WTHR-TV Channel 13 retained its position during the May sweeps period as the most-watched station for news in central Indiana, earning top ratings among the four local television newscasters during eight of the 10 time slots in which it airs local news.
The former station vice president was hired in June 2010 to replace the late Jim Tellus.
Television news veteran Keith Connors will join WTHR-TV Channel 13 as news director Jan. 12, the local station announced Friday.
Channel 13 received a huge ratings boost at 11 p.m., enabling it to surpass WISH-TV Channel 8 as the most-watched newscast during that time. WTHR’s newscast retained its lead in several other time slots, although audience numbers dipped, enabling competitors to close the gap.
Ad buyers are watching the November sweeps period to see if the NBC affiliate bounces back from recent periods when it lost ground in the ratings.
Television station owners affiliated with NBC agreed to support Comcast Corp.’s purchase of NBC Universal after the
company pledged it won’t shift events such as the Olympics and U.S. football to cable, an executive said.
WTHR is still the most-watched TV station for local news, but viewership slipped in several time slots for the NBC affiliate
and most of its competitors. Fox station WXIN, however, seems
to be bucking the trend.
John Cardenas, news director at WBNS-TV Channel 10 in Columbus, Ohio, will assume his new job at WTHR June 1. He'll take
over for Jim Tellus, who died suddenly in early March.
Jim Tellus, the 47-year-old general manager of local NBC affiliate WTHR-TV Channel 13, died suddenly this week.
With its 11 p.m. news ratings declining and its network partner, NBC, struggling to plug the 10 p.m. programming slot crucial
to those ratings, WTHR-TV Channel 13 finds itself at a precarious crossroads.
The disappointing debut of “The Jay Leno Show” at 10 p.m. on NBC has hammered ratings for the 11 p.m. newscast
of local affiliate WTHR-TV Channel 13, cutting its average audience by nearly half. But the Indianapolis NBC affiliate says
it will rebound in the fight with its CBS rival because the Leno show has fresh programming year around.
Channel 13 eliminates two positions to trim costs, and hopes for a revenue increase in the second half of the year.
Early ratings from the all-important May sweeps suggest WTHR-TV Channel 13’s 15-year reign as king of local television news
is secure for now. But the big test will come this fall when NBC’s weakening prime-time lineup is expected to put the ratings
crown in play.
Jim Tellus has been promoted to president and general manager of WTHR-TV Channel 13.
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.
