I have seen much written about the local television blackout for the Indianapolis 500 lately, but do you know anything about the first 500 shown on television?

The year was 1949 and television was just beginning.  It was not in every household by any means at that time.  Manufacturers and TV broadcasters wanted more televisions in more homes.

That led to the first TV station to go on the air in Indianapolis, WFBM Channel 6 (which now uses the call letters of WRTV), to broadcast the race live in order to promote more sales of TV sets.  That happened in 1949 and 1950.  WFBM only had 3 cameras, all along the main stretch, covering the race.

I remember my Mom and Dad telling me about watching those races.  They said it was good, but keep in mind television was brand new and expectations were low.  It is estimated that about 3,000 televisions in the Indianapolis area were tuned to the race broadcasts in 1949 and 1950.

There is an old story that many local Indianapolis broadcasters tell.  After the 1950 race, Wilber Shaw, the man hired to run the Speedway in those days, was having a drink with the WFBM people when he looked them in the eye, and just said, ‘You and your (expletive deleted) television station.”  It was then that television knew 1950 might be the last television broadcast of the Indianapolis 500 ever on local television.

Beginning in 1986, ABC was granted the rights to broadcast the race live, but it was blacked out in Indianapolis.  Only twice has the race been broadcast live in Indianapolis…for the 100th running and the COVID era races where no fans were allowed.

That takes us to 2024.  The speedway had a small number of unsold tickets (by IMS standards) and the decision was made not to allow a local TV broadcast.

That changed with the 4-hour rain delay.  The Speedway announced at the last minute that, due to the long rain delay, the local Indy blackout would be lifted and the race could be shown in WTHR, the local NBC affiliate.

Social media lit up from the time of the announcement of the blackout the Friday before the race, to the time IMS relented due to the rain delay and allowed the local TV broadcast.  Local sports commentator Bob Kravitz has argued that the Speedway is losing local fans by not allowing the 500 on live local TV.

I take a position that as long as the IMS ownership is taking public money, and the state is providing subsides in the millions of dollars each year, the public is entitled to a live TV broadcast.  Kravitz writes about how the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team kept the team away from local TV, robbing a generation of potential Blackhawk fans to be created during that time.

The Blackhawks thought denying local TV would sell more tickets.  A little like the Speedway management is thinking.

If the Indianapolis Motor Speedway sells 90-95% of the tickets available, the 500 should be on local television.