It was early 1977 and I was having a beer in the Riverside International Raceway’s media hovel with Robert E. “Pete” Petersen, head of the Petersen publishing empire. On the track, Richard Petty was leading the NASCAR Winston Cup 200 miler. I said, “Pete, how about motorsports on TV … I think I started the whole thing in Chicago, 1966.” He countered with “No way…we at the magazine were televising hot rods, putting on car shows in the alley behind KTLA in Beverly Hills, in the late 1950s.”
Me: “That’s not the same thing. I’m talking about a real weekly show … scripted … ongoing. My Chicago 1966-67 show was on the tube for 150 weeks, in a major market.” Pete said, “Since when isn’t L.A. a major market?” “Apples and oranges,” I replied as he headed for his stretch limo.
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It was early 1977 and I was having a beer in the Riverside International Raceway’s media hovel with Robert E. “Pete” Petersen, head of the Petersen publishing empire. On the track, Richard Petty was leading the NASCAR Winston Cup 200 miler. I said, “Pete, how about motorsports on TV … I think I started the whole thing in Chicago, 1966.” He countered with “No way…we at the magazine were televising hot rods, putting on car shows in the alley behind KTLA in Beverly Hills, in the late 1950s.”
