Ken Squier, co-founder of Motor Racing Network and its first anchor, has died. He was 88.
“Squier, also known for his time broadcasting NASCAR on the CBS Television Network and later with TBS, had just entered hospice care earlier in the day on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, after a long series of illnesses,” MRN said in an announcement.
It said that Squier was personally selected by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., to build a nationwide network of radio stations starting in 1970.
“Of course, Squier started with the obvious, his family owned WDEV(AM/FM) in Waterbury, Vt., and Daytona Beach’s WNDB(AM), both of which still air MRN programming today, and then went on to add hundreds more stations to air the very first MRN broadcast of the Daytona 500 in 1970.”
It quoted MRN President Chris Schwartz saying, “Whether from a bed of a logging truck at the Morrisville (Vt.) Speedway, or high atop the grandstands of ‘The Great American Race’ in Daytona, Ken Squier’s eloquent voice entertained and educated millions of race fans, no matter the medium. His passion for stock car racing contributed mightily to its rapid growth throughout his 70-plus year career.”
Paul Kaminski, a Radio World contributor, radio journalist and host of “Radio-Road-Test,” told Radio World: “If not for Ken Squier and the mandate he was given by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. to build a radio network, that sport would not have reached the popularity it has today.”
