Indianapolis is a sports town, and when big events come to Indy, residents have many choices when it comes to sports news. News consumers can learn a lot by looking at how local outlets covered the Indianapolis 500.
It’s not every year that the 500 sells out, but when it does, Indy residents can watch it on local TV. (When it doesn’t sell out, our market is subject to a local blackout of the coverage.) For the second year in a row, the event was sold out and FOX59 aired the “greatest spectacle in racing” to Indy residents.
Of course, fans are interested in the coverage of the race itself, but I was more interested in how local newsrooms provided information tailored to those of us living in this region. After all, when you live here, your information interests and needs are different from those of race fans living in other cities. I analyzed a large body of local coverage from six newsrooms. I wanted to know what the staff at various news outlets thought news consumers needed. Do editors and producers know what their audiences want from news coverage?
As residents, we should expect a lot from local coverage. We want behind-the-scenes stories, practical information about the race and related events, details about how it impacts the community, and human interest stories. Reaping the benefits of proximity is the reason we tune into local reports and broadcasts. The newsrooms that serve Indy residents each set out to deliver something different. Knowing who does what will help you decide who to turn to in the future.
How did local newsrooms cover the Indy 500?
To explore this question, I analyzed almost 500 news stories for the 500, from TV stations, nonprofit and for-profit news outlets, a newsletter and the local Black press. I categorized stories published or aired between April 28 and May 26 as either stories about the race itself, stories about events surrounding the race, fan features, community events, driver profiles, or race history.
Here’s a synopsis of the coverage from FOX59, WTHR, IndyStar, Mirror Indy, The Indianapolis Recorder and Axios Indianapolis:
- IndyStar: IndyStar provided its readers with enough race details to satisfy everyone from 500 enthusiasts to casual observers. Through driver profiles, event highlights, and a front-row seat to all the action, coverage documented what it was like to be one of the 350,000 in attendance. IndyStar had the most content of all the outlets I looked at, with more than 250 stories dedicated to the race, mostly covering preliminary race events, qualifying rounds and race-day coverage.
- WTHR: Viewers got to see how their friends and neighbors were celebrating this annual pastime. WTHR’s stories captured a look at the community events surrounding the race. WTHR came in second in volume of content, with more than 130 stories. Of that, 25 stories focused on community events.
- Axios Indianapolis: If you are an Axios Indianapolis reader, you received brief, practical details about the 500 in this outlet’s newsletters. Whether attending the event, or trying to avoid it, readers got just enough information to plan their Memorial weekend accordingly.
- Mirror Indy: Mirror Indy readers got stories that no one else was telling, including fashion inspiration from Carb Day attendees and an environmental impact look at what the city of Speedway experiences every year due to the influx of people.
- Indianapolis Recorder: Readers got commentary on the evolution of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a handful of event and community highlights, enough to note the occurrence of the race this year.
- FOX59: FOX59 viewers were treated to a front-row seat to the race with live coverage. As the sole broadcaster to the sold-out race, FOX59 provided access to all the traditions, hallmarks, and people that make the event special, including the fans. Every weekday morning and evening, leading up to the race, they broadcast their news shows live from the track. Not counting its live broadcast hours, FOX59 posted 90 stories, with more than 30 covering details about the event, like celebrity appearances and schedule information.
The other outlets I profiled aren’t traditionally known for their sports coverage and had fewer than 10 stories covering the Indianapolis 500 each.
Comprehensive coverage accurately reflects community events
It is not my intent to tell you who did the best job covering this year’s Indianapolis 500. News is not one-size-fits-all. To further assess how local newsrooms did in their coverage, I looked at their approach and how else they reflected what happened in communities across the city during the month of May.
FOX59 News Director CJ Hoyt said the station relies on its institutional knowledge to meet its audience’s needs and expectations.
“The Indianapolis 500 is a major source of personal pride for the community,” he said. “It is a time when Indianapolis is the center of the sports world. They celebrate the fact that it’s known as the largest single-day sporting event in the world.”
FOX59 aggressively covered the event even before its affiliated network was home to the 500’s national broadcast coverage. In February, it aired a half-hour special 100 days out from the event and then another one on May 1. Every weekday morning and evening in May, leading up to the race, they broadcast live reports from the track. Race day coverage entails a seven-hour live broadcast ahead of the network’s national broadcast. The station had more than 50 staff members at the track the morning of the race.
One of the most unique stories about the race’s impact on the community was a Mirror Indy article about Speedway’s “urine trouble” at their wastewater treatment facilities each year as the population “explodes” due to attendees at IMS.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz said he came up with the story idea after monitoring Speedway’s water issues for some time. He noticed that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management cited the town for violations, including its inability to handle wastewater treatment issues.
“I just followed the threads, and it turned out to be a story I don’t think has been done before,” Saenz said.
WTHR reported on the benefits the business community gets from hosting the 500. They interviewed Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and shared a look at Speedway businesses.
In addition to its many stories and photos covering the race and fans, IndyStar covered couples inside and outside of IMS tying the knot and proposing marriage. For the newspaper, preparing for the event is a year-round effort, according to executive editor Ryan Martin. The Star’s visual editor, Max Gersh, processed more than 6,000 images on race day.
“Outside of sports, we think about the Indy 500 the way we think about any major event in our community — it belongs to everyone in Indianapolis, not just the people who can tell you the difference between an oval and a road course,” said Martin via email.
As news consumers, we turn to local news outlets with an expectation for comprehensive coverage for die-hard race fans, as well as for the merely curious. Local news outlets should approach race coverage with all segments of the community in mind. Balanced coverage means reporting on events beyond the results.
The Indy 500 is a great opportunity for you to think about your news consumption habits. Whether you were interested in the event or not, did you see stories that piqued your curiosity? Did you learn anything new this year? Did coverage help you navigate the city accordingly?
By looking at the coverage we consume about the 500 and where it came from, we can better understand what’s valuable to us and what newsrooms deliver. Having this insight makes us better new consumers as we refine our news diets.
Tracey Compton is Poynter’s Indianapolis Public Editor. You can send your questions about local media to her at indypubliceditor@poynter.org.
Mirror Indy publishes the Indianapolis public editor columns as part of a partnership with Poynter Institute to increase media literacy and trust in local journalism.
