Archive for the ‘bloodhorse’ Category
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
In a column he apparently started writing a month ago, Dan Liebman of the Blood-Horse throws down the panic gauntlet. After several weeks of patience, Liebman is calling on all California trainers with aspiring 3-year-olds to ‘GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN’.
Perhaps trying to get a free plane ticket to New Mexico, he goes even further by proclaiming that the Sunland Derby will have a better field than the Santa Anita Derby. Nothing like a major magazine editor trying to kill off the entire racing industry in one of its biggest states.
Read it at the Blood-Horse
Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think
- Bradford Cummings
Tags: blood-horse, bradford cummings, dan liebman, Paulick Report, santa anita, santa anita derby, Sunland Derby
Posted in bloodhorse | 62 Comments »
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Jason Shandler of the Blood-Horse wrote today about Thorn Song’s apparent second chance at life. Quoting an unknown source that he had ‘an almost zero chance’ at survival, Shandler goes on to describe the recovery ‘thanks to breakthrough stem cell therapy’.
This comes on the heels of the revelation that Ahmed Zayat had cashed in on a $2.75 million insurance policy for the Grade 1-winning son of Unbridled’s Song despite his still being alive. According to veterinarian Dr. Doug Herthel, "Mr. Zayat was devastated. He called almost daily for two months for updates and when we told him (about putting Thorn Song down) he was actually crying on the phone. I’ve had thousands of clients and you could tell he genuinely cared about this horse."
Is this a truly remarkable turnaround from death’s doorstep or is the Blood-Horse trying to back up Dan Liebman’s awkward contention that racing needs more people like Zayat?
Read it at the Blood-Horse
Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think
- Bradford Cummings
Tags: ahmed zayat, blood-horse, bradford cummings, dan liebman, Doug Herthel, equine insurance, Jason Shandler, Paulick Report, stem cell therapy, Thorn Song
Posted in bloodhorse | 22 Comments »
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
By Ray Paulick
The news just doesn’t get any better at the publication where I spent 15 years of my professional life, but the fact that Blood-Horse magazine has laid off at least five more employees today is just as much a sign of the collateral damage from the Kentucky Thoroughbred industry’s economic troubles as it is a statement on the present and future of newspapers and magazines.
Tick off five more losses from the estimated 100,000 jobs the horse industry contributes directly or indirectly to Kentucky’s economy. I have lost count of how many of my friends and former colleagues at Blood-Horse have lost their jobs in the last 18 months. As my Paulick Report partner, Brad Cummings, and I have traveled from business to business in Kentucky, we’re hearing the same refrain, whether it’s at farms, racetracks, suppliers, tack shops, insurance or advertising agencies: this industry is hurting, and it’s painful to see the continuing losses and the damage it inflicts on the individuals and their families.
Each job loss within Kentucky’s signature industry should send a dire message to Frankfort, but I’m afraid our state legislators are tone deaf. With the news that VLT or slots legislation is almost certainly a non-starter again in 2010, it means that Kentucky’s horse industry faces another year of operating on a playing field that is far from level with a majority of states. Racehorses, mares and stallions are leaving the state, and so are the jobs they contribute.
You’ve read it here and many other places that print publications are in trouble, and there’s no doubt the razor thin issues the Blood-Horse has been printing lately reflect a significant shift in advertising dollars from print to online publications. Advertisers are adjusting out of necessity since their revenues are down, and they have to maximize every dollar they spend. Make no mistake: I’m grateful to be on the right side of the technology curve, but it doesn’t make it easier to see what’s happening to so many former colleagues.
Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report
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Tags: blood-horse, Brad Cummings, Kentucky, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick
Posted in Kentucky, bloodhorse | 9 Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
For all you Barbaro fans, we wanted to give you the opportunity to cheer on the next full brother of Barbaro after he broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park today. Under the guidance of John Velazquez, Lentenor won by an impressive 3 1/2 lengths.
Click here for the Blood-Horse story
Then come back to the Paulick Report and tell us what you think
- Bradford Cummings
Tags: Barbaro, blood-horse, bradford cummings, gulfstream park, john velazquez, Lentenor, Paulick Report
Posted in Barbaro, bloodhorse, gulfstream park | 17 Comments »
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
What’s going on here? Blood-Horse Publications has engaged its top three editors in a game of musical chairs, the Paulick Report has learned, with new assignments for all three. The shakeup actually makes a lot of sense to this observer, who spent 15 years as editorial chief of the Lexington-based publishing company whose flagship weekly magazine has struggled in the last two years during a brutal recession and shifting media climate.
According to sources, Eric Mitchell, formerly the head of digital media, will be replacing Dan Liebman as the company’s top editorial executive overseeing the weekly magazine and most of the other print and digital editorial products. Liebman will be responsible for producing the weekly magazine and, in a reversal of management roles, will now report to Mitchell. Evan Hammonds, formerly responsible for putting together the magazine each week, will take Mitchell’s old position in charge of digital products, including the bloodhorse.com website. He will also report to Mitchell under the new scheme.
The new titles and responsibilities are expected to be announced Thursday in a press release that could outline new job titles for other editorial staff members.
I hired all three individuals during my tenure at the company. Liebman joined the Blood-Horse first as research director, Hammonds was then brought on as managing editor and Mitchell later joined the company, first as a senior writer and then moved on to other positions, including research director, editor of the TBH MarketWatch newsletter and finally head of digital media.
When I parted ways with the Blood-Horse in 2007, Liebman was named my replacement as editorial director of the company and editor in chief of the weekly magazine. In the ensuing 24 months he has had to reduce staff and slash expenses as a result of declining advertising revenue.
Mitchell brings outstanding skill sets to his new position, both journalistically and as someone acutely aware of the migration of many readers from print to online resources. He has a very good overview of the Thoroughbred industry, in part because of his experience as a writer who covered many of its most complex issues on the racing side of the business, and from his years as editor of MarketWatch, which examines stallions, breeding and the marketplace.
If anyone worked harder than Mitchell during my years at the Blood-Horse, it was Evan Hammonds, who while responsible for producing the weekly magazine as managing editor was also instrumental in developing many of the online features at Bloodhorse.com. I would look for his full-time input at Bloodhorse.com to be very productive and creative. Liebman, whose strengths are his breeding industry knowledge and good network of sources in Kentucky, has his work cut out in filling Hammonds’ shoes in producing the weekly magazine.
All in all, I view these changes as very positive—for the company and its many dedicated employees, and for the industry in general, which benefits from a healthy weekly trade magazine. There’s no guarantee Mitchell will be able to turn around the company’s fortunes, but I don’t think there’s any doubt it has a much better chance of doing so under his leadership.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: blood-horse publications, bloodhorse, bloodhorse.com, dan liebman, eric mitcell, evan hammonds, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick
Posted in Racing Media, bloodhorse | 16 Comments »
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
By Ray Paulick
“What kills a company is not competition, but arrogance. We control our fate.” So said Eric Schmidt, the chairman and CEO of online giant Google in an article in the New Yorker magazine last year.
Stacy Bearse, the president and publisher of Blood-Horse Publications, apparently doesn’t share that belief. In a staggering show of arrogance, Bearse recently sent a letter to members of the board of trustees of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, which owns the company, urging them to shift their advertising dollars away from Blood-Horse’s competition, specifically Thoroughbred Times and Thoroughbred Daily News, and spend their money with him. He made a similar plea to undermine his competition during a TOBA board meeting in Lexington in April. (Click here to read his recent letter.)
(Fortunately, he didn’t tell TOBA trustees, many of whom are associated with major stallion farms that make up the bulk of the advertising market, not to advertise with the Paulick Report, the horse industry’s fastest-growing web site. Please feel free to contact us to learn more about our cost-effective advertising opportunities!)
“The market is simply not large enough to support two profitable weeklies,” Bearse wrote to the TOBA trustees. “There’s a very good chance that one won’t survive this downturn. It may come down to who runs out of cash first.”
I contacted Joe Morris, publisher of Thoroughbred Times, to see if he had any comment about Bearse’s assertion. Morris disagreed that the market couldn’t support two magazines but said he wasn’t going to get caught up in a fight and instead chose to "go out and sell something."
Bearse said declines in advertising revenue have caused Blood-Horse to reduce the company’s workforce and cut salaries and benefits. Among those let go in the most recent round of layoffs were writers Amanda Duckworth, the inaugural Joe Hirsch Scholarship winner and a graduate of the University of Kentucky’s journalism school, and Ryan Conley, a top-notch reporter with extensive industry experience, knowledge and contacts. Both were dedicated professionals, but many other good people have lost their jobs at the company in the last 18 months. Thoroughbred Times and Thoroughbred Daily News have not had to take such drastic measures.
“My job is to ensure that your magazine – The Blood-Horse – is the last one standing, and that it emerges from this dark period strong and successful,” Bearse wrote.
That’s good news, I thought, as I read the letter to the TOBA trustees. My old boss (I was Blood-Horse editor from 1992-2007) surely must have a plan to improve the efficiency of the staff or make the product more timely, interesting or relevant to readers. The last thing I want to see are more of my former colleagues out of work, and less coverage of Thoroughbred racing and breeding, whether in print or in digital form. The Paulick Report believes competition is good for any business.
Apparently, that isn’t the case with Stacy Bearse: his plan is to kneecap the competition.
“But for us to succeed,” he wrote to the TOBA trustees. “I need your support. If you advertise in TDN or Thoroughbred Times, consider shifting your dollars to The Blood-Horse. If you divide your advertising, consider consolidating your investment in The Blood-Horse. If you board your mares or own a controlling interest in a stallion, encourage the farm manager to support The Blood-Horse.”
Then came Bearse’s most chilling comment: “You don’t need two weeklies to cover this market.”
That is exactly why the Paulick Report was launched, to prevent the consolidation of news and analysis for this industry into one, Pravda-like, party-line publication, and to ensure that it has an independent voice.
As someone else pointed out to me, Blood-Horse and the Thoroughbred Record (now merged into the Thoroughbred Times) both survived the Great Depression and the Times and Blood-Horse made it through the severe horse industry slump from 1985-92. Following that same logic, would the horse industry be better off with just one large stallion station instead of all the competing farms, or one auction house?
I think Eric Schmidt was right: It’s not the competition that kills a business.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: blood-horse, bloodhorse, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, stacy bearse, tdn, thoroughbred daily news, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, thoroughbred times, TOBA
Posted in Racing Media, bloodhorse | 36 Comments »
Sunday, December 14th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Friday’s Paulick Report article on the increasingly sad state of affairs at Bloodhorse magazine was not easy for me to write, having worked hard to help grow the company over a 15-year period and feeling tremendous sadness that many of my former Bloodhorse colleagues are now without jobs. It’s a very stressful time for those who remain employed there as they deal with changing readership habits, stronger competition and challenging economic circumstances that have brought many traditional print publishers to their knees.
This morning, I was enjoying a cup of tea in preparation for Christmas tree shopping with my daughter when an email of great interest came across my inbox from an old friend at the Bloodhorse. The email’s subject was ‘Bloodhorse (sic) Staff Cut 10%’ penned by company president Stacy Bearse. I didn’t realize how stressful things had gotten until I received this email from the man who hired me as editor in chief of the magazine in 1992 and fired me in 2007. The email, shown below in its entirety, was typed in big, bold face letters:
You wrote a truly shitty column on your alma mater, Crack Pipe. As usual, you got your facts all wrong (Purple Haze?). The more you embarrass yourself with this type of drivel, the more I realize the tragedy of a life and career wasted.
Stacy
Immediately, I checked the email address assuming it must be from a dummy account by an enemy of Stacy trying to frame him. After all, he couldn’t possibly have such terrible judgment as to send me something so vicious and mean-spirited. Alas, it was from sbearse@bloodhorse.com, his business email account.
My first and strongest reaction to these highly personal attacks from him was sadness. When I entered a recovery program in 2004 to deal with a personal issue, one of the spiritual principles I learned was to pray for those who may want to hurt you, in hopes that they can learn to see you in a different light. I’ll say my prayers tonight for Mr. Bearse, who is quite obviously going through a difficult period in his professional tenure at Bloodhorse Publications.
It is also troubling that a man who holds such a prestigious position in our industry would stoop to the level of a sideshow like Ed Musselman, the publisher of the Indian Charlie newsletter. The rants and vicious personal attacks of Indian Charlie are par for the course, but Bearse represents a far more respectable organization and I have always held him to a higher level of accountability.
Earlier this week, Bearse wrote a letter to the Thoroughbred advertising community explaining the company’s current difficulties that led to a $1.5 million budget cut and what he said was termination of 10% of the staff. It was written in a much softer tone than he exhibited with me but one with thinly veiled attacks on the company’s publishing competitors, presumably the Thoroughbred Daily News and Thoroughbred Times, two outfits that so far have weathered the economic storm without having to take the drastic measures that Bloodhorse has.
“First, we never compete with you. Unlike other media properties, we own neither seasons nor shares in stallions that may compete with your business.” This seems to be a reference to the Thoroughbred Daily News, a purely online publication produced by Barry Weisbord, who is an active Thoroughbred owner and breeder. So while this claim may be true, why does it matter? To my knowledge, Weisbord has been completely fair to any and all advertisers and this would explain why they have such a full booking of ads each and every day. Additionally, Bearse several years ago was involved in weanling-to-yearling pinhooking partnerships, so his assertion rings a bit hollow.
But perhaps most confusing is their contention that giving ‘special discounts’ to ‘special people’ on advertising is a bad thing. Assuming this dagger must be intended for the Thoroughbred Times, I still don’t understand the message. Isn’t it a good thing to thank loyal customers by offering them discounts or perks for their consistent business? I believe that’s the psychology behind the personal shopper cards at grocery stores, the reason I get a free bag of dog food after I buy 12 at Feeder’s Supply (it’s for my dog, not me), and how I am about to be named the next U.S. Senator of Illinois by Gov. Rod Blagojevich (the check’s in the mail, Rod!).
The Thoroughbred industry is facing tough times ahead. It’s a competitive business, whether it’s your horse racing against someone else’s or your magazine or web site trying to win advertising support over your rival. The Paulick Report will continue to provide unfiltered coverage on the business in ways that may not always please everyone.
One thing I believe we all can agree to is a wish for the Thoroughbred industry to regain its legs in 2009 and carry us all to a higher plateau.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: Barry Weisbord, blood-horse, bloodhorse magazine, ed musselman, indian charlie, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, stacy bearse, tdn, thoroughbred daily news, thoroughbred times
Posted in People, Racing Media, Ray Paulick, bloodhorse | 46 Comments »
Friday, December 12th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
The news just keeps getting worse for print publications and horse racing journalists who work for them. During the same week the company that owns the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun declared bankruptcy, my old employer, the Bloodhorse, initiated its third round of job cuts in the past year and the Washington Post notified its full-time turf writer, John Scheinman, that it will no longer cover horse racing, and he will be out of a job Jan. 1.
These are tough times for newspapers and magazines, which are struggling to adapt to different readership habits, are faced with new online competition, and are suffering from the economic crisis that has affected nearly every business and industry in the United States.
.jpg) Bloodhorse, whose weekly magazine has been steadily losing advertising market share to its chief rival, Thoroughbred Times, since former NTRA Purchasing chief Joe Morris was hired as Times publisher in mid-2007, notified employees in several departments this week that their positions are being eliminated. In a letter to advertisers, Bloodhorse president Stacy Bearse (pictured, left) said the company is trying to reduce expenses by $1.5 million, will eliminate unprofitable products and cut its staff by 10%. This comes after two earlier rounds of multi-departmental firings. The Thoroughbred Times has thus far been able to avoid layoffs, probably the result of its market share gains against the Bloodhorse, in both the weekly magazine and the annual stallion book that each publication produces.
Bloodhorse announced recently that it is cutting advertising rates by 5%, less than three months after notifying advertisers that rates were being increased for what I believe was the sixth consecutive year.
On a personal note, it’s sad for me to see some very good people and dedicated employees lose their jobs. Among those terminated were individuals who have been with the Bloodhorse for decades, and whose contributions led to its position as the market leader. The circumstances that led to the company’s downhill slide were not their fault, though they were the ones who ultimately paid the price.
The same can be said of the Washington Post’s John Scheinman, who has provided racing coverage with great enthusiasm and insight for the past eight years for the nation’s fifth-largest paper. Scheinman took over the racing beat when Andy Beyer retired from full-time duties. This will mark the end of 130 years of horse racing coverage in the Post, Scheinman said.
In a note to friends and family, Scheinman wrote: “ The professional love of my life, journalism, is in grave peril these days, a peril I believe is not just the result of a changing world and depressed economy. Much is self-inflicted as those in charge are not minding the foundation of the store during complex changes that are altering the dynamics of the industry.”
Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Times (fourth largest in the country) eliminated its racing coverage and fired its two horse racing writers and handicappers (though after reader protests it brought back limited coverage). So did the Philadelphia Inquirer, the nation’s eighth-largest paper, which terminated its racing writer in late summer.
UPDATE: Neil Milbert, the veteran turf writer for the now-bankrupt Chicago Tribune, was a victim in the latest round of newsroom cuts at the Chicago Tribune last week, according to published reports. The Trib used to employ two full-time turf writers; now, apparently, there are none.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: blood-horse, bloodhorse, joe morris, john scheinman, journalism, los angeles times, ntra purchasing, Paulick Report, philadlephia inquirer, Ray Paulick, stacy bearse, thoroughbred media, thoroughbred times, thoroughbred trade magazines
Posted in Industry, Racing Media, bloodhorse, thoroughbred times | 13 Comments »
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
If billionaire Sam Zell had gotten into the horse business, he might have bought a couple of hundred mares this summer, just before bloodstock prices plunged. The self-styled “Grave Dancer” was already in enough financial trouble, however, fighting to keep the massive Tribune Company out of bankruptcy after spending $8.3 billion to buy it less than a year ago.
That struggle took a new turn yesterday for Zell, who filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware for the company that publishes the Chicago Tribune (the self-proclaimed World’s Greatest Newspaper, which led to the call letters of the WGN TV superstation and radio station the Trib owns). The Tribune Company stable also includes the once-mighty Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun and, of course, those hapless losers, the Chicago Cubs, who recently celebrated their 100th year without a world championship. Its real estate holdings include one square block on the North Side of Chicago – better known as the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
Zell said he had to file for protection from creditors in order to save the company – or at least what’s left of it.
What’s next for Zell, a purchase of the Bloodhorse, Thoroughbred Times and Daily Racing Form? Perhaps a racetrack or two? (Note to Sam: If interested contact Magna Entertainment in Aurora, Ontario, Canada.)
The traditional print industry is in trouble. Earlier this week, the Miami Herald was put for up for sale. Last week it was Denver’s Rocky Mountain News, which might fold if no one steps forward to buy it. The two major newsweeklies — Time and Newsweek — are thin as a pancake as advertising disappears, and the third title in that market, U.S. News and World Report, stopped printing and instead publishes an online edition only. That’s the same route taken recently by the venerable Christian Science Monitor. Even the book industry is reeling. Last week, a number of book publishers announced massive layoffs and cutbacks.
No industry is exempt from this sea-change in media trends. More and more folks are getting their national and international news from one of the three 24-hour cable networks. People seeking local news or information on a multitude of subjects, from cooking recipes to horse racing news and analysis, can find it online….instantly.
Here’s an assignment for you: Try to find someone under 30 years old who subscribes to a daily newspaper.
Advertisers are following the flow of eyeballs away from newspapers and magazines and the transfer of ad dollars from print to online is killing traditional publishing companies, even those with a presence on the Web. When a company like the Bloodhorse or Thoroughbred Times has an advertiser shift an ad from the magazine to its Web site, it’s a bit like a racetrack losing an on-track bet to an account wagering company. It costs the same amount to put out the product (whether it’s a magazine or a horse race), but the online ad generates far less revenue to the publishing company than a print ad does, just as an account wagering bet generates less revenue to the racetrack than an on-track wager does.
Compounding the challenge for traditional publishers is new competition from Web sites that aren’t burdened with the heavy cost of production staffs and printing and distribution. On top of everything else, those products are outdated by the time they reach consumers. That’s why so many print products and their staffs are getting thinner, from the largest daily newspapers to niche publications serving the Thoroughbred industry.
Daily Racing Form recently trimmed its editorial and handicapping team. Bloodhorse has gone through two rounds of job cuts in the last year, and as many as a dozen more positions may be eliminated, according to sources, including the company’s book division, Eclipse Press.
Print may not be dead…but it’s a dying breed. Ask Sam Zell.
Are you spending less time thumbing through the Thoroughbred weeklies than you used to? Check in on the Daily Paulick Poll on the left-hand column of our home page and let us know.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: bloodhorse, daily racing form, Paulick Report, Print Media, Ray Paulick, thoroughbred media, thoroughbred times
Posted in Paulick Report, Racing Media, Thoroughbred Business, Wagering, bloodhorse, daily racing form, thoroughbred times | 7 Comments »
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