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KIRO's live Seafair Hydroplane Race coverage comes to an end

C

crainbebo

After 66 years, a staple of summer on Seattle's TV airwaves will no longer be broadcast live. The Seafair boat races and Blue Angels will no longer air live on KIRO. The ratings have fallen over the past several years, and it's costly to have a crew out there running 7-8 hours of preshow, heats, Blue Angels and final races. Long ago, all three Seattle stations aired Seafair coverage live, but KOMO/KING bailed out in the 1970s. Some really cool, old pictures on the link. KIRO will likely air a recap show after the races are over instead, so they can get more audience (and less hours live).

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...air-hydroplane-race-tv-coverage-sputters-out/

P.S. - I'm proud to own a nearly-complete 1988 broadcast on VHS, complete with the hydroplane races. I've got to convert that to DVD soon!
 
crainbebo said:
After 66 years, a staple of summer on Seattle's TV airwaves will no longer be broadcast live. The Seafair boat races and Blue Angels will no longer air live on KIRO. The ratings have fallen over the past several years, and it's costly to have a crew out there running 7-8 hours of preshow, heats, Blue Angels and final races. Long ago, all three Seattle stations aired Seafair coverage live, but KOMO/KING bailed out in the 1970s. Some really cool, old pictures on the link. KIRO will likely air a recap show after the races are over instead, so they can get more audience (and less hours live).

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...air-hydroplane-race-tv-coverage-sputters-out/

P.S. - I'm proud to own a nearly-complete 1988 broadcast on VHS, complete with the hydroplane races. I've got to convert that to DVD soon!
Click to expand...

Wow...another piece of Seattle history is gone! The live broadcasts of the hydroplane races were the highlight of the summer in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. And KIRO coverage was legendary. But, honestly, the ratings were anemic according to the article. I guess the Microsoft and Amazon imports are not the least bit interested in a fun part of Seattle history.
 
Yeah, it's kind of sad. End of an era. The Unlimited Racing group (or whatever they call themselves now) have been in disarray for years, and it's only gotten worse. When large team owners and sponsors started bailing from the sport, switching to motorsports like NASCAR, then when Bernie Little died, Unlimited Hydroplane racing has been circling the drain. Add-up the loss of interest in boat racing, greedy and delusional Seafair officials charging ridiculous premium rates for exclusive broadcast rights, and the churn of population caused by the Amazon labor influx, and here is another example of the good old days of Seattle sports and events fading into history, to never return.
 
While there is a lot of nostalgia with Seafair, the city has changed to the extent that most simply don't get it. In the 50's, there was little going on in Seattle. Perhaps minor league baseball and Husky football was about it. Pure small market stuff. Today, with the success of the Seahawks, Mariners, (uh-hum...), and talk of bringing in the NHL, and bringing back the NBA. the city is a much different place. The H1 unlimiteds have only five scheduled events this summer. Five! This event has always been more a party than a spectator sport in Seattle, and ceased becoming a significant tv event decades ago. That being said, there is still a small group of fanatics who follow the sport. Key word being "small".
 
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Cultural preferences seem to be changing as well. NASCAR attendance is down and TV viewing is off. There are several reasons of course but a common one seems to be the lack of interest of "young" people. Add to that hydroplane racing was usually pretty boring and received the same criticism that following NASCAR circle track racing. The phenomenal expense left it a billionaires pursuit and it pretty much eliminated the average fan. And how many boats actually showed up and qualified for a race - nine or ten? If you like boat racing there are other forms which are much more exciting.

Hydroplane racing was essentially a place to see and be seen for the movers and shakers similar to the Kentucky Derby, offshore powerboat racing, F1 and the Super Bowl.
 
My best memories of hydroplane racing are back in the 80s with Chip Hanauer in the Squire Shop battling the Budweiser and others. One could argue that turbine engines ruined the sport. The piston boats had a certain sound and there was more of a level playing field. Not a surprise that TV coverage is going away. A number of sports are struggling to find younger viewers who are more interested in watching MMA these days.
 
Honestly, as I think about it further, Seattle is lucky to have had televised hydroplane races as long as they did. Most cities either never televised local events or they went away years ago.
 
formeraa said:
Honestly, as I think about it further, Seattle is lucky to have had televised hydroplane races as long as they did. Most cities either never televised local events or they went away years ago.
Click to expand...

The concept of Seattle coverage of the hydros is two-fold. First, as I mentioned above, there wasn't much going on in the Seattle market in the 50's and 60's. So it became big by osmosis. The other part of it was competition within the big three in Seattle then (KOMO, KIRO, and KING). The fact that all three net affiliates covered the races made them bigger than than they actually were.

Soon, it became apparent that all three affiliates need not cover this event...my best guess is around 1972.

By the late 90's only KIRO-TV covered it live. I certainly admire them for trying to hang on to a Seattle tradition. But it finally caught up with them. It just is a waste of talent and advertising at the end of the day.

The H1 circuit is in trouble, and this is perhaps while KIRO dropped out. However, it will still remain a Seattle party, atleast for now. But a live broadcast of a party is not revenue generating television.
 
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KNDU's Rob Jesselson claimed that SWX (25.3) is now the only over-the-air channel in the country that will air hydroplane racing - the Columbia Cup in Kennewick.
I just miss seeing Miss Budweiser and the late Bernie Little. But I used to root on Oh Boy! Oberto every year after the Budweiser boat left the circuit. I hope to get that 8/7/1988 KIRO broadcast posted soon, one 15-minute part at a time.
 
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