, ( with some exceptions ) until they fix it and as RP brought to light,
trivial commentary, overlapping etc simply "kills" the buzz of what used to be enjoyable race calling.

I had speakers wired up to every room, bathroom, laundry and always On in low volume, and a mixer for some rooms so had individual pre-set volume control, car was tuned TAB radio, that way nothing was ever missed.
That was 10 years ago till the noise interference got unbearable. When the house got painted, had to take it all down. Not worth it now, no point.

some causes of AM radio interference- Searched.

You've taken me back to halcyon days Puntz. It was an era when the voices of famous callers like Ken Howard, Bert Bryant, Bill Collins, Des Hoysted, John Tapp and Geoff Mahoney painted vivid race descriptions for a huge radio audience. I could go on....... :)

at least you don't have to worry about Plasma TVs much longer.
Nobody makes them anymore.

Why not just listen online, every radio station broadcasts a stream these days so you can listen to your favorite one.

Coz the delay is phenomenal on any internet delivered signal. Sky on foxtel is 3-4 secs slower than AM/FM radio and Sky on the internet or app is 30 - 40 secs behind that at night. A greyhound race is over in real time by the time you see or hear it start via the internet. At least where I live.

Radio is the best for a real time starting signal, but not when they cross from the studio to the track after the race starts! They must be watching the vision on foxtel, which is 3 - 4 secs delayed, and cross to 'Kevvey' when they see them loaded, too late!

I'd stick with foxtel, only I was trialling placing bets using a lap top out of town with no access to foxtel, thinking radio would be the next best thing.

I've gone minimal since 2012

No Foxtel
No latest wiz bang TV( still use set-top box on Samsung theater TV found on side of the road, with remote when they were chucking out the old TV's )
Racing does pay, saw it on side of the road while on the tram after leaving M/Ville races.
No Internet or Phone line ( use USB Pre-Pay for each computer )
Therefore No YouTube, nothing that chews up bytes and for what ?

No Wiz Bang latest iPhone, use cheap $38,( $49 if you need a camera).
( but that is monthly acc, $18.00pm + $2 cos it's snail mail billing,
No this direct debit *rapola, "I eat first before the corporates eat", Principe).

That way by going Minimal I don't be a "slave" to punting and have to come up with enough profit to pay for all this tech junk.

And now
No Smoking, that's a big cost saver.
3k not spent on cigs. so far.

Add all these things and one may be surprised what this current consumerism fad is all about, it's ****.

Eating out is On, yes, gotta eat out, saves on dish washing liquid.

Yet they won't, not can't, won't go to FM race calling.

LOL, what a classic! You must be the thriftiest punter on the planet? Onya :)

Sorry mate, didn't consider that :)

Noooo, I have humble beginnings, catastrophic endings, a mediocre existence, all that may equate to an "attitude" towards probability, nothing personal, just the way I treat numbers on the punt, kick it in the guts, ( large risky bet) and love it back to life, ( when ya lose it).

To do this, I need to be set up in such a way, that I'm not running after stuff, such as a direct debit nearly due and for what who or what ?
That's pressure I don't need, takes up "free parking" when trying to win a race.
See?

To be very honest I have only got one direct debit, and that's a washing machine. That's OK cos rules can be bent a little, as long as it's full auto, set and forget, then all one needs is to do hang dry and iron.
That's ALOT of pressure, believe me !