Sounds From Indy May Not Be Heard in L.A. This Year

Radio station KLAC, under new management, has dropped the Indianapolis 500, auto racing’s premier event. So far, no other Los Angeles station is planning to carry the May 26 race, making this the only market in the country where it won’t be heard.

Since there is no live TV coverage, the race is probably the biggest sports event of the year for radio.

Announcer Paul Page of Indianapolis said that KLAC management did not tell race network officials it was not going to carry the race until mid-April. “By then, the general managers of other stations in L.A. thought it was too late to change their schedules and sell commercial time,” Page said.

KLAC General Manager Vernon Ore, asked why his station had decided not to carry the race, said: “I really can’t remember exactly why.

“About a month or two ago, we got a form letter that looked like something that was sent out to all radio stations. It had stipulations which we didn’t like. We sent the form letter back and never heard from anyone after that.”

Page said there are generally 13 commercial spots per hour during the broadcast, with six being sold by the network, seven by the station. A station’s fee to carry the race is less than $1,000, he said.

Russ Arnold, director of the Indy network, said he was unaware that KLAC had changed hands. “KLAC has been carrying the Indy 500 forever,” he said. “We sent them a standard contract. We thought everything would be routine. We were surprised when they sent the contract back and said they didn’t want to carry the race.”

Ore is the same executive who wanted to move Jim Healy to mornings, and ended up losing him to KMPC.

Now that Patrick Ewing apparently is headed for the New York Knicks, their coach, Hubie Brown, may not be available to work NBA playoff games for CBS. He may be busy coaching in them.

Unless you happen to be a Knick fan, that is a shame.

Brown is the best NBA commentator CBS has had since Rick Barry, whose problem was getting along with co-workers.

It’s not just that Brown is knowledgeable. There are a lot of knowledgeable basketball people. Brown, however, communicates that knowledge well, giving the viewer insight in a low-key, articulate manner.

Brown is a natural, basketball’s version of John Madden. Just hand ‘em the mike and let ‘em go.

Brown appears comfortable when announcing. But appearances are sometimes misleading.

“Whether I’m coaching or announcing, I’m very nervous,” he said last weekend while he was here for the first game of the Western Conference final series between the Lakers and Denver Nuggets. “What helps me a lot is working with Brent Musburger, (director) Bob Fishman and (producer) Bob Stenner. It’s a four-man team--three pros and one novice, and I’m the novice. I never forget that.”

Add Brown: His broadcasting experience is minimal. He got his first job as a commentator after being fired as coach of the Atlanta Hawks in 1981. He worked 24 NBA games for the USA cable network the next season. Then during the playoffs that season, CBS used Brown as a commentator on three games and had him and Kevin Loughery in what was called the “coaches’ corner” to add comments during the championship series.

He became the Knicks’ coach before the 1982-83 season, but CBS has continued to use him during the playoffs when he is available. He and Musburger will work the remaining Laker-Nugget games. Game 3 tonight in Denver will be televised at 11:30 p.m., and Game 4 Sunday will be on at 3 p.m., provided the Colonial golf tournament doesn’t run long.

Brown, a methodical and organized coach, approaches announcing the same way. “I write down 20 points I want to make during a telecast,” he said. “I have a blue folder I keep them in.”

As for Brown going into broadcasting full time some day, that’s probably down the road. He still has three years left on his contract with the Knicks, and because of Sunday’s NBA lottery, the team’s future appears much brighter.

Record attempt: Carl Lewis will compete only in the long jump in Saturday’s Pepsi Invitational track meet at UCLA because he will be going all-out in an attempt to break Bob Beamon’s 17-year-old record of 29 feet 2 1/2 inches. ABC is offering live coverage on “Wide World of Sports,” and there will be no blackout in Los Angeles.

Because of the record possibility, ABC has hired Beamon to work with announcers Jim Lampley and Marty Liquori.

“I’m glad I have the opportunity to be there,” Beamon said from his home in Miami before heading for Los Angeles.

And what does he think of Lewis’ chances of breaking the record? “He’s capable of doing it,” Beamon said. “He has the talent. But it’s hard to say when he’ll break it. Maybe he’ll never do it.”

Add track meet: “Wide World” will start at 1 p.m. Saturday, with ABC’s coverage of the Preakness beginning at 2.

In addition to the men’s long jump competition in the Pepsi meet, ABC plans to cover the men’s mile with Joaquim Cruz and Steve Scott, the women’s 400 with Jarmila Kratochvilova, the Czech wonder woman, and the women’s 200 with Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Florence Griffith and Merlene Ottey-Page. ABC probably will also offer taped coverage of the women’s 800 since Kratochvilova will run in that race as well.

“We hope to cover other events too, providing there is time,” an ABC spokesman said.

Besides the track meet on the one-hour “Wide World” show Saturday, there will be taped coverage of today’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico, plus live pre-race reports on the Preakness.

Notes

Tonight’s Laker game at Denver won’t be televised by CBS until 11:30, but what’s worse is that Game 4 of the Celtic-76er series Sunday will not be televised at all in Los Angeles because of the Colonial golf tournament. CBS should forget about golf during the NBA playoffs, especially now. . . . Last Saturday, NBC televised the Dodgers’ game against Pittsburgh live from Dodger Stadium but assigned Vin Scully to a game in Kansas City, which was not seen here. This Saturday, NBC will televise the Yankee-Angel game live from Anaheim Stadium at 12:15 p.m. but has assigned Scully to a game between the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs in Atlanta, which will go to 60% of the nation but not Los Angeles. Surely, Scully would rather spend the weekend at home. And surely, most L.A. viewers prefer Scully and sidekick Joe Garagiola.

NBC is treating Monday night’s fight between Larry Holmes and Carl (The Truth) Williams in Reno as a major event. The network is bringing in its top production people to work the fight, and tons of equipment. Executive producer Mike Weisman will be on hand to oversee the production. . . . Dick Enberg will be the telecast host, with Marv Albert and Ferdie Pacheco calling the action. . . . NBC will superimpose a clock in the lower right corner of the screen that will go from zero to 3 minutes instead of starting at 3 minutes and counting down. . . . Fight coverage will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, with Marvis Frazier facing James (Quick) Tillis in a scheduled 10-round preliminary. . . . The last time NBC televised a heavyweight title fight in prime time was Nov. 23, 1983, when Holmes knocked out Frazier in the first round. In the preliminary fight that night, Ray (Boom Boom) Mancini knocked out Johnny Torres in the first round. NBC has prepared several features in case Monday night’s fights are short, but a network spokesman said, “We hope we don’t have to use them.” One that probably won’t make it is on great upsets in boxing. That one will be shown only if Holmes loses.

Ratings game: This is one time of year basketball outdraws baseball in L.A. The Lakers and Nuggets got an 11.2 Nielsen rating Saturday, the Celtics and 76ers a 9.6 Sunday. The Dodgers on NBC Saturday got a 9.4, the Angels on Channel 5 Saturday night a 7.1. . . . Radio beat: Simi Valley station KWNK 670 is now the only station carrying the Express. The announcers are Randy Rosenbloom and Ron Glazier. . . . KFOX sportscaster Fred Wallin is leaving the station to work for KEX in Portland, where he will do a nightly two-hour sports talk show beginning Monday. . . . Harvey Sheldon is now doing a half-hour sports news and commentary show for KIEV weeknights at 10:30 p.m.