When Television turned its gaze on Motorsports (Preston Lerner)

Preston Lerner is a freelance writer who has covered racing for the past four decades. For many years, he was a regular contributor to Automobile Magazine and Road & Track. Lerner is also the author or co-author of six books, most recently Shelby American: The Renegades Who Built the Cars, Won the Races, and Lived the Legend. The material used in “Television Turns Its Gaze on Motorsports” is drawn from his upcoming book, The Deadliest Decade, which examines the safety, commercial and technological developments that transformed racing from 1964 to 1973.

Lerner’s presentation covers the early – and often controversial – efforts of TV to bring automobile racing into American living rooms. In 1961, a segment from the Indianapolis 500 time trials was broadcast as part of ABC’s new Wide World of Sports program. During the next few years, racing coverage was expanded to include Formula 1, Le Mans, NASCAR and even USAC dirt-track races. Television dramatically expanded the reach of the sport, which, in turn, attracted major commercial sponsors. By the 1970s, racing had been transformed into the global commercial engine we know today. Yet from the beginning, enthusiasts had a love-hate relationship with ABC. On one hand, TV coverage confirmed that racing was a legitimate sport rather than a tawdry carnival sideshow. On the other, serious fans found the broadcasts puerile and sensationalistic. The camerawork was shaky, the commentary insipid and the focus on accidents infamously morbid. Coverage of the fatal wrecks of Lorenzo Bandini and Roger Williamson inspired widespread disgust that led to improvements in safety. This was an unintended consequence, but it was a product largely of television’s unblinking eye.

This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

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00:00 Introduction and Sponsors

00:16 Meet Preston Lerner

00:54 Television's Early Days in Motorsports

03:32 ABC's Struggle and Strategy

05:35 The Rise of Wide World of Sports

09:01 Controversial Coverage and Safety Issues

17:10 The Impact of Television on Racing

21:29 Q&A and Closing Remarks