Cox Enjoys Billion Dollar Growth Using The Auto Channel Business Plan

Co-Founder’s Note The truth has been churning inside my gut for more Than 33 years, now that I'm 84 old and ill it's time to let it out: During 1993-1994 The Auto Channel creators convinced Cox that a profitable future automotive network was coverage of Total Automotive — not just motorsports .

Three decades later, the structure and success of Cox Automotive reflects the broader vision we originally presented — and documented — at the very beginning.

In 1993, our first discussions with Cox about their initial concept was to build The Auto Channel into a cable television entity focused on motorsports. but The founders of The Auto Channel argued for a fundamentally different approach: that long-term success would come from serving the entire automotive ecosystem — consumers, manufacturers, dealers, and the full spectrum of mobility — not just racing and we were right.

Over an extended period, The Auto Channel shared its proprietary research, strategic direction, and business planning as part of what we understood to be serious partnership discussions. These included C-level meetings in Atlanta, cable industry conventions, meetings in Louisville, and ongoing, near-daily communication with Cox operational leadership.

We were consistently led to believe that an agreement existed in principle. Based on those representations, we continued providing detailed planning and supporting materials for what was envisioned as a comprehensive automotive television and cable network — not a niche motorsports channel.

At that time, in the broadcasting world, a handshake still carried weight. We operated in good faith and expected the same in return.

What followed did not align with those expectations. The outcome led us to conclude that the vision, structure, and strategic framework we developed had been utilized without the partnership we had been led to expect. This ultimately resulted in federal litigation seeking substantial damages. While the court ruled against us, the marketplace itself has since provided a far more meaningful verdict.

Look at Cox Automotive today.

It is not built around a narrow motorsports model. It reflects a broad, integrated automotive platform — precisely the direction we advocated from the outset.

More than 30 years later, we retain extensive documentation of those early discussions, plans, and communications. The historical record remains available for anyone interested in understanding how these ideas evolved — and where they originated.

The vision was clear then. Time has confirmed it.

Bob Gordon