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Weekend Notes

New York Daily News racing columnist Vic Ziegel takes a buyout. “I’m gone,” said Ziegel, who was with the paper for 24 years. “It’s cool.” (New York Post)

DRF columnist Jay Hovdey joins the racing blogosphere, while Ed DeRosa of Thoro Times settles in at Big Event Blog. (Thanks for the shout-out, EJXD2.)

“Rough weekend for stars.” Perhaps the most lacking in excuses for a flop was Music Note, who came off a seven-month layoff to finish a career-worst fifth going over her favorite surface in the Ogden Phipps. Will she improve next out? Or was the sub-par work of two weeks before, then her Saturday performance, indication that the filly isn’t the same as she was last year?

Commentator wins the Kashatreya Stakes, points to a third Whitney score. The most interesting thing about Friday’s race was that the 8-year-old ran a :23.48 final quarter (following a leisurely 1:12.17 three-quarters). The most disappointing was Naughty New Yorker, making his first start since the 2008 Suburban and obviously in need of a race, finishing a tired fourth.

Posted in Racing on June 13, 2009 / Tagged Belmont Park, Blogging, Commentator, Jay Hovdey, Media, Naughty New Yorker, Vic Ziegel

Know Your Bloggers

At the NTRA marketing summit last September, I was asked by one industry executive how racetracks should deal with racing bloggers. I replied vaguely along the lines of, “Get to know the bloggers covering your circuit.”

While reading reactions to the failed SXSW panel “New Think for Old Publishers” this morning, I came across this advice to the publishing industry, which struck me as a similar, but more articulate response to the question:

Aside three: Might as well address the blogger question. It’s quite simple. Find the bloggers big and small in your various genres, develop a relationship with them, understand their tastes, like, dislikes, deadlines, lead time, preferred method of communication, preferred formats for books [remember, they are publishers too and have many of the same issues you have]. Treat the bloggers with respect — you need them more than they need you. And note, the publishers who are already doing this well are leaps and bounds ahead of you.

A few adjustments and the prescription works for racing: Find the bloggers big and small covering your racetrack(s) or events; develop relationships with them; understand the stories and angles that appeal to them, their publishing schedules, and their preferred forms of communication. Add them to your mailing list for press releases and reply to their questions as you would inquiries from other media sources. Treat bloggers with respect.

Hm … that is quite simple.

Posted in Media on March 17, 2009 / Tagged Blogging, Industry, Marketing, Media, Racetracks