I just assumed Sky and RSN carried the same race calls?
But it is curious that any mention of regional frequencies have been removed from the RSN website. The station’s logo now specifies the Melbourne frequency 927 kHz and the FAQ page refers only to digital radio or streaming for listeners outside of Melbourne. Is RSN getting out of these regional stations?
Certainly the 2REM local studio doing some work (and apparently has been since 1988), particularly because they give out the markets and dividends for both sides of the border before switching back.
When I caught a bit of it in the car a couple months back, and listening to it now, it sounds like they relied mainly on Sky Racing TV’s audio stream (which is also the “TAB Live” stream broadcast through RSN digital radio/web site). It certainly wasn’t RSN’s main stream nor Sky Sports Radio.
As for the regional frequencies: RSN re-added the 927 frequency back to their logo after they lost retransmission into Tasmania and Canberra when their TABs were sold off… they do still have the regional frequency map but they’ve hidden it under the “Sales and Research” tab for whatever reason. I’m guessing that regional punters would be able to find RSN on their radio fairly easily and they’re trying to push people towards their digital streams like Carnival.
According to Herald Sun, RSN has axed its Sports Heaven breakfast show, hosted by former Collingwood teammates Mick McGuane and Michael Christian (who also called Saturday night AFL matches for 3AW this year).
Whilst I’ve never really listened to much of their breakfast show, I always thought that the Sydney one contained a reasonable amount of NRL chat. That wouldn’t get much of a look in down in Melbourne.
Host Terry Kennedy has called rugby league games for Optus Vision back in the 1990s.
Sport927/RSN (3UZ) is not owned by TABCorp - instead all the various racing bodies (eg Harness Racing Victoria) jointly own the licence and the various relays (HPON and 3BT/3SR). This compares to TABCorp owning 2KY and 4TAB and the various relays in NSW and QLD.
I suspect that Melbourne can get the Big Sports Breakfast with a digital radio, through RSN’s “TAB Live” feed (which I think replaced Carnival 2). They’d be rating asterisks if they replaced it on 927, though, not to mention affect their slightly longer racing interviews program after it (Racing Ahead starting at 8:30 vs. 2KY’s Racing HQ at 9).
If not for the wildcard that is EON Sports on digital, you’d probably consider Andrew Harford a shoo-in for RSN if SEN sidelines him - you’d definitely expect RSN to be the better alternative of the two ratings-wise but I guess it’ll come down to what’s on offer at both.
Actually it appears Tabcorp may be merging betting operations with Tatts (who own UBet) in Qld, so perhaps a national show with Melbourne and Brisbane based personnel is a chance? (For the record Radio TAB’s programming is all Brisbane based save for a couple of programs on Sunday for Tasmanian racing, and is skewed more towards RL despite having 3 established AFL states/territories in the listening area).
It’s 2KY and 4TAB that will merge if this goes ahead. Refer to recent posts, Melbourne’s Sport 927 is owned by the various codes of the Victorian racing industry.
4TAB is on air in Brisbane on a commercial licence and based in Albion, of course the breakfast show will be more league skewed, it’s on narrowcast in the other capitals.