ABC and 13 area IMS Radio Network affiliates to provide full race coverage beginning at 10 a.m. CT
The time has come once again for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing to grace our TV screens and radio speakers - the Indianapolis 500 is Sunday.
Coverage of this year's 96th 500 will begin at 10 a.m. CT (11 ET) on ABC (WEHT Local/Evansville, WAWV-ABC/Terre Haute, etc.) and the stations of the IMS Radio Network, which is marking its 60th anniversary this year. More on that in a moment.
This year in the Tri-State, 13 radio stations in Southeastern Illinois, Southwestern Indiana and Western Kentucky will carry the race (see the local list after the jump or click here for a national list).
As I mentioned, this year's race marks the 60th anniversary of the IMS Radio Network. The network was formed when the former Mutual Broadcasting System, which had previously provided spot coverage of the race, raised its advertising rates for the 1951 race, causing sponsors to drop out. Forced to make a last-minute change, Indianapolis station WIBC stepped into the breach and provided some coverage. Prior to the 1952 event, IMS president Wilbur Shaw and owner Tony Hulman announced the formation of a new radio network to provide coverage.
Announcers from each of Indianapolis' five radio stations called the action that year on 26 radio stations. The number of affiliates grew to 135 in 1953 when the entire race was broadcast for the first time. By the 1970s, over 1,000 stations joined in, and while the number has declined by several hundred in recent years as other media - particularly television, once ABC began carrying the race in full in the mid-1980s - began playing a more prominent role.
Despite that, it's great that the radio network is still with us and still making an important contribution to the enjoyment of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing for so many.









