Thanks for Nothing WTGS

This afternoon at 1 PM Eastern Time, the green flag fell on the 24 Hours of Daytona. This year, the first hour and a half of the race was to receive network coverage on Fox. For race fans and sports car racing enthusiasts in general, this was wonderful news. Sports Car racing was getting network attention, and this was the perfect race for it; drivers with Formula 1 backgrounds would be racing, Champ Car and IRL drivers would be participating, and NASCAR drivers would also be in the race. A wealth of talent would be in the spotlight; it was the perfect opportunity to open sports car racing and endurance racing to a broader audience (i.e. the NASCAR fan).

Unfortunately, our local affiliate, WTGS didn't even offer Savannah area viewers the opportunity. Instead of showing the start of one of the most talent packed 24 Hours of Daytona in quite some time, they showed a college Basketball team. This is not the first time this has happened either. WJCL has shown other programming instead of ABC non-NASCAR race broadcasts. WTOC has shown other programming instead of CBS non-NASCAR race broadcasts. It is this kind of narrow mindedness on the part of local television that promotes the idea that the only kind of racing is NASCAR racing.

Perhaps other forms of motorsports, one of these days, will be respected and recognized as much as NASCAR racing is. Until TV stations start trying to show something other than NASCAR, however, that is only a pipe dream.

Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net