Racing Queensland to hold talks with Tabcorp after state’s racing radio show axed

Racing Queensland will engage with Sky Racing management before Christmas, emphasising to the Tabcorp-owned media company that it must meet its contractual obligations in covering the state’s three codes of racing.

The urgent message will be reiterated to Sky after the radio and television network announced that it was pulling the plug on its Queensland-hosted offering, making long-time RadioTAB broadcaster Steve Hewlett’s position redundant, effective from December 12.

The sudden move by Tabcorp – although not seen as a shock by many observers, including Hewlett himself – places greater constraints on airtime for localised, state-based racing content across the country.

In a matter of months, racing radio in Australia has gone from five stations providing independent programming to just two.

As much as 10 hours of unique racing news was broadcast daily, but that will dramatically drop to about four hours from the New Year when the Sydney-based Racing HQ morning racing news program is broadcast on Queensland radio frequencies.

The NSW version of Racing HQ is hosted by Dave Stanley and will be broadcast interstate from January 5, with Tabcorp promising increased Queensland content. The Sydney-based Big Sports Breakfast had already been played north of the border for some time, with Hewlett’s Tuesday-to-Saturday morning show the last locally produced radio.

It’s understood that Brendan Parnell, RQ’s CEO for four years from 2018, strongly lobbied Tabcorp to provide the state’s racing industry with adequate airtime and promotion on its television and radio mediums when media rights negotiations were last undertaken in 2020.

That 10-year agreement remains in place. 

It is also believed that Tabcorp’s decision to abolish Hewlett’s radio show and simulcast Racing HQ from Sydney does not breach the contract between the regulator and Tabcorp.

Racing Queensland acting chief executive Lachlan Murray confirmed that RQ would hold talks with Sky Racing executives Ben Lloyd and Selina Rumble to ensure the state’s racing industry receives its fair share of radio coverage.

“It comes back to working with Sky and just making sure that Queensland has a sufficient share of voice. Ultimately, there’s a contract in place as well, but it’s also a matter of working with them,” Murray told The Straight.

“We’re 20 per cent of the population and Queensland represents over 25 per cent of the volume of races across the country, so there’s a lot of people and a lot of interest.  

“We’re obviously sitting across three codes, not individual codes like some of the other states (principal racing authorities).” 

Stanley is expected to host outside broadcasts in Queensland, starting at the Magic Millions in early January.

Earlier this year, RSN was sold by Racing Victoria to the Craig Hutchison-led Sports Entertainment Group for $3.25 million, to be paid over three years, ending the financial impost the station placed on the principal racing authority.

SEN Track’s Giddy Up morning racing radio programming replaced Michael Felgate’s Racing Pulse in September, with the Gareth Hall-led morning show simulcast across the SEN and RSN networks. 

A similar model has been employed by Hutchison since taking over TAB Radio, Racing and Wagering Western Australia’s radio asset, in a sale announced in early October.

WA’s TAB Radio has been rebranded as SEN Turf.

Radio is just the latest battleground for principal racing authorities and for broadcast time on Sky’s thoroughbred-specific channel, Thoroughbred Central, particularly on Saturdays. STC also broadcasts The Playbook, a preview show for Brisbane’s Saturday metropolitan meeting.

The tight schedule often causes clashes with NSW’s metropolitan and provincial race meetings and pre-and-post race coverage is bumped to cover other races, a bugbear of punters and administrators.

Racing and Wagering Western Australia encountered a similar issue, which saw that state’s peak body sign a deal with Channel 7 and Racing.com last year to provide extended coverage pre- and post-race of its thoroughbred meetings.

Murray acknowledged the importance of fitting into the Sky’s race schedule “clock” to maximise wagering.

“I can’t understate the importance of Queensland race broadcasts. Simply, punters want to watch the race in which they’ve bet. Sky is key in bringing that broadcast to the punter,” he said.  

“If broadcast doesn’t occur, the wagering doesn’t occur. Similarly, if broadcast is reduced, we see a direct impact on wagering. 

“Wagering (race field fees and betting taxes) represents 90-plus per cent of RQ’s revenue.

“And similarly, with the free-to-air stations, that opens up a whole new audience. We absolutely have to get our product in front of as many eyeballs as possible. New audiences help promote and grow interest in racing.

“There’s absolutely a correlation between broadcast and turnover.”

Under the reign of chief executive Gillion McLachlan, who assumed control of the wagering giant last year, Tabcorp has undertaken a range of cost-cutting measures and made numerous positions redundant.

That includes in its media arm, Sky Racing, with racecallers Brett Davis, Josh Fleming, Colin McNiff and Matt Jackson all axed in late April.

Bookmaking identity Gerard Daffy, an iconic figure at Centrebet, Tatts and later Tabcorp, was also let go earlier this year.

Lloyd, Sky Racing’s head of racing and sports production, paid tribute to Hewlett for his contribution to racing in Queensland.

“Steve is an icon of Queensland media. He has been the voice of Radio TAB every morning for as long as most people can remember,” Lloyd said.

“Steve brought the unique mix of breaking news and telling great stories to each program and the way he has built the profile of many of Queensland’s great jockeys and trainers is something that will be remembered for a long time.”

Hewlett is expected to have a weekly slot and work as a radio host on a casual basis for Sky. Gold Coast-based racecaller Mitch Manners will fill in as Racing HQ host until Stanley returns to the chair early next year.