IndyCar Weekly will air live on indycar.com

IndyCar Weekly, a radio show hosted by Mike King, lead announcer for the IMS Radio Network, will air live on indycar.com beginning March 30.

The show will be broadcast every Monday through mid-October from 7-8 p.m. (ET). Many weeks IndyCar Weekly will follow the Firestone Indy Lights race show and IndyCar Series race replay that will air on VERSUS from 4-7 p.m.

IndyCar Weekly, which will feature special guests, listener Q&As and timely news from the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights, will be produced for IMS Radio Network affiliates’ replay during the week. It’s also available via Podcast and archived for listening on demand on indycar.com.

“It’s more interactive; that’s the best part about it," King said. “We want to carry over that momentum from the weekend broadcast. We found last year when we opened up the lines of communication between the broadcast booth and listeners and they were able to e-mail us questions we made instant connections. Now to be able to feature Davey Hamilton in a segment that’s live and to be able to have a driver from the IndyCar Series or Firestone Indy Lights on live, it just makes it that much more interactive."

IndyCar Weekly augments the IMS Radio Network’s coverage of IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights on indycar.com and its nationwide affiliate stations. According to independent media research firm Gfk, the IMS Radio Network broadcast of the 2008 Indianapolis 500 drew an average quarter-hour audience of more than 6.5 million.

With 95 percent of Americans listening to radio in some form on a weekly basis, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, the medium is a familiar and relevant part of their everyday lives.

“What you begin to realize is how many people still follow the IndyCar Series through radio," King says. “We also were amazed last year with the penetration in so many countries through indycar.com by having our audio streamed live with the video (for all practice and qualification sessions and Firestone Indy Lights races). At 11 a.m. Pacific time on a Friday practice day at Infineon, we had 250 e-mails from a half-dozen countries. You realize how vast the medium is.

“That’s why we’re happy to do this show live on indycar.com and then be able to give it to our affiliates."