Daily Mail: BBC consider axing the daily tips from Today programme

Story from Daily Mail:

The BBC are considering dropping the daily racing tips from Radio Four's flagship Today programme in a controversial move that would enrage casual punters and further diminish the corporation's coverage of the sport.

Sportsmail has learned that BBC executives have held talks this month about dumping Today's racing tips, which have been a staple of the iconic news programme for 46 years.

The proposed change follows Radio Five's decision to scrap the full reading of the Classified Football Results on Sports Report at the start of the season, which was also revealed by Sportsmail. A timetable for dropping the tips has not been agreed, with a BBC source insisting that a final decision has yet to be made.

Former BBC racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght described the proposal as 'massively disappointing,' and 'another kick in the teeth for horseracing' at a time when the sport's public profile is declining.

Although only a brief segment in Radio 4's morning sports news the tips provide a guaranteed mention of racing to around seven million daily listeners, and is seen as a valuable property by the industry.

'At a time when racing's media profile has been eroded and racecourse attendances have been falling this is another kick in the teeth for the sport,' Lysaght said. 'It is massively disappointing news, but probably not a complete surprise.

'Any publicity racing can secure is valuable and the Today programme audience is huge. Anything related to gambling clearly prompts debate at the moment and rightly so, but the tips are just a bit of fun rather than serious advice to bet and to suggest otherwise would be to misunderstand them.'

Senior BBC executives are understood to regard offering daily racing tips as an anachronism, with some also arguing that it is irresponsible to be seen to be encouraging gambling at a time when it is a politically sensitive subject.

A government White Paper on gambling reform is due imminently, which is expected to include compulsory affordability checks for punters and restrictions on sponsorship and advertising.

The Today programme has repeatedly been accused of not taking the tipping slot seriously, a claim seemingly supported by their lack of success, with the selections losing money in each of the past three years. Of 566 horses picked during 2022 just 108 were winners, and if listeners had put a £1 stake on each fancied runner they would have lost £69 over the year.

The BBC's racing coverage has been drastically reduced in recent years, with no live races shown on television since 2012 and the number of radio commentaries also cut.