USTA Board of Directors approves funding recommendations of USTA Broadcast and Promotions Committee

Columbus, OH — On Sunday (March 9), the U.S. Trotting Association Board of Directors approved the funding recommendations of the USTA Broadcast and Promotions Committee for $210,150 to 36 different organizations.

The Broadcast and Promotions Committee is comprised of seven USTA directors chaired by Joe Pennacchio. Each recipient of funding is required to acknowledge that their allocations will be utilized for the purposes stated in their request and provide the USTA with analytics upon the completion of their broadcasts and promotions.

“In the past and prior to the formation of the Broadcast and Promotions Committee, the USTA provided funding for a short list of national broadcasts,” said USTA Executive Vice President and CEO Mike Tanner. “However, the significant growth in technology in recent years has provided new ways to promote harness racing on the internet through livestreams and podcasts.

“The recommendations of the Committee and the endorsement by the USTA Board of Directors will provide 36 organizations nationwide with financial assistance to broadcast and promote harness racing in a variety of ways on national and local television, and the internet, along with promotions to support them that will expose our sport to hundreds of thousands of people across the country as well as around the world.”

National broadcasts will be on Fox Sports and CBS Sports Network.

The 36 organizations that received financial assistance were broken down into four categories — racetracks and Hambletonian Society, horsemen, owner, breeder or state associations, county fairs, plus other industry organizations.

The complete list of the 36 organizations is: Hoosier Park, Northfield Park, Scioto Downs, Batavia Downs, The Red Mile, Yonkers Raceway, The Meadowlands, First Tracks Cumberland, Hambletonian Society, Pennsylvania HHA, SOA of NY, Indiana Standardbred Association, Florida SBOA, Kentucky HHA, Delaware SOA, Maine HHA, Illinois HHA, Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association, Michigan HHA, The Meadows SOA, Little Brown Jug, Goshen Historic Track, Newton (IN) County Fair, Iowa Fairs, Iowa (WI) County Fair, Cuyahoga (OH) County Fair, Chautauqua (NY) County Fair, Pennsylvania County Fairs, Elkhart (IN) County Fair, Sirius Radio, Daily Racing Form, In The Money Media, Harness Tube, WazUpDoc Media, Midwest Event Promotion, and Martin’s Starting Gate.

“The USTA greatly appreciates the efforts of these 36 organizations to help promote harness racing,” concluded Tanner.