“Viewing figures and trends are generally fairly static and we usually have to work pretty hard for our audience. The only time we see any real fluctuation is when there is a clash with another major sporting event, usually every two years when either the football World Cup or European Championships are staged.” A six-strong team link with television for the Derby, including the head groundsman, chief executive, site operations manager and health and safety personnel. Like many newly-built stadia and spectator areas, Epsom’s new £27m grandstand, due for unveiling next year, will feature television cameras as an integral part of its design, making their work that little bit easier - in theory at least. But when you are accommodating the demands of a 100,000 throng on site - as well as the viewing millions, nothing can be left to chance.
That applies as much on Derby day as it does at Sandown Park, where peak attendances are 18,000, and the norm, 10,000.
Innovations continue to roll out of racing coverage, despite the potential perils of working in a sport dominated by galloping thoroughbreds. Most recently, the BBC introduced cameras in the steward’s room to gain a candid view of a steward’s inquiry, for example. “As you might imagine, there is no sound," stresses Andrew, “but it offers further proof that we are all trying to look for new ways to make the race more exciting for the viewer.”
Several racecourses have also introduced
cameras mounted on jockeys’ helmets - certainly offering a dramatic view of the race, although neither Sandown nor Epsom TV teams has requested this to date, he notes. “In recent years, planning for a televised event has become much more demanding on us,” he confesses. “That’s not a bad thing - quite the contrary. It means that the race is more exciting for the viewer and there is always scope for new ideas. Cameras now go into the jockeys’ changing rooms at the end of a race. We are open to any suggestions that the TV companies might have.”
Those attending Derby day will be hard-
pressed to spot the television teams, Andrew concludes. “Our dress code is especially strict in high profile areas. Morning wear in the Queen’s stand and smart casual in other areas, for example. They are as much a part of our event as everyone else. We have no complaints. They understand our position.”
DURHAM County Cricket Club is basking in glory after lifting the crown as champions of the LV Division One this season. The club’s rise to prominence is bringing, in its wake, greater demand for coverage from the media, says operations and events manager Richard Dowson. Four years in the post, he has overseen
Durham’s meteoric pace of development (also four years in the premier division). “Our success is due to three factors,” he says: “An investment of money, a successful and growing Academy side and the
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