Catch the Wave (Cont.)

TALKING ON AIR

Maximizing racing’s exposure to the general public is one way to increase the popularity of racing, suggested Stein, who hosts a horse racing talk show based in the Los Angeles, Calif., area.

“If one (listener) was planning on going to the beach or to the movies and they come to the track, I feel like I have done something good for racing,” said Stein. The host said he has “long loved” his nickname, “Friend of the $2 bettor.” That’s no surprise, since he was once a $2 bettor himself.

“My friends and I used to gamble when I was about 12, 13, 14 years old. We would usually sneak in for the last race since we didn’t have enough money,” said Stein of his visits to the harness races at Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos during his adolescent years.

Stein later became a successful Standardbred trainer and has trained Thoroughbreds since making the transition to that breed in 1985. He became involved in radio when Steve Querry asked him to co-host his show after the trainer had been a guest.

Following an acrimonious split with Querry, Stein started his own show by purchasing time on weekend mornings from a financial network and recouped that investment by finding his own sponsors. Since the beginning, “The Roger Stein Show,” which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings, has featured interviews and frank discussions of issues affecting racing.

“I like the fact that my show is considered the most controversial show on the air in the country,” said Stein. “You name it; we’ve done it. We’ve done, without bragging or anything, 50 shows that have turned racing on its ear for the day.”

His fans appreciate Stein for his willingness to confront difficult issues.

“Any racing fan in Southern California is familiar with Roger and the show,” said Ken Gurnick, who covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for MLB.com and is a Thoroughbred owner and a breeder. “He is candid and doesn’t sugarcoat anything and doesn’t sweep problems under the rug. You never know what you’re going to hear, and that’s what makes you want to listen. He’s an insider, but he represents the average fan of the sport.”

Stein cites the topics of takeout and offshore gambling as examples of the controversial subjects he willingly tackles.

“With high takeout, of course, you’re going to force (bettors) offshore,” argued Stein.

Stein is not afraid to say things that might earn him ire from racetracks, which are included among his sponsors.

“Many times the management of the track has talked to me about things I might have said and I usually point out why I said them, because they are the truth,” said Stein.

PAY TO PLAY

Still, hosts are cognizant of the importance of sponsorships. Without advertisers, the shows would generate no revenue.

“The only way we can make it go is with sponsorship support,” said Penna. “We have been extremely fortunate to be associated with quality sponsors with the Equine Forum and the Horse Racing Radio Network.”

Satellite radio, by comparison, relies on money derived from subscriptions instead of advertisers. “At the Races,” hosted by Byk, is a racing talk show that airs five days a week on Sirius.

Originally titled “At the Races with J.J. Graci,” the show was based on AM radio in the Miami area. In 2004, executive producer John Perrotta and then-host Graci moved the show to Sirius. Byk became a co-host in late 2005 and became the main host after Graci left in May of this year.

The show can be heard three hours a day, Monday through Friday. Such a generous time allotment has its advantages, said Byk.

“Having three hours a day, five days a week provides the opportunity to give attention to the important issues and follow through.”

In 2005, the show received attention for its coverage of the woes of the Jockeys’ Guild resulting from the leadership of Dr. Wayne Gertmenian. Retired jockey Chris McCarron, who had come under criticism for endorsing Gertmenian to head the Guild, came on the show to discuss the situation.

“McCarron faced up to some of the issues that had transpired,” said Byk. “That’s when things started to unravel for Gertmenian. It was a show that was exceptionally well-received.”

Byk, like Stein, also speaks out on behalf of horseplayers. He once had a broadcast, titled “Mutuel Interests,” where six prominent handicappers were all given 30 minutes to address an issue important to those who wager on horse races. Byk believes that keeping horseplayers happy is essential to growing the handle, which in turn improves the tracks’ bottom lines, boosts purses, and encourages horse ownership.

“This is a game that’s based on gambling,” Byk stated. “(Higher handle) benefits the horsemen and it benefits the breeding industry.”

In addition, Byk feels that smaller racing circuits deserve publicity, because new racing fans can come from anywhere.

“I reach out to the small regional tracks and try to encourage the regional breeding programs,” said Byk. “I try not to miss Michigan-bred day at Great Lakes (Downs), Illinois-bred day at Arlington and Hawthorne, and Louisiana-bred days at Delta (Downs), Fair Grounds, and Louisiana Downs. It doesn’t matter if it’s Texas-breds or sons of Storm Cat.”

Racing fans also have the option of listening to several racing shows, including “The Roger Stein Show” and “At the Races,” via the live or archived streams on the shows’ Web sites. “The Thoroughbred Connection,” which is part of World Talk Radio’s lineup of shows, stands out because it can be heard exclusively on the Internet. John Hernandez, who co-hosts “The Thoroughbred Connection” with Dick Harbin, explains World Talk Radio’s business model.

“If you walked through the door of World Talk Radio, you would think you had walked into the studio of a regular old broadcast radio station,” said Hernandez. “The only difference is that they don’t have a transmitter. They use technology to stream over the Web instead of broadcasting over the air.”

Hernandez said “The Thoroughbred Connection” must style its content differently than other shows, because “the preponderance of our listeners wait to download the show or listen to it at their leisure.”

He explained how that fact affects the show’s format.

“The show is in three segments. I try to produce two segments that are—what we call in radio—‘evergreen’—meaning, an interview with somebody that will be as listenable in a month as it was on the day it was recorded.”

As a result, “The Thoroughbred Connection” has had a wide variety of guests. Joe Harper, chief executive officer and general manager of Del Mar; Penny Chenery, owner of Secretariat and Riva Ridge; and Nuke Shim, a jockey who continued to compete in Texas at the age of 62, are all examples of the show’s smorgasbord of interview subjects.

FAN PROMOTION

While racing has lost its crowded grandstands and has become a niche sport, technological advancements such as satellite and Internet radio provide racing the opportunity to receive increased exposure.

“A lot of what has been happening positive for racing has come from changes in technology,” offered Byk. “People are concerned that the mainstream media have reduced their racing coverage. It shouldn’t be a concern, because no horseplayer these days needs to wait for a 12-year-old to drop the newspaper with information that’s already 24 hours old. The Internet and things like satellite radio and PDAs and hand-held devices, this is an area that’s custom-built for racing’s interests.”

However, simply offering the content does not necessarily mean a racing-related show will have listeners or create new racing fans, suggested Hernandez.

“It will take some marketing and some promotion,” he said. “You’re going to have to give them something worthwhile. If it’s something they can get reading a story on the Internet, then they’ll probably not spend (the time) to listen to it.”