Neither side is talking, but one thing is certain: The removal of the 13-year WTHR veteran known for a sometimes-testy temperament
comes at a crucial time for the local television station.
Big Brothers of Indianapolis and Big Sisters of Central Indiana merged five years ago in hopes of mentoring more at-risk children, but turnover at the top of the organization has made it hard to get the ball rolling. The combined agency has had three leaders since the 2002 merger; revenue, which peaked at $2.3 million in 2003, has been up and down; and one-on-one mentor matches-its core activity-also declined. Despite the challenges, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana finally…
Long-time WTHR-TV Channel 13 General Manager Rich Pegram has left the station. Yesterday was his last day, WTHR spokesman Jeff Dutton confirmed. Reasons for his departure were unclear. WTHR officials would not elaborate, and Pegram could not be reached for comment. “It was a mutual decision between Rich and the company,” Dutton said. Other sources […]
How’s this for irony? The state’s nowscuttled plans to raze N.K. Hurst Co.’s headquarters to make way for Lucas Oil Stadium parking would have paved over a long-standing Colts game-day tradition. The Indianapolis-based bean company has hosted Colts tailgate parties before every home game since the 1980s. Its McCarty Street parking lot-known as Hurst Bean Field-is a short stroll from the RCA Dome and in the shadows of the Colts’ new home, making it a hit with tailgaters. “It’s a…
The local radio market’s biggest shake-up in more than a decade has almost every commercial station in central Indiana scrambling
to attract the thousands of listeners and millions of advertising dollars suddenly up for grabs. Emmis Communications Corp.
said Oct. 8 it will move WIBCAM 1070 programming to the FM frequency previously occupied by WNOU-FM 93.1, which it will kill.
Industry experts said the fallout will continue to rain down throughout the fourth quarter and well into 2008. “There’s lots…
Radio One Indiana’s former controller has filed a civil lawsuit against the company charging she was terminated because of
her race after she raised concerns about fraud and payola in relation to the company’s financial statements.
Advertising agency Bradley and Montgomery launched an unorthodox campaign for cable television station MTV last month that is gaining the local firm-and its client-national acclaim. A friend of a friend led BAM officials to the New York-based music television channel, which was looking to promote the release of its show “The Hills” on DVD. BAM officials pulled video snippets from the show, enhanced them graphically, then uploaded the snippets to Web sites such as YouTube.comand Veoh.com. The resulting vignettes can…
The new Big Ten Network and some of the nation’s largest cable television systems are fighting over how consumers will be charged for the network’s programming. Hundreds of sporting events could be blacked out in local markets, including scores of Indiana and Purdue university football and basketball games, if the two sides don’t reach an agreement.
It’s a hovercraft, the M200G from the fine folks at Moller International of Davis, Calif. It has eight rotary engines that create enough oomph to lift the thing about 10 feet in the air, just high enough to zoom over traffic and crack your head on a stoplight. Which, let’s face it, would add a much-needed element of comedy to the average morning commute. But anyway, about the car: It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for this thing since I…
Whitfield, owner of Indianapolis-based Fletcher Communications Inc., was a freelance television news producer working for CNN, Reuters News and the Christian Broadcasting Network’s news division in Washington, D.C., when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. Four years later, Whitfield crashed emotionally and was hospitalized suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The daughter of a retired Army officer, Whitfield, 39, had moved many times as a child before settling in Columbia, S.C. She graduated from high school in 1986, but…
WRTV-TV Channel 6 will launch a 7 p.m. newscast Sept. 10 to coincide with the first day of the station’s new anchors, Todd Wallace and Trisha Shepherd. WRTV will be the only local station with a 7 p.m. newscast. WRTV will continue to air newscasts at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. The 7 […]
At a time when many print publishers are wringing their hands at the prospect of losing readers to the Internet, Emmis Communications Corp. is experiencing surprising growth in its magazine division. With the acquisition of Orange Coast last month, Emmis owns seven city-based magazines and one nationally distributed magazine. And the publishing division, with 406 of Emmis’ 1,300 employees, is the company’s fastest-growing. “City magazines like the ones Emmis has are doing quite well,” said Abe Peck, chairman of journalism…
With the pending arrival of two new lead anchors, WRTV-TV Channel 6 is preparing to embark on a big marketing campaign that station management hopes will lift it out of third place in the local ratings. The campaign, which is set to begin next month to promote changes within WRTV’s news division, will be marked by a flurry of billboard, radio, newspaper and, of course, television advertising, said WRTV General Manager Don Lundy. But the centerpiece of the campaign takes…
Production companies here say advertisements they’ve produced using high-definition technology are being held hostage by local television affiliates that have no way of showing them. The TV stations counter that they’re working as fast as they can to get up to speed.
After years languishing as a ratings bottom feeder, WEDJ-FM 107.1 is quickly moving up the radio charts with its Hispanic format and is positioned to crack the market’s top 10 stations. Since local radio veteran Russ Dodge was hired as general manager in late April 2006, WEDJ’s rating for area listeners 12 and older has more than doubled, from 1.0 to 2.1, according to New York-based Arbitron Co. WEDJ’s morning show is ranked No. 3 with listeners ages 18 to…
WXIN-TV Channel 59 has become the provider of general news and weather for IBJ Daily, the free news e-mail sent to more than 25,000 subscribers each weekday. The arrangement is part of a new newsgathering partnership between IBJ and the local Fox affiliate. “We are looking forward to an ongoing relationship with Fox 59. In our discussions, we were impressed by management of the organization and their commitment to news,” IBJ Publisher Chris Katterjohn said. “One of the reasons we…
PROFILE MINDY WINKLER Entertainer makes learning lessons ‘fun’Former kids’ club host and current traffic reporter juggles career, family and growing musical company Fans of the 1980s comedy show “In Living Color” will remember the Headleys, whose family members were “lazy” if they didn’t hold multiple jobs. By that score, Mindy Winkler certainly can’t be called a slacker. As the on-air traffic reporter for several local FM and AM radio stations, Winkler works a split shift keeping us informed of traffic…
As Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corp. announced dismal fourth-quarter results today, rumors heated up about Chairman Jeff Smulyan reviving a bid to take the company private. Smulyan said in a conference call this morning that he will reconsider taking the media company private “from time to time,” but will not comment on rumors or speculation. Meanwhile […]
Emmis Communications Corp. today reported that revenue in its fiscal fourth quarter fell 4.6 percent, to $78.6 million. The Indianapolis media company blamed weakness in its New York and Los Angeles radio operations for the problems and cautioned that the softness would continue into the near future. For the quarter, the company lost $12.7 million. […]
Though she’s stirred a ripple of interest in several markets, most Indy Racing League fans don’t know Milka Duno-yet. Many sports business experts think the first Hispanic woman to race in the openwheel series will turn heads, as much for her ability to drive and her unusual professional and academic background as anything else. Duno also becomes part of a fascinating story involving established IRL drivers Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher. “The Indy Racing League is becoming the one place…
