WISH-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WISH-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = We're Indiana's Own
Your 24-Hour News Source
station_branding = WISH-TV 8 (general)
24-Hour News 8 (newscasts)
analog = 8 (VHF)
digital = 9 (VHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = CBS
network =
founded =
airdate = July 1, 1954
location = Indianapolis, Indiana
callsign_meaning = "wish" (as in making a wish)
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = LIN TV
licensee = Indiana Broadcasting, LLC
sister_stations = WNDY-TV
= WIIH-CA
= LWS
former_affiliations = Primary:
ABC (1954-1956)
Secondary:
DuMont (1954-1955)
CBS (1954-1956)
NBC (1954-1956)
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
19.5 kW (digital)
HAAT = 305 m (analog)
284 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 39269
coordinates = coord|39|53|25.2|N|86|12|19.8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.wishtv.com/ www.wishtv.com]

WISH-TV channel 8 is the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana. Its transmitter is also located in Indianapolis. The station is owned by LIN TV, which also owns area stations WIIH-CA (a Univision affiliate) & WNDY-TV (a MyNetworkTV affiliate). WISH-TV, WNDY-TV & WIIH-CA are co-located in a building on Meridian Street, which also serves as an operations hub for other LIN TV stations in the Midwest.

WISH also offers a 24-hour weather service, LWS, to central Indiana cable systems.

History

The station began broadcast operations at 6pm on July 1, 1954 and was owned by C. Bruce McConnell along with WISH-AM 1310 (now WTLC). It was a primary ABC affiliate with a secondary DuMont affiliation. It also carried several CBS and NBC shows turned down by WFBM-TV (now WRTV) and WTTV, respectively. In 1956, McConnell sold the station to the Indiana Broadcasting Company, who also owned WANE-TV in Fort Wayne. The new owners persuaded CBS to move its affiliation from WFBM-TV. Indiana Broadcasting became the Corinthian Broadcasting Corporation in 1957, with WISH-TV as the flagship station.

Corinthian merged with Dun & Bradstreet in 1971. Dun sold its entire broadcasting unit to Belo in February 1984. However, the merger left Belo two stations over the FCC's ownership limits of the time. Belo sold WISH and WANE to LIN Broadcasting (the predecessor of LIN TV) one month later. LIN was headquartered in Indianapolis for many years; it has since moved to Providence, Rhode Island.

From the mid-1980s until 2002, WISH was the leading news station in the Indianapolis market until WTHR took over the position. This was due largely because most of its news team has been at the station for over 20 years. At one time, WISH boasted that "more people in Central Indiana get their local news from 24-Hour News 8 than from any other source" at the close of many newscasts and in promos.

Mike Ahern was the station's main evening news anchor, as well as the de facto face of WISH's newsroom for more than thirty years--longer than anyone in Indianapolis television history. He joined the station as a reporter in 1967 and became the station's top anchorman in 1974. He retired from the anchor chair on December 1, 2004. His longtime co-anchor, Debby Knox, joined him in 1980 and is still on the air today. Stan Wood served as the station's main weatherman for much of the 1960s through 1991, while Patty Spitler was an afternoon news anchor and entertainment reporter from 1982 to 2004. News director Lee Giles, who left the station in 2004, was one of the longest-tenured news directors in local broadcasting.

Currently, WISH is a distant runner-up behind WTHR in most timeslots, except during the early news when it runs neck and neck with WRTV. However, due to the recent strength of CBS' primetime lineup (and being the lead-in for Indianapolis native David Letterman), WISH has recently regained the lead at 11 pm. WISH-TV does not air the weekend editions of the CBS Evening News. The Saturday edition of The Early Show airs on sister staton WNDY. Also helping WISH regain ratings is the success of the Indianapolis Colts, whose games air on WISH as part of CBS' coverage of the NFL on Sunday afternoons, and whose games have not been blacked out due to strong ticket sales.

WISH-TV's newsroom began to produce WNDY's 10pm newscast in 2005, when LIN purchased WNDY from Viacom.

Since 1991 all of WISH's news music themes have used components of the song "Back Home Again in Indiana".

On April 25, 2007 WISH-TV debuted a new state of the art FX Group set and Giant Octopus Graphics.

On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could result in the sale of the company. [http://www.lintv.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=298&Itemid=114]

On September 8, 2008, WISH-TV and WNDY became the second station in Indiana (and Indianapolis) to broadcasting their newscasts in high definition.

Bright House Networks Dispute

On September 15, 2008, WISH-TV announced that LIN TV and Bright House Cable have not been able to reach an agreement for carriage of WISH-TV, WNDY-TV, and WIIH-CA on the cable service. LIN TV is seeking compensation for carriage, as other cable networks receive. LIN TV has reached agreements with all television service providers in the Indianapolis area except Bright House. The current agreement with Bright House will expire on October 2, 2008 [http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8908738] .

As of 12:35 am on October 3, 2008, LIN Television's Indianapolis broadcast stations were removed from Bright House Cable. WISH-TV, WNDY-TV and WIIH-TV were replaced with Starz Kids & Family on a preview basis, while WISH-DT was not replaced.

Current Staff

Anchors

*Scott Sander, morning anchor
*Joy Dumandon, morning anchor
*Deanna Dewberry, Noon and 5 PM anchor
*David Barras, Noon and 5 PM anchor
*Karen Hensel, 5:30 and 10 (WNDY) anchor
*Rob Youngblood, 5:30 and 10 (WNDY) anchor
*Debby Knox, 5, 6 and 11 anchor
*Eric Halvorson, 5, 6 and 11 anchor
*Daniel Miller, Weekend morning anchor
*Ruthanne Gordon, Weekend morning anchor
*Mike Corbin, Weekend evening anchor
*Gene Rodriguez, Weekend evening anchor

Weather

*Randy Ollis, Daybreak and Midday Meteorologist
*Steve Bray, 5 PM Chief Meteorologist and Technology Reporter
*Angela Buchman, 5:30, 6, 10 on MyNdy and 11 PM Meteorologist
*Ken Brewer, Weekend Daybreak Meteorologist
*Alicia Roman, Weekend 6, and 11 PM Meteorologist

ports

*Anthony Calhoun, sports director
*Chris Widlic, Sports reporteer/fill-in
*Jenae Coakley, weekend sports anchor
*Derek Daly, racing expert

Reporters

*Julie Patterson, traffic
*Rick Dawson investigative reporter/fill-in anchor
*Jeannie Crofts, weekday morning reporter/fill-in anchor
*Jay Hermacinski, reporter
*Phil Sanchez, reporter
*Liza Danver, reporter/fill-in anchor
*Jennifer McGilvray, reporter
*Pam Elliott, investigative reporter
*Mary McDermott, reporter
*Jim Shella, reporter
*Leslie Olsen, education reporter
*Dick Wolfsie, reporter

Notable WISH-TV Alumni

* Mike Ahern (anchor 1967-2004, now retired)
*Sean Ash, Weekend evening meteorologist Now Weekend Meteorologist at WXYZ-TV in Detroit
* Bill Aylward (news anchor 1964-1967 later anchor WJZ-TV Baltimore, WABC-TV NY, WRC-TV Washington NBC News Now retired)
* Sandra Chapman (reporter, now at competitor WTHR)
* Tom Cochrun (former news director, PM Magazine co-host, now with Nineteenth Star Productions)
* Chet Coppock (sports director, 1975-1981)
* Bill Crafton (former co-anchor)
* Tim Fritz (reporter)
* Doug Garrison, investigative reporter (2003-2004)
* Marlee Ginter (reporter, now at KOMO in Seattle)
* Nicole Manske (sports anchor/reporter, current host of NASCAR Now on ESPN)
* Ed Harding (former sports director, now at WCVB in Boston)
* Rick Hightower (1993-2006, now at competitor WRTV)
* Kim Hood (reporter, PM Magazine co-host, now retired)
* Renee Jameson (reporter, now at competitor WRTV)
* Fred Kalil (former sports director, now sports director at WXIA in Atlanta)
* Shana Kelley (weekend evening news anchor)1997-2006
* Josh Littman (reporter, deceased)
* Leticia Meile (reporter)
* Cliff Nicholson (chief meteorologist in the early 1990s, now at competitor WTHR)
* Mark Patrick (Sports Director until late 1990's and former host of Hoosier Millionaire on WTTV, current radio host on Sirius Satellite Radio)
* Jane Pauley (former co-anchor, former anchor/correspondent for NBC News)
* Joe Pickett (host of the afternoon "Money Movie", now retired)
* Anthony Ponce (reporter, now at WMAQ in Chicago)
* Dick Rea (sports anchor 1981-1998, now at competitor WTHR)
* John Samples (Nightbeat & Daybreak Anchor/Producer 1982-1985, now with Christian HolyLand Foundation)
* Twila Snyder (feature Weekend Morning News Reporter, now director and narrator for several WFYI-TV programs)
* Patty Spitler (noon anchor/film critic/reporter, now retired)
* Ray Sparenburg (Horror movie host known as "Selwin", deceased)
* John Stehr (anchor/reporter/host of "Nightbeat" 1982, now primary anchor at competitor WTHR)
* AJ Sterling (reporter, now at WFLD Chicago)
* Patty Spitler (noon news anchor, entertainment reporter)
* Sage Steele (sports reporter, now at ESPN's First Take)
* Derren Taylor (reporter, weekend weatherperson)
* Anne Marie Tiernon (anchor, now at competitor WTHR)
* Maureen Tighe (reporter, weekend weatherperson)
*Mark Voigtmann (reporter 1978-1989, now a partner at the law firm of Baker & Daniels)
* Vince Welch (sports reporter, now at ESPN/ABC)
* Stan Wood (chief meteorologist until 1991, now retired)
* Chris Wright (meteorologist, now chief meteorologist at competitor WTHR)

Logos

External links

* [http://www.wishtv.com/ WISH-TV website]
*TVQ|WISH
*BIA|WISH|TV|TV
* [http://www.historiccolumbusindiana.org/whatwewatched/whatwewatched.asp What Columbus Watched...] - History of television in Indianapolis and Central Indiana from the perspective of a Columbus, Indiana resident
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/wish WISH-TV] at "YouTube"