WTHR

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WTHR
Indianapolis, Indiana
Branding WTHR 13 (general)
Ch. 13 Eyewitness News (newscasts)
Slogan Indiana's News Leader
Channels Analog: 13 (VHF)
Digital: 46 HDTV (UHF)
Affiliations NBC
Owner Dispatch Broadcast Group
Founded September 2, 1957
Call letters meaning THiRteen (Channel Number 13)
Former callsigns WLWI (1957-76)
Former affiliations ABC (1957-79)
Website www.wthr.com

WTHR channel 13 is a television station serving the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area. Affiliated with NBC, the station broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 13 and its digital signal on UHF channel 46 from its transmitter in Indianapolis. Since 1974, WTHR has been owned by the Dispatch Broadcast Group of Columbus, Ohio.

Contents

The station signed on September 2, 1957 as ABC affiliate WLWI, owned by Crosley Broadcasting Corporation. It was one of five stations which made up the Cincinnati-based WLW television network. Other stations included in this network were WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, WLWC (now WCMH-TV) in Columbus, WLWA (now WXIA-TV) in Atlanta and WLWD (now WDTN) in Dayton.

From 1957 to 1962, the station was tied up in one of the most heated licensing disputes in early television history. The FCC originally awarded the license to a group headed by Union Federal Savings and Loan president George Sadlier. However, after an appeal, the FCC reversed itself and awarded the license to Crosley. However, one of the other competitors, Richard Fairbanks, owner of WIBC-AM 1070 sued the FCC. Fairbanks claimed that the FCC had erred in awarding the last VHF license in Indianapolis to a company based in Cincinnati when there were viable potential licensees in Indianapolis. The suit, however, was filed too late to prevent WLWI from signing on.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals overturned the FCC's decision in 1958, but allowed Crosley to continue running the station pending further FCC action. In 1961, the FCC awarded Fairbanks the channel 13 license. However, Crosley appealed. A year later, Crosley and Fairbanks reached a deal in which Fairbanks bought WLWA in return for allowing Crosley to keep WLWI.

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 until the 1970s. WLWI spent most of its first 17 years as an also-ran behind WFBM-TV (now WRTV) and WISH-TV. In some cases, it even fell to fourth place behind WTTV.

Crosley/Avco poured a lot of money into WLWI, but eventually concluded that it was a third-rate operation and put it up for sale. The Wolfe family, owners of the Columbus Dispatch and WBNS-TV in Columbus, bought the station from Avco in 1974 and changed the calls to WTHR two years later. With new ownership in place, on-air quality began to improve, but WTHR was still rating third behind WISH and WRTV. In the case of the ABC affiliation, the network rose to first place and was seeking out stronger local stations to affiliate with in many markets; NBC, meanwhile, was the lowest rated network. So in 1979, WTHR swapped affiliations with WRTV and became an NBC affiliate. Ratings were slow to improve until the mid-1990s, when WTHR hired former CBS News correspondent John Stehr to anchor its evening newscasts. WTHR quickly moved from third to second place after a botched relaunch at WRTV. Changes continued to be made, and in 1999, WTHR's Eyewitness News surged past then-dominant WISH in several key news timeslots, moving to first place for the first time in its history. By 2002, WTHR beat WISH in all news timeslots and changed its slogan to "Indiana's News Leader".

WTHR used to have a partnership agreement with WNDY-TV, the UPN affiliate for Indianapolis. Under the partnership, WTHR produced a 10 p.m. newscast for WNDY. However, the partnership ended when WNDY was purchased by LIN TV Corporation, which also owned WISH. WISH then assumed responsibility of the production of WNDY's 10 p.m. newscast. WTHR now airs a short 8 minute "First Forecast" on the company-owned SkyTrak Weather Network, channel 50, in lieu of a 10 p.m. newscast. SkyTrak Weather Network also airs constant weather forecasts for Central Indiana and replays of WTHR's midday, 6 p.m. newscasts, and short 5 minute news updates throughout the day.

On September 2, 2007 WTHR celebrated its 50th anniversary[1] like its sister station in Columbus, WTHR used the song "Carousels (Dreaming of Tomorrow)" by Columbus, Ohio rock band Alamoth Lane, which was also used on WBNS as a large marketing campaign to promote the launch of its newscasts in high definition.[citation needed]

WTHR also hosts the Brain Game, a weekly televised quizbowl competition for high school students. [2]

WTHR broad casted the 2007 Thanksgiving night NFL game from NFL Network against the Indianapolis Colts versus the Atlanta Falcons. This would have been on WNDY-TV, because they broadcast the ESPN Monday Night Football games that include the Colts, but was not chosen to broadcast the game. No other word on who will broadcast future games from NFL Network with the Colts in them.

Beginning with Eyewitness News Nightbeat on Sunday November 12th, 2006, WTHR became the first station in Indiana to broadcast local news in High Definition, making it one of only five TV stations in the Midwest broadcasting news in HD (the others being WKYC-TV in Cleveland, KSDK in St. Louis, KARE-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and sister station WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio). WTHR broadcasts Eyewitness News in 1080i HDTV, which is the same HD format as NBC programming.

Continuing to make history, at 12:00PM October 2, 2007 WTHR began shooting, editing and transmitting field live shots in widescreen. This change will eliminate the need for pillars on these elements. It is important to note the difference between widescreen and high definition, as these three elements are being shot in 1080i, but due to current editing, transmission and storage facilities they are converted to a lower resolution for broadcast.

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

When WTHR swapped affiliations with WRTV in 1979, its final closedown as an ABC affiliate went in an unusual way than its past sign-offs. Two years before, ABC awarded WTHR a cup in honor of its 20-year affiliation with the network. A rifle attached to a camera shot through the cup. The next day was its first day as an NBC affiliate, and the station played the NBC chimes during its first startup as an NBC affiliate.

  • Late night talk show host David Letterman was a weatherman for the station in the 1970s.
  • Longtime WTHR Chief Meteorologist Bob Gregory has a son named Kevin, who currently is the chief meteorologist at competitor WRTV.
  • Three of WTHR's weekday evening anchors, John Stehr (5, 6 & 11pm), Anne Marie Tiernon (5:30 & 6pm) and Scott Swan (Noon and 5:30pm), all previously worked at competitor WISH-TV. Swan and Tiernon were once colleagues at WISH-TV, while Stehr was previously a reporter before moving to CBS as a correspondent.
  • Prior to joining WTHR, Jeremy Brilliant was a reporter/anchor at WRTV. He met his wife Jennifer Carmack at the station. Carmack is still a reporter at RTV 6.
  • Sunrise reporter Stephanie Soviar is set to marry IndyCar driver Jeff Simmons later in 2007. Soviar was also a former Indianapolis Colts cheerleader.

  • "You're On Top Of It All" - Used from 1976-1979. Image campaign composed by Al Ham.
  • "Hello Indiana; Channel 13 Loves You!" - Used from 1980-1987; 1991. Image campaign composed by Frank Gari, vocals mainly by Florence Warner.
  • "This Is Indiana, And We're Proud To Call It Home!" (also "Proud To Call It Home!") - Used from 1987-1994.
  • "Indiana, 13's On Your Side" - Used from 1994-1997. Image campaign composed by Frank Gari.
  • "Coverage You Can Count On" - Used from 1994 - 2002; still appears on some WTHR-owned vehicles.
  • "Indiana's News Leader" - Used from 2002 to present
  • "Learn Things" - Summers of 2006 & 2007
  • "Learn More" - Began Fall 2007

WTHR Anchors Anne Marie Tiernon and Jula Moffitt. Tiernon was filling in for Scott Swan when this screenshot was taken on March 28, 2007. Tiernon is currently the 5:30 and 6 pm anchor.
WTHR Anchors Anne Marie Tiernon and Jula Moffitt. Tiernon was filling in for Scott Swan when this screenshot was taken on March 28, 2007. Tiernon is currently the 5:30 and 6 pm anchor.

This list is incomplete. You can help by expanding it.

  1. ^ WTHR's 50th Anniversary promo. WTHR-TV Indianapolis. Retrieved on 2007-11-08.
  2. ^ http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=825937

v • d • e
Broadcast television in the Indianapolis market (Nielsen DMA #26)

Local television stations
WTTV 4 / WTTK 29 (CW) - WRTV 6 (ABC) - WISH 8 (CBS) - WTHR 13 (NBC) - WREP-LP 15 (A1) - WIIH-CA 17 (UNI) - WFYI 20 (PBS) - WNDY 23 (MNTV) - WMUN-LP 26 (TBN) - WTIU 30 (PBS) - WKOG-LP 31 (Rel) - WHMB 40 (LeSEA) - WCLJ 42 (TBN) - WBXI-CA 47 (MTV Tr3́s) - WIPB 49 (PBS) - WALV-CA 50 (SkyTrak Weather Network) - WIWU-CA 51 (Rel) - WSOT-LP 57 (Rel) - WXIN 59 (Fox) - WIPX 63 (ION) - WDNI-LP 65 (IMC) - WDTI 69 (DS)

Local cable television channels
FSN Indiana
See also Broadcast television in the Lafayette, IN and Terre Haute markets
v • d • e
Broadcast television in the Terre Haute market  (Nielsen DMA #151)

WTWO 2 (NBC) - WTHI 10 (CBS) - WUSI 16 (PBS) - WHFE 18 / WVGO 54 (A1) - WVUT 22 (PBS) - WFXW 38 (Fox) - W43BV 43 (TBN)
Cable-only station
WBI 3 (CW)
Significantly-viewed out-of-market stations
WTTV 4 (CW) - WRTV 6 (ABC) - WTHR 13 (NBC) - WPXS 13 (RTN) - WTIU 30 (PBS)- WICD 15 (ABC) - WEIU 51 (PBS)
v • d • e
NBC Network Affiliates in the state of Indiana
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, PBS, Religious and Other stations in the state of Indiana
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTHR"
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