Just how important is NASCAR?
During Sunday's NASCAR Checker Auto Parts 500 race in Phoenix, Ariz., a powerful storm tore across East Central Indiana, forming a line that covered the length of Interstate 69 from Indianapolis to Blackford County, north of Muncie.
The situation was ripe for a tornado as Indianapolis television stations FOX-59, WTHR Channel 13, WISH-TV Channel 8 and WRTV Channel 6 immediately sent out tornado warnings and interrupted regularly-scheduled programming to cover the weather situation.
When weather reports interrupted the auto race, several NASCAR fans began calling WTHR Channel 13, demanding that the race be put back on the air.
Eventually the station relented, putting the race coverage in a picture-in-picture so as to appease both the race fans and the Hoosiers who were fearing for their lives.
Meanwhile, a tornado touched down in Hartford City, injuring three people and causing major structural damage to a Marsh supermarket. Some people were trapped inside the store by debris after the collapse of a wall and part of the store's roof.
According to WTHR-TV reports, at least two tornadoes were reported in Adams county in northeast Indiana, and just across the state line, a tornado killed at least one person in Van Wert, Ohio.
Television stations have been fielding complaints from angry viewers for years. During the funeral of John F. Kennedy in 1963, for example, stations interrupted regularly scheduled programming to cover the procession. Viewers wasted no time calling to complain about missed soap operas.
Even during the storms of Sept. 20, 2002, which ravaged Indianapolis and leveled apartment complexes, homes and retail stores, viewers were calling to complain as well.
The primary function of television is to inform, not to entertain. Those viewers who were angered at interrupted programming should keep in mind that a breaking news or weather situation is far more important than any sporting event or daytime drama.
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