Former AFL executive and Racing Victoria strategy officer Andrew Catterall has formally been announced as the new racing.com chief executive.
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As Fairfax Media announced in November, Catterall would take over the running of racing.com, a position left vacant by the first chief executive of the network Scott Perrin.
Lewis Martin, a director of racing.com and managing director of Seven Melbourne, said: "We're very pleased to have Andrew on board. We are delighted with the development of racing.com over the past 12 months.
"It is now very well placed to build on its success and realise its potential. Andrew has the skills, background and passion to drive the venture's development."
Racing Victoria board member Greg Nichols said that "He [Catterall] has the best mix of skills and the knowledge of broadcasting and racing needed to be able to take racing.com to the new level."However, insiders believe that Catterall's appearance at the channel is a much-needed appointment with changes needing to be made with on-air talent at the station.
The issues include a lack of female presenters and an overall lack of leadership as well as the need for better on-air content.
Fairfax Media understand Catterall will have to make significant changes to racing.com and to introduce changes across the board.
It's expected that retiring race caller Greg Miles will play a role at the station and, together with Michael Felgate, Jason Richardson and Clint Hutchinson, will make up the front line on-air team. The Catterall regime will now have to look for new talent as many believe that process stalled under the Perrin and content manager Shane Anderson's time at racing.com.
Some insiders have been wary of the undue influence of the Melbourne Racing Club on the network.
As well, Hong Kong race caller, and former South Australian Brett Davis, is sure to be interviewed by racing.com and radio RSN executives to replace the outgoing Miles and if he returned from overseas he would be a major asset for there on-air team.
It is also understood morale at Channel 31 is far from high following the disastrous Scobie Breasley awards night that were so poorly covered by racing.com that some Seven Network executives refused to have the tape of the night released or shown again.
