Longtime news anchor departing WTHR

Longtime WTHR-TV Channel 13 anchor Bruce Kopp on Tuesday morning announced his departure from the station.

“It’s been a great ride stretching nearly 34 years for me here at Channel 13, but it’s time to wrap things up,” Kopp wrote on his Facebook page and subsequently confirmed to IBJ.

Bruce Kopp

Kopp, 58, will anchor his last WTHR newscast on Saturday—the day his current contract expires.

He told IBJ that WTHR offered him another contract, but he could not agree to its terms and decided to leave.

“Knowing my status here and the schedule, I feel more comfortable moving on,” Kopp said.

Kopp was hired by WTHR in 1983 and within a few years was working morning broadcasts. In March, Kopp was reassigned from his weekday morning news anchor position to the weekend anchor spot while also helping with reporting during weekday evening newscasts.

That move, WTHR General Manager Larry Delia said in March, was “part of a broader strategic plan.” 

Kopp told IBJ on Tuesday that move “was a management decision and was not the best direction for me to be headed.”

Kopp was temporarily replaced on WTHR’s "Sunrise" team by Naomi Pescovitz until Ben Hill was hired in October to be the weekday morning anchor alongside Julia Moffitt. Hill came to WTHR from South Carolina, where he served as weekday morning news anchor for Greenville’s Fox affiliate.

Kopp told IBJ he doesn’t know why he was displaced as WTHR’s weekday morning anchor.

“I wish I could know more, but at this point, it’s ancient history, so I’m moving on,” he said.

Delia told IBJ in an email Tuesday that WTHR officials “respect [Kopp’s] choice and wish him all the very best in his next pursuit.”

“After more than 30 years of loyal service and great journalism, we are sad to see Bruce make the decision to leave WTHR,” Delia said.

Kopp is still formulating his plans for the future, but said he will consider a move to the corporate communications or public relations sectors. He added that retirement also is a possibility.

“I’m undecided on what I’ll do next,” Kopp said. “I have a lot of contacts from years doing this job, so I’ll be reaching out. I have options. Right now, nothing is official. I’m wide open to the possibilities.”

Kopp’s departure comes on the heels of reporter Jeremy Brilliant’s exit last month after more than a decade with the station. Popular meteorologist Nicole Misencik left in September after nine years with WTHR to be closer to family, and reporter Kris Kirschner departed WTHR to become the public relations and media relations strategist at Community Health Network.