WTHR
FCC | |
Facility ID | 70162 |
---|---|
ERP |
|
HAAT | 299 m (981 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 39°55′43″N 86°10′55″W / 39.92861°N 86.18194°W |
Translator(s) | WALV-CD 13.13 (17.7 UHF) Indianapolis (city) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
WTHR (channel 13) is a
History
WLWI
The station first signed on the air on October 30, 1957, as WLWI. Founded by the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation, it originally operated as an ABC affiliate,[4][5] taking the affiliation from Bloomington-licensed WTTV (channel 4, now a CBS affiliate), which had affiliated with the network one year earlier. WLWI was an ABC affiliate for the next 22 years. It also made an arrangement with National Educational Television to carry the first season of Sesame Street until WFYI (channel 20), the PBS member station in Indianapolis, signed on in 1970.[6]
WLWI was one of four Crosley stations that made up the WLW Television Network. The other stations, all in Ohio, were the regional network's
From 1957 to 1962, the station was tied up in one of the most heated licensing disputes in early television history. The
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals overturned the FCC's decision in 1958, but allowed Crosley to continue running the station pending further action by the FCC. In 1961, the FCC awarded Fairbanks the channel 13 license, but Crosley appealed. The following year, Crosley and Fairbanks reached a deal in which Crosley traded WLWA to Fairbanks in return for being allowed to keep WLWI; both stations became sister stations in 2019 when the now-WXIA-TV owner Tegna acquired channel 13.[citation needed]
Amid this instability in ownership, WLWI found the going rather difficult. It was also dogged by a weaker network affiliation; ABC would not be on an equal footing with CBS and NBC in the
WTHR
In late 1974, Avco Broadcasting Corporation (which Crosley Broadcasting was renamed in 1968) announced it was exiting the broadcasting business in an effort to raise cash. The Wolfe family, owners of the
Meanwhile, ABC gradually rose to first place during the decade and was seeking out stronger affiliates in many markets. At the same time, NBC tumbled to last place among the
On April 7, 1991, WTHR participated in an experiment in which it moved NBC prime time programming one hour earlier (mirroring the scheduling of the network's prime time lineup in the
Channel 13 first saw a significant ratings boost in the mid-1990s, buoyed by NBC's stronger programming as well as improvements in its news department. It has long since left its ratings-challenged past behind, and is now one of the strongest NBC affiliates in the nation.[citation needed]
On September 2, 2007, WTHR celebrated its 50th anniversary;[14] the station used the song "Carousels (Dreaming of Tomorrow)" by Columbus-based rock band Alamoth Lane in an image campaign to promote the event (the song was also used in a market campaign by Columbus sister station WBNS to promote its upgrade to high definition newscasts).[15][16][17]
WTHR shut down its analog signal, over
In February 2009, WTHR began affiliating its third subchannel with Universal Sports.[20] Starting in August 2009, WTHR preempted regular programming on the subchannel for high school football and basketball games under the titles, Operation Football Live and Operation Basketball Live, with marketing support from VYPE High School Sports Magazine.[21] WTHR formerly operated the SkyTrak Weather Network, which was carried on WALV-CD (channel 50, now on channel 46, where the service first launched in 2000) and simulcast on digital subchannel 13.2.[22]
On December 14, 2011, the Dispatch Broadcast Group signed an agreement with MeTV to affiliate with WTHR; the station began carrying the classic television network on its second digital subchannel on January 1, 2012, replacing Universal Sports (which converted into a cable- and satellite-only network on that date).[23] On January 25, 2013, WALV-CD/WTHR .2 affiliated with the classic television and lifestyle network Cozi TV replacing SkyTrak Weather Network.[24]
For the 2016 Summer Olympics from August 8 to 19, some of WTHR's syndicated programming was moved to WALV and its other subchannel.[25] By May 26, 2017, WALV-CD began broadcasting MeTV, which stayed on WTHR 13.3, dropping Cozi TV programming. However, Cozi was retained by WTHR.2.[26]
Due to reception problems in parts of
On June 11, 2019, Dispatch announced it would sell its broadcasting assets, including WTHR and WALV-CD, to
Until the start of 2024, WTHR broadcast the country network Circle on its sixth digital subchannel. When Circle switched from an OTA network to a ad-supported streaming channel, the 13.6 subchannel was deleted.[citation needed] The subchannel remained off the air for a month before it returned to the air with The Nest in February 2024. [31]
Programming
Sports programming
From the arrival of the Indianapolis Colts in 1984 until 1997, WTHR (through NBC's rights to AFC games) aired regular season games televised locally with WISH-TV (channel 8) from 1984 until 1993 (for select games televised by CBS in which the Colts play against an NFC opponent), with WRTV—until 2005—carrying non-preseason games via ABC's Monday Night Football on occasions when a game involving the Colts was scheduled.
Since
From
With the transition of broadcast television rights to the Indianapolis 500 to NBC in 2019, WTHR replaced WRTV (which had carried the race since 1980) as the local broadcaster of the race, returning the race to WTHR for the first time since 1979 (when it was an ABC station). As per longstanding policies, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will require WTHR to black out the live broadcast locally to encourage residents and tourists to attend the race, though it will allow WTHR to air the race on tape delay that night. As WRTV did, NBC's prime time schedule and the race broadcast are transposed and air in reverse order, under a special dispensation from the network. However, speedway officials have stated they would allow a live broadcast on WTHR if the race sells out before race day.[33] The 2020 race (delayed from its usual date) aired on WTHR on August 23 due to attendance restrictions put in place before August 4, when IMS owner Roger Penske announced there would be no public admission for any of the year's events due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.[34]
On May 27, 2021, IMS lifted the local blackout for the Indianapolis 500 for WTHR as all 135,000 tickets were sold. The event was restricted to 40% capacity to allow for social distancing. It would be the first time the race was televised live in Indianapolis in its entirety for two consecutive years (WRTV did the same thing in 1949 and 1950, but only aired parts of the race).[35]
Since 2023, WTHR carries any
News operation
WTHR presently broadcasts nearly 42 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with seven hours each weekday, three hours on Saturdays and four hours on Sundays).
For most of its first four decades in the air, channel 13's newscasts had placed third in the ratings behind WISH and WRTV. The Wolfes made a large investment in the news department after taking over the station. Combined with NBC's prime time lineup as a lead-in, WTHR's ratings saw a modest uptick in the 1980s and early 1990s, but not enough to get it out of third place.
WTHR's newscasts surged to second place in 1996 after it hired former CBS News correspondent John Stehr as anchor of its evening newscasts around the same time that WRTV saw its ratings plummet following a botched format change. For the next three years, the station waged a pitched battle with then-dominant WISH for first place. In 1999, the station's Eyewitness News broadcasts surged past then-dominant WISH in several key timeslots, finishing in first place for the first time in its history. It eventually overtook WISH-TV for first in all news timeslots in 2002. The station's ratings lead—which WTHR emphasizes in the slogan it adopted upon taking first place full-time, "Indiana's News Leader"—began to narrow in 2010 as WISH-TV and Fox affiliate WXIN (channel 59) saw viewership gains that year as WTHR's ratings steadily decreased in certain timeslots, especially on weekday mornings. Despite decreased ratings for NBC's prime time schedule since the 2004–05 season, WTHR remains in a close battle with WISH for the #1 slot in the 11 p.m. timeslot.[36]
As NBC affiliates in several larger markets switched network affiliations and/or dropped the Eyewitness News format over the past three decades, WTHR was the largest NBC affiliate to use the Eyewitness News brand continuously until March 25, 2020 (
On March 16, 1996, WTHR began producing a nightly half-hour 10 p.m. newscast for
On November 12, 2006, beginning with the 11 p.m. newscast, WTHR became the first television station in Indiana to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in
In June 2011, WTHR began offering newscast segments for free streaming on the Roku digital video player.[39] On February 24, 2014, the station expanded its weekday morning newscast by a half-hour to 4 a.m.[40] On June 23, 2014, The Indianapolis Star announced that it would end its content partnership with WTHR, and enter into a new content agreement with Fox affiliate WXIN beginning on August 1.[41]
On March 25, 2020, WTHR adopted Tegna's standardized news graphics and "
Awards and honors
WTHR has received national honors for its news reporting over the years, including
The station earned two national
Notable current on-air staff
- Anne Marie Tiernon – weeknights
Notable former on-air staff
- KAAL-TV in Austin, Minnesota; now CEO of TvNewsmentor.com)
- Mary Ann Childers – anchor (later co-anchor at WLS-TV and then WBBM-TV in Chicago)
- Carol Costello – reporter (later anchor at CNN and HLN)
- Gerry Dick – Inside Indiana Business host and moderator (Inside Indiana Business's flagship station is now WISH-TV)
- Jerry Harkness – sports anchor (1970s) (deceased)
- Mickey Mouse Club, later renamed The Bill Jackson Show (1963–1965) (deceased)
- Dick Johnson – reporter (former weekend evening anchor at WMAQ-TV in Chicago) (deceased)
- My Next Guest Needs No Introduction on Netflix)
- Paul Page – sports anchor/reporter (formerly with NBC Sports and ESPN)
- Mark Spain – weekend anchor (early 1990s; later at WJW in Cleveland, and WFOX-TV/WJAX-TV in Jacksonville, Florida, now with WSET in Lynchburg/Roanoke, Virginia)
- John Stehr – weeknights (1995–2018, retired from broadcasting; now mayor of Zionsville, Indiana)
- Meshach Taylor (as Bruce Taylor) – actor and former star of Designing Women, hosted a community-affairs program on WLWI in the 1970s (deceased)
- Henry Wofford – sports anchor/reporter (2005–2010; now at NBC Sports Bay Area in San Francisco)
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
13.01 | 1080i | 16:9 |
WTHR-HD | Main WTHR programming / NBC |
13.02 | 480i | Dabl | Dabl | |
13.03 | MeTV | MeTV (WALV-CD) | ||
13.04 | Crime | True Crime Network | ||
13.05 | Quest | Quest | ||
13.06 | Nest | The Nest |
References
- ^ a b c "Digital TV Market Listing for WTHR". RabbitEars.Info. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ a b .Mack, Justin L. (April 8, 2019). "This is who owns each of Indianapolis' local TV stations". Indianapolis Star. USA Today Network. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WTHR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "About WTHR". Dispatch Broadcast Group. Archived from the original on February 18, 2001.
- Broadcasting, April 1, 1957, pg. 126.
- ^ Shull, Richard K. (November 8, 1969). "'Sesame' Will Open, But Took Some Doing". The Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana. p. TV 1. Retrieved October 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Television Schedule". Marion Chronicle-Tribune. Marion, IN. May 30, 1979.
- ^ "WRTV Indianapolis latest to heed ABC's siren song" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 4, 1978. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Inman, Julia (December 13, 1978). "Channel 13 To Join NBC TV Network". The Indianapolis Star. p. 19.
- ^ a b "TV Week". The Indianapolis Star. May 27, 1979. p. 136. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 4, 1979. p. 30. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ "Channel 13's Owner Sues ABC". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis. Indianapolis Star. June 2, 1979. p. 35. Retrieved October 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ WTTV, WRTV discuss joint newscast, Indianapolis Business Journal, April 1, 1991.
- ^ "WTHR's 50th Anniversary promo" (FLV). WTHR-TV Indianapolis. September 2, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
- ^ "WBNS-TV Station Image Promo; Alamoth Lane - Carousels (Dreaming of Tomorrow)". WBNS-TV Columbus. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
- ^ "WBNS-TV Station Image Promo Version 1". WBNS-TV Columbus. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
- ^ "WBNS-TV Station Image Promo Version 2". WBNS-TV Columbus. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ "FCC DTV status report for WTHR".
- ^ Galer, Sara (February 13, 2009). "Universal Sports Network is on the air in central Indiana!". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "WTHR and Vype High School sports magazine announce partnership". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. August 25, 2009. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Channel 13 to launch weather network, Indianapolis Business Journal, October 25, 1999.
- ^ "Me-TV Adds Denver And Indianapolis Affiliates". TV News Check. December 14, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Mills, Warren (January 25, 2013). "Cozi-TV, Home to classic television". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "WTHR programming changes announced for 2016 Olympics". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. August 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "How to find MeTV on cable". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. May 26, 2017. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ WTHR to boost tower power on signal gripes, Indianapolis Business Journal, August 17, 2013.
- ^ Miller, Mark K. (June 11, 2019). "Tegna Buying Dispatch's WTHR, WBNS For $535M". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheckMedia. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
- ^ "Notice of Consent to Transfer" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ "TEGNA Completes Acquisition of Dispatch Broadcast Group's Leading, Top Ranked Stations in Indianapolis, IN and Columbus, OH". Tegna Inc. August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ Lafayette, Jon (February 20, 2024). "Sinclair's The Nest Gains Carriage on 35 Tegna Stations". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ WTHR To Air Two Indianapolis Colts Games, TVNewsCheck, August 6, 2013.
- Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "Indianapolis 500 to air live on WTHR" (Press release). WTHR. July 22, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "Indy 500 to air live on WTHR Channel 13". WTHR.com. Tegna Inc. May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ WTHR's status as TV news leader starting to erode, Indianapolis Business Journal, November 13, 2010.
- ^ Sunrise comes earlier on WTHR, Indianapolis Business Journal, April 25, 2005.
- ^ WTHR'S 'QUICK' SWITCH TO HD TOOK 10 YEARS, TVNewsCheck, February 14, 2007.
- ^ "Get WTHR video on Roku". June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ WTHR Expands Morning Newscast Archived April 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, TVSpy, January 31, 2014.
- ^ "IndyStar, Fox59 announce new media partnership". The Indianapolis Star. June 23, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ^ 66th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2007.
- ^ 70th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2011.
- ^ 72nd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2013.
- ^ 76th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2017
- ^ 76th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2017
- ^ "WTHR announced as national Edward R. Murrow award winner". WTHR website. June 14, 2011. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
- ^ "WTHR-TV Honored for State Fair Tragedy Coverage, More - Indianapolis Monthly". June 18, 2012.
External links
- Official website
- www
.metvindianapolis .com - WTHR .3 ("MeTV Indianapolis") official website - "Listing 1024109". Antenna Structure Registration database. U.S. Federal Communications Commission.