Radio Days

You make it to 75 and you assume that, by and large, there are very few surprises left. I’m happy to go along with this, the occasional 125/1 winner notwithstanding, but on Radio 3 the other morning I heard something which stopped me in my tracks.

During the 8am news bulletin, we learned that fewer people are taking any interest in the news. And the thing is, I can well believe it. People have had enough, especially on the political front, and have belatedly acknowledged that life really is too short to listen to any more lies, obfuscations and bogus promises.

This broadcast was unique because it also began with the fact that England had beaten Serbia 1-0 the night before. Breakfast presenter Petroc Trelawny, in my opinion the finest radio broadcaster of modern times, sometimes reassures listeners that Radio 3 is ‘a football-free zone’. I suspect this was a one-off and any groin strains suffered by England’s finest will remain the preserve of Radio 5 Live.

Before 5 Live existed, the sport was on Radio 2 and I realised a childhood ambition by becoming a member of the team. I could remember Bill Bothwell, chairman of Tranmere Rovers, reporting on matches when I was still at school, so my familiarity with voices and personalities on Sports Report went back a long way.

Football dominated to a degree, though perhaps not quite to the extent that it does today. There was always room for racing and those of us at the track would still be there, sending interviews with trainers or jockeys back to the studio for inclusion in the five o’clock programme long after the commentators  –  Peter Bromley on radio and Julian Wilson (after Sir Peter O’Sullevan) on television  –  had departed. I have an abiding memory of ‘Wislon’, as he was known, haring across the car park at Newbury in midwinter to catch the second half at Swindon Town.

During my time quite a few broadcasters in the Sports Unit were interested in the sport. John Inverdale and Jeff Stelling had shares here and there, primarily with Richard Phillips, I think, while Ian Darke accompanied Peter Bromley as reporter/interviewer (as did I) and senior rugby correspondent Ian Robertson ran syndicates with horses trained by Gavin Pritchard-Gordon and Ian Balding.

‘Robbo’, who called Jonny Wilkinson’s winning drop goal in the 2003 World Cup final, was a shrewd operator with a good line to Sir Michael Stoute’s yard. At a rugby dinner he may well have overstated Workforce’s Derby credentials, leaving Stoute and Ryan Moore to talk the horse back down again in the weeks remaining! It was very hard, matching strides with Robbo and I seem to recall he had more than a fetlock in Grand National winner Rubstic, as well.

There are some straightforward ways to indicate how much broadcasting has changed. When Desmond Lynam first moved from radio to television with that enviably relaxed way of his, people marvelled that he could chat normally while taking talk-back (voices!) in his head. Grumpy Frank Bough could do that as well, of course, and it seemed quite special. But nowadays if you couldn’t handle talk-back you’d fall at the first audition and it would be ‘next, please!’ Everyone broadcasts and everyone can treat the camera as just another human being while taking instructions regarding time available, advertisements etc etc.

Football is everywhere now. The ‘serious’ papers may moan and groan about the game being awash with money at the highest level but then, after a round of matches, about six pages will be devoted to the Premier League before other sports get a look-in.

All of this has left racing high and dry, both in the print and broadcast media. When did I realise it was happening? Well, towards the end of my time on Radio 2 I was at Cheltenham on Queen Mother Champion Chase day and was told it would not be the main item on the 6.45 bulletin because Wimbledon had just announced record prize-money  –  and this for a tournament not due to take place for another three months!

On the television side, the BBC only wanted racing if it could have the ‘juiciest’ meetings  –  Royal Ascot, Epsom, Cheltenham and Aintree  –  for the simple reason that there would be personalities there. What interest did it have in a programme like the Morning Line, which was essentially a tipping vehicle? None whatsoever, so it was only right and proper that Channel 4 won the day, though there has been another shift since, of course.

Back with radio, there has to be a solid reason for broadcasting certain races. John Hunt understands this, so the other day, when a key women’s football match was in progress, he used his brief slot for the Lockinge not merely to commentate on the finish but also to supply background information even while the race was in progress. I could see, or rather hear, what he was trying to do and I was impressed. But if racing had to fight that hard for a fleeting mention, it’s pretty obvious that a reporter as diligent and thorough as Cornelius Lysaght would be surplus to requirements. Thus he was dropped and racing coverage has dwindled still more. The BBC would no doubt argue that it has merely acted like two or three national newspapers and most local ones, or the greatly reduced number still publishing, and it’s a fair point  –  though a most regrettable one.

Still, hope springs eternal. Maybe Radio 3 is going out on a limb and I can persuade them to mention the Ian Carnaby Handicap at Brighton on September 2. Mention my name and you may be able to get better than 125/1. Apparently, business has been slow so far.

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