Al Martin

WKAR Public Media, an award-winning PBS member station, premiered “Beyond the Score with Al Martin,” on Thursday, December 14, 2023 on WKAR-TV in mid-Michigan. The special edition sports magazine show explores stories where sports and society intersect.

“Beyond the Score” was also streamed live at YouTube/wkar and in the free PBS App.

In this WKAR original special, former Lansing-area quarterback Michael Lynn III shares his experiences before, during, and after taking a knee; a boxing coach's adaptive job-sharing program makes a big impact in Lansing; and pickleball is popping up all over mid-Michigan.

“This show aims to be different from other local sports TV shows,” said Al Martin, WKAR sports host and reporter. “It’s not about the score or predicting who will win or lose. We’re telling stories that connect sports to larger issues in our community.”

“During our 100th anniversary celebration last year, we renewed our commitment to listening to the people who give us purpose – all of our current and future WKAR friends and supporters,” said Shawn Turner, WKAR general manager. “Our goal is clear. We want to better understand what programming, collaborations, and events matter most to our community. We have a new strategic plan that will guide these efforts and we are already planning to roll out more new programming in 2024 than in the past several years. ‘Beyond the Score with Al Martin’ is one of the first new show ideas to come out of this process.”

The “Beyond the Score” special is supported in part by Capital Insurance Services.