WTTV may go after big-name talent to join news team

Tribune Broadcasting says it plans to hire 80 people to staff the WTTV-TV Channel 4 newsroom and fill other roles stemming from the station’s assumption of the CBS network affiliation Jan. 1.

Rennie

“We’re talking to a lot of people about a lot of things,” said Paul Rennie, general manager for WTTV and its sister station, WXIN-TV Channel 59. “One thing is certain: We’ll put a product out Jan. 1 that will get people’s attention.”

Rennie is keeping many details close to the vest—including the identity of specific talent he is pursuing. However, industry sources say Tribune has an interest in former WISH-TV Channel 8 anchor Debby Knox, former WTHR-TV Channel 13 anchor Anne Ryder, former WISH and WTHR meteorologist Chris Wright and longtime local TV and radio sportscaster Mark Patrick.

Ryder is not interested, according to sources. Patrick declined to comment. Wright did not rule out landing at WTTV, but said he has not yet been contacted by the station. Knox could not be reached for comment.

Rick Gevers, an Indianapolis-based agent who represents on-air news talent, isn’t surprised WTTV would go after big names.

“WTTV is launching an entirely new product, and viewer familiarity is really important when it comes to the local TV news,” Gevers said.

“People tend to watch the people they know and who they like. If WTTV has an opportunity to hire people with a solid local profile, that makes a lot of sense. It could really help them launch from ground zero much quicker than they would be able to otherwise.”

Rennie declined to say when announcements about its new newscasts might come or what the marketing plan will entail. He also declined to say what time slots the local newscasts will air. Industry sources said any announcement is not likely until after the November sweeps.

Rennie did say that, starting Jan. 1, WTTV will have 24-1/2 hours of news a week, with newscasts in the mornings, at noon and in the evenings on weekdays and at undisclosed times during the weekends.

An industry source familiar with WTTV’s plans said the station’s local weekday newscasts will run 5-7 a.m., noon to 12:30 p.m., 5-6:30 p.m. and 11-11:30 p.m. Those plans did not include a weekend morning newscast, but did include newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

In August, after negotiations broke down with WISH, the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis for more than a half-century, the network signed a deal to move its local affiliation to WTTV. WTTV had been without a network affiliation and instead relied largely on sitcoms, court shows and reruns piped in from syndicators.

Though Tribune officials have promised that WTTV will have its own news—separate from WXIN, which has more hours of news than any other local station—Rennie said some staffers of the local Tribune operation will work for both stations.

With the CBS affiliation, WTTV will also become home of the Indianapolis Colts, and Rennie said the station likely will produce shows focused on the team and NFL. “Logic would say, with as many Colts games on air with CBS, that’s an opportunity for us,” he said.

Local advertisers and media buyers remain in the dark on future ad rates.

“So far, they have not said a word, which is a bit problematic because this is the time of year a lot of advertisers are setting up their January schedules or making their annual buys,” said Diane Nichols, media buyer and principal with locally based Perkins Nichols Media. “A lot of ad agencies and media buyers are just holding out right now, waiting to see what the rates are going to be.”

While Rennie said “there’s a lot of strategizing going on right now” at WTTV, WISH officials on Oct. 1 released their first set of plans in the post-CBS era.

WISH said it plans to add four more hours of newscasts every weekday beginning Jan. 1, going from five hours a day to nine. That includes news in the 10-11 p.m. slot usually reserved for primetime network programming.•