WTHR lures new chief exec from another Indy station

The owner of WTHR-TV Channel 13 has reached into its broadcasting backyard to poach a new president and general manager for the station, hiring Larry Delia from WXIN-TV Fox59.

Delia, vice president and general manager of Fox59 and sister station WTTV-TV Channel 4, will succeed John Cardenas at WTHR-TV, according to Columbus, Ohio-based station owner Dispatch Broadcast Group. Cardenas was recently promoted to vice president of news for the group.

Delia, who lives in Carmel with his wife and three children, will assume his new duties at a date still to be determined.

“I’m extremely excited about joining WTHR and its great family of professionals, and I will miss all of my colleagues at WXIN and WTTV,” Delia said Friday. WXIN and WTTV both are owned by Tribune Broadcasting Co.

Delia, 50, joined the two stations in 2011 after nearly three years in a similar position in Harrisburg, Pa. From 2002 to 2008, he led two Tribune stations in New Orleans. He also worked in Vermont and Connecticut.

Over his two years at Fox 59, Delia has led growth in news broadcasts, ratings and revenue.

“Larry is a highly respected broadcaster, with years of experience in skillfully managing high-performance television stations,” said Michael J. Fiorile, CEO of Dispatch Broadcast Group. “His knowledge of the Indianapolis market is a wonderful asset, and I couldn’t be happier that he will be joining our station in Indianapolis.”