Trackforum IndyCar Season Archive Viewer

[STAND E]

Hats off also to all the commentators and teams who made all these broadcasts and films. Here is a look at some of them...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indianapolis_500_broadcasters

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_500_in_film_and_media

https://doctorindy.com/2022/07/23/indy-500-on-television-part-1-1949-1963/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IndyCar_Series_on_ABC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IndyCar_Series_on_NBC

[Doctorindy]

https://doctorindy.com/2022/07/23/indy-500-on-television-part-1-1949-1963/

I'm wrapping up Part 2 (1964-1970). I hope to have finished in the next few weeks.

If I can get to it, Part 3 (1971-1985) could be done in May.

[STAND E]

Awesome Doctorindy. Your Part 1 guide is great. I am a supporting member of the IMS museum so I will try to find out their story on old tapes and films.

[lotuspoweredbyford]

Awesome Doctorindy. Your Part 1 guide is great. I am a supporting member of the IMS museum so I will try to find out their story on old tapes and films.

There’s not much of a story to tell. Other than the work I did on it trying to get the OTT off the ground, to my knowledge the Bailey films and Mueller films haven’t been digitized fully. Some of the Baileys have. I don’t know if any of that is back from California or not.

That’s the only stuff that the facility in the infield owns the rights to put on YouTube. They don’t own the rights to any ABC races, IMS and ABC jointly own those, no matter what the facility in the infield might say.

[lotuspoweredbyford]

I am a supporting member of the IMS museum

I’m sorry.

[STAND E]

Tell us more lotuspoweredbyford! What is OTT? What are the Bailey and Mueller films? Thanks for working on these things.

[lotuspoweredbyford]

Tell us more lotuspoweredbyford! What is OTT? What are the Bailey and Mueller films? Thanks for working on these things.

I don't want to go too much into it because it will just make me even madder than I already am.

Basically, when I was at the facility in the infield I was working on several projects, one of them the vintage radio broadcast project, one of them the film project.

The plan (at one point, long story) was to develop an OTT (over-the-top) "channel" to end up on Pluto TV and/or Roku Live TV using the film content that the facility in the infield actually owns the rights to.

This content would be the "Bailey" films, (the short 30-minute race recap films produced by Fred Bailey's Race Film Productions), which the facility in the infield owns the rights to (despite all the people ripping them off and putting them on YouTube or using them in their crappy YouTube videos.

In addition, the facility in the infield owns the rights to the "Mueller" films, which are the films shot by videographer Dale Mueller prior to his tragic death (and the death of two others) in an accident at the 1966 USAC Tony Bettenhausen 100 at Springfield.

The plan was to have all of the films digitized and basically do what the NHRA has done, which is to have a continuous "channel" of vintage content on Roku Live TV and Pluto TV.

This would not have included any ABC race broadcasts, since the facility in the infield doesn't own the content.

I had some of the Bailey films digitized for the project and a pilot program but then they got rid of the whole staff except for a couple of their favorites, so that was that. The End.

[Doctorindy]

https://doctorindy.com/2023/03/09/indy-500-on-television-part-2-1964-1970/

Part 2

[aracefan]

https://doctorindy.com/2023/03/09/in...t-2-1964-1970/

Part 2

Tremendous! Most in-depth survey of the MCA telecasts I've seen. (Once MCA made it known it was bowing out, agent-promoter Mark McCormack tried to convince IMS to let his IMG operation do a closed-circuit telecast, but IMS went to ABC.)

[aracefan]

I don't want to go too much into it because it will just make me even madder than I already am.

Basically, when I was at the facility in the infield I was working on several projects, one of them the vintage radio broadcast project, one of them the film project.

The plan (at one point, long story) was to develop an OTT (over-the-top) "channel" to end up on Pluto TV and/or Roku Live TV using the film content that the facility in the infield actually owns the rights to.

This content would be the "Bailey" films, (the short 30-minute race recap films produced by Fred Bailey's Race Film Productions), which the facility in the infield owns the rights to (despite all the people ripping them off and putting them on YouTube or using them in their crappy YouTube videos.

In addition, the facility in the infield owns the rights to the "Mueller" films, which are the films shot by videographer Dale Mueller prior to his tragic death (and the death of two others) in an accident at the 1966 USAC Tony Bettenhausen 100 at Springfield.

The plan was to have all of the films digitized and basically do what the NHRA has done, which is to have a continuous "channel" of vintage content on Roku Live TV and Pluto TV.

This would not have included any ABC race broadcasts, since the facility in the infield doesn't own the content.

I had some of the Bailey films digitized for the project and a pilot program but then they got rid of the whole staff except for a couple of their favorites, so that was that. The End.

Thanks for all you did.

[Eric Paddon]

https://doctorindy.com/2023/03/09/in...t-2-1964-1970/

Part 2

Great job! The only corrections I'd note is that the British Pathe Newsreel footage of 66-67 and the CBS news reports from 69-70 do not feature any MCA closed-circuit material. Those come from film sourced material done by the cameramen for the newsreel company and by CBS.

Also, ABC's 1970 telecast I believe was using the MCA closed circuit broadcast for their week later replay on Wide World Of Sports. It was pretty much standard for ABC to utilize a closed circuit broadcast and then dub their own commentators in later on with boxing matches, but I think they avoided using the MCA broadcast in 66-69 simply because it had aired in B/W and ABC was by then conscientiously putting on everything on Wide World Of Sports in color. But the 1970 color closed circuit broadcast meant they were finally okay using that source recording (had MCA aired the race in color in 66-69 I'm sure ABC would have used that footage instead with an after-the-fact commentary dubbed in).

[Doctorindy]

Great job! The only corrections I'd note is that the British Pathe Newsreel footage of 66-67 and the CBS news reports from 69-70 do not feature any MCA closed-circuit material. Those come from film sourced material done by the cameramen for the newsreel company and by CBS.

Also, ABC's 1970 telecast I believe was using the MCA closed circuit broadcast for their week later replay on Wide World Of Sports. It was pretty much standard for ABC to utilize a closed circuit broadcast and then dub their own commentators in later on with boxing matches, but I think they avoided using the MCA broadcast in 66-69 simply because it had aired in B/W and ABC was by then conscientiously putting on everything on Wide World Of Sports in color. But the 1970 color closed circuit broadcast meant they were finally okay using that source recording (had MCA aired the race in color in 66-69 I'm sure ABC would have used that footage instead with an after-the-fact commentary dubbed in).

I went ahead and made that clarification. I should note that I made sure to note that the newsreel footage only appeared that it might have been from the feed, and made sure not state with certainty that it was. If it isn't, than it isn't. It just looked like some of it could have been.

The MCA closed circuit broadcasts are sort of a buried history of the 500. It was a brief chapter, and by most contemporary accounts, never really met its expectations or potential. It was said to be a money-loser in the long run, and year after year, had technical difficulties that never seemed to go away....never fixed or solved. Maybe it was just too big of an undertaking for the day. It was a treat for the die hard fans longing to see something live, but even they seemed to pan the production after a few years. You just couldn't beat being there...or listening to Sid Collins on the radio.

Next up will be the Tape Delay era (1971-1985).