In an effort to continuously refine and improve their service offering, Tellytrack are experimenting with Alistair Cohen commentating on some of the Eastern Cape racing from the Tellytrack studios in Johannesburg.
Rob Scott
Following enquiries from readers, the Sporting Post approached Tellytrack CEO Rob Scott for clarity.
“Yes, indeed, Alistair is calling off-site from Rivonia and the idea is to try and maintain consistency for our international customers. Bumpy Schoeman still calls on course and while it’s a different dynamic calling off the monitor, if it works well we may want to eventually do the same for venues like Ngong,” he confirmed.
For many punters, Schoeman is a legend and the true voice of PE.
But his homegrown tone is understood with some difficulty by various sectors of the international audience.
Many years ago Craig Peters was flown in to PE to call in Bumpy’s place as viewers in Singapore and Hong Kong had difficulty with his accent.
Bumpie Schoeman – legend of the airwaves
Schoeman’s absence on air will be missed by many of us.
The man who got his nick name from the way he danced (obviously in the early years!) started out as assistant to Larry Weir, Doug Fox and Pat Hurley and his voice has echoed over the former Arlington and Fairview for the past 35 years.
He was also commentator in Kimberley for twenty years until being replaced by the young gun Alastair Cohen
Schoeman’s dedication to his profession was vividly illustrated by the fact that he religiously drove the long road with the Clerk Of Scales from Port Elizabeth to Kimberley every Monday, leaving at three o’ çlock in the morning and getting home way after midnight – a round trip of some 15 hours for all those years!
But, hey – progress is progress – and it’s a young man’s world.
