12-team college football playoff arrives after 100 years, a few billion dollars and many detours
College football finally has what the rest of sports have—a legitimate postseason tournament. So what’s likely to change?
Media & Marketing
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The 10 most-downloaded IBJ Podcast episodes of 2024
At the top of the list is host Mason King’s interview with Chick McGee, who has been a fixture on Indianapolis radio for 38 years as a cast member of “The Bob & Tom Show.”
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Caitlin Clark commands all attention, even in LPGA Tour pro-am
Clark played 18 holes Wednesday in what was by all accounts the most watched pro-am round in LPGA Tour history.
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Corteva inks naming-rights deal for Fairgrounds Coliseum
The $4 million deal replaces a 10-year agreement between the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Indiana Farmers Insurance.
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Kevin Freeman out at radio station WFMS after 34 years
Kevin Freeman teamed with Country Radio Hall of Fame member Jim Denny to launch the “Jim & Kevin Show” on WFMS 95.5-FM in 1996.
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Articles
NCAA reveals logos for 2026 Men’s Final Four, other basketball championships
Also unveiled were the logos for the 2026 NCAA Division II and Division III men’s basketball championships, which will also be held in Indianapolis on the same weekend (April 4-6) as the Final Four.
Trump to be honored as Time’s person of the year
President-elect Donald Trump also will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
Ad agency titans Omnicom, Interpublic to form $30B marketing powerhouse
Omnicom is buying Interpublic Group in a stock-for-stock deal that will create the largest ad agency in the world with combined annual revenue of almost $26 billion.
City-County Council sends billboard proposal back to committee
Councilor Maggie Lewis, chair of the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee, said councilors heard negative feedback from both constituents and the billboard industry that prompted them to take a second look.
DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish
DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt.
New CEO named at TrendyMinds as company founder exits role
New CEO Stacy Sommer, a former executive at San Francisco public relations firm Edelman, was hired by TrendyMinds in January.
Comcast to spin off cable networks that once starred for entertainment giant
Like other cable companies, Comcast in recent years has shifted its business emphasis away from traditional cable toward streaming and other sources of revenue.
Trump’s casting call as he builds out his administration: TV experience preferred
There’s a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television.
City-County Council committee approves billboard regulation changes
The move is part of a compromise after state lawmakers nearly passed a similar provision into law this year.
About 20% of Americans regularly get their news from social media influencers, report says
A virtually identical share of Republicans and Democrats regularly get their news from digital influencers who are more likely to be found on the social media platform X, according to a report by the Pew Research Center.
IU Indianapolis arena to be named after late Jim Morris
Morris, who died in July at 81, was one of central Indiana’s most influential business, government and civic leaders for more than six decades.
Trump expected to try to halt TikTok ban, allies say
The video-sharing app faces a January deadline to find a new owner not based in China or lose access to U.S. users, under a law passed in April with bipartisan support.
Attorney general, adult websites clash in age verification lawsuit
Eleven adult content companies and a trade organization say the state of Indiana’s discovery requests in an age verification lawsuit are “invasive” and “harassing”—prompting Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office to dismiss the allegations of overreach as “outlandish.”
Money in NCAA sports has been profitable for a few, but degree remains ultimate prize for many
Money received through NIL agreements has changed the equation for some athletes, but for most, money available to them through NIL remains a small consideration compared with earning a degree and competing in the sports they love.
Ron Sexton recordings showcase the best of ‘Donnie Baker’ and more
The new two-CD set serves as a posthumous celebration of ‘Bob & Tom Show’ comedian Ron Sexton, who died in July 2023 at age 52.
Candidates focus on economy, workforce, taxes in final gubernatorial debate
Candidates Mike Braun, Jennifer McCormick and Donald Rainwater covered the overall economy, right-to-work policy, property taxes, state spending and the rate of unemployed disabled Hoosiers in Thursday night’s debate.
Two Indianapolis writers made the most of Taylor Swift’s ubiquitous appeal
Samantha Fain and Téa Franco served as co-editors for 2022 book “Kiss Your Darlings: A Taylor Swift Anthology.”
John Green’s book on tuberculosis scheduled for release in March
Novelist John Green will return to shelves with “Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection.”
Q&A with Dave Calabro, WTHR-TV Channel 13 sports director
In December, Calabro will retire as sports director at WTHR-TV Channel 13 and end a 32-year run at the station.