History of WTHR in Timeline
WTHR is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Owned by Tegna Inc., it operates alongside MeTV affiliate WALV-CD. The stations share studio facilities in downtown Indianapolis, while WTHR's transmitter is situated in Carmel. WTHR serves the Indianapolis metropolitan area with NBC programming and local news coverage.
3 hours ago : Indiana Weather: Snow overnight, then rain, storms, and a colder March start.
Central Indiana will experience a round of snow overnight, followed by chances of rain and potentially stormy weather. A colder start to March is expected, bringing more snow on Monday, March 1, 2026.
October 30, 1957: WLWI Signs On
On October 30, 1957, WLWI, founded by Crosley Broadcasting Corporation, began broadcasting as an ABC affiliate, taking over from WTTV.
1957: Licensing Dispute Begins
In 1957, WLWI was involved in a licensing dispute after the FCC initially awarded the construction permit to George Sadlier but later reversed its decision in favor of Crosley.
1958: FCC Decision Overturned
In 1958, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals overturned the FCC's decision regarding the license, but allowed Crosley to continue running the station.
1961: FCC Awards License to Fairbanks
In 1961, the FCC awarded the channel 13 license to Fairbanks, but Crosley appealed the decision.
1962: Licensing Dispute Concludes
In 1962, Crosley and Fairbanks reached an agreement allowing Crosley to retain WLWI amidst a heated licensing dispute.
1968: Crosley Broadcasting Renamed
In 1968, Crosley Broadcasting was renamed Avco Broadcasting Corporation.
1969: WTHR First Used Eyewitness News Format
In 1969, WTHR first used the Eyewitness News format as an ABC affiliate.
1970: Sesame Street Airs on WLWI
In 1970, WLWI made an arrangement with National Educational Television to broadcast the first season of Sesame Street until WFYI began broadcasting.
1974: Avco Exits Broadcasting
In late 1974, Avco Broadcasting Corporation (formerly Crosley Broadcasting) announced its exit from the broadcasting business.
August 1975: Wolfe Family Buys WLWI
In August 1975, the Wolfe family purchased WLWI from Avco.
January 29, 1976: WLWI Becomes WTHR
On January 29, 1976, the Wolfe family changed WLWI's call letters to WTHR, launching a marketing campaign "You're on Top with 13" with a jingle composed by Al Ham.
May 31, 1979: WTHR and WRTV Swap Networks
On May 31, 1979, WTHR and WRTV swapped networks, with WTHR becoming the NBC affiliate and WRTV becoming the ABC affiliate. The final ABC program to air on WTHR was a repeat of Mork & Mindy, while the first NBC show was The Innocent and the Damned. VideoIndiana also filed a $33 million antitrust lawsuit against ABC and McGraw-Hill.
1979: WTHR First Time Carrying Race
In 1979, WTHR first time carrying race
May 1983: Gannett Sells WPTA
In May 1983, Gannett, Tegna's predecessor, sold off Fort Wayne's WPTA.
1984: Colts Games on WTHR
From 1984, with the arrival of the Indianapolis Colts, until 1997, WTHR aired regular season games televised locally through NBC's rights to AFC games.
1984: Colts Move to Indianapolis
In 1984, the NFL's Indianapolis Colts moved from Baltimore, providing a major windfall for WTHR due to NBC's rights to the AFC package.
September 1985: WTHR Debuts Sunrise Weekday Morning Newscast
In September 1985, WTHR debuted Sunrise, a weekday morning newscast.
1990: WTHR Carried Pacers Games
In 1990, WTHR first carried Pacers games when NBC acquired the NBA broadcast package.
April 7, 1991: Prime Time Experiment
On April 7, 1991, WTHR experimented with moving NBC prime time programming one hour earlier, also moving the late evening newscast from 11 to 10 p.m.
1992: End of Prime Time Experiment
In the fall of 1992, WTHR concluded its experiment of moving primetime programming one hour earlier.
1993: WTHR expands morning newscasts to weekends.
In 1993, WTHR became the first station in Indianapolis to expand its morning newscasts to Saturdays and Sundays, under the Weekend Sunrise banner.
1993: CBS Aired Colts Games
Until 1993, select games televised by CBS in which the Colts played against an NFC opponent.
1994: WXIN took over rights through FOX
Since 1994, WXIN took over rights through FOX to televise over-the-air games locally.
1995: WTHR Restores Eyewitness News Format
In 1995, WTHR restored the Eyewitness News format.
March 16, 1996: WTHR Begins Producing Newscast for WNDY-TV
On March 16, 1996, WTHR began producing a nightly half-hour 10 p.m. newscast for UPN affiliate WNDY-TV.
1996: WTHR Newscasts Rise to Second Place
In 1996, WTHR's newscasts rose to second place after hiring John Stehr as anchor. WRTV saw its ratings plummet following a format change.
1997: Coverage of Fever games as part of NBC's WNBA
From 1997 to 2002, WTHR previously aired any Fever games as part of NBC's WNBA coverage.
1997: End of Local Telecasts of Colts on WTHR
Until 1997, WTHR aired regular season NFL games of the Indianapolis Colts
1998: WISH took over CBS rights
From 1998 to 2014, WISH had CBS rights to televise over-the-air games locally.
1999: WTHR's Eyewitness News Broadcasts Surpass WISH
In 1999, WTHR's Eyewitness News broadcasts surpassed the then-dominant WISH in several key timeslots, achieving first place for the first time.
2000: 2000 NBA Finals Appearance
In 2000, WTHR first carried Pacers games when NBC acquired the team's 2000 NBA Finals appearance.
2000: SkyTrak Weather Network Launch
In 2000, WTHR launched the SkyTrak Weather Network, carried on WALV-CD and simulcast on digital subchannel 13.2.
2002: Coverage of Fever games as part of NBC's WNBA
From 1997 to 2002, WTHR previously aired any Fever games as part of NBC's WNBA coverage.
2002: Loss of NBC's Rights
2002: WTHR Overtakes WISH-TV in All News Timeslots
In 2002, WTHR overtook WISH-TV for first place in all news timeslots, solidifying its position as a leading news provider.
February 2005: WTHR News Share Agreement with WNDY-TV Terminated
In February 2005, WTHR's news share agreement with WNDY was terminated after that station was acquired by WISH-TV owner LIN TV Corporation.
May 2005: WTHR Adds 4:30 a.m. Half-Hour to Sunrise Newscast
In May 2005, WTHR added a 4:30 a.m. half-hour to the weekday edition of its Sunrise newscast.
2005: ABC Aired Colts Games
Until 2005, WRTV carried non-preseason games via ABC's Monday Night Football when a game involving the Colts was scheduled.
November 12, 2006: WTHR Begins Broadcasting Newscasts in High Definition
On November 12, 2006, WTHR became the first television station in Indiana to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition, starting with the 11 p.m. newscast.
2006: WTHR Receives Two Peabody Awards
In 2006, WTHR received Peabody Awards for two reports: "Cause for Alarm" and "Prescription Privacy."
2006: Split Telecasts of Colts Games
Since 2006, regular season games currently televised over-the-air locally are split between WISH (from 1998 to 2014), WTTV (since 2015) and WXIN (since 1994), with WTHR carrying non-preseason games and select Colts NFL games broadcast by NBC.
September 2, 2007: 50th Anniversary Celebration
On September 2, 2007, WTHR celebrated its 50th anniversary, using the song "Carousels (Dreaming of Tomorrow)" by Alamoth Lane in its image campaign.
October 2, 2007: WTHR Field Video Begins Broadcasting in Widescreen
On October 2, 2007, all video recorded and broadcast live outside the studio by WTHR began to be broadcast in widescreen, shot, edited and broadcast in the 1080i resolution.
February 2009: Affiliation with Universal Sports
In February 2009, WTHR began affiliating its third subchannel with Universal Sports.
June 12, 2009: Analog Signal Shutdown
On June 12, 2009, WTHR shut down its analog signal, transitioning to digital broadcasts on VHF channel 13.
August 2009: High School Sports Programming
Starting in August 2009, WTHR preempted programming on its subchannel for high school football and basketball games under the titles Operation Football Live and Operation Basketball Live, with marketing support from VYPE High School Sports Magazine.
2010: WTHR Earns Peabody Award for "Reality Check: Where Are the Jobs?"
In 2010, WTHR earned a Peabody Award for "Reality Check: Where Are the Jobs?", which revealed exaggerated job creation claims.
2010: WTHR's Ratings Lead Begins to Narrow
In 2010, WTHR's ratings lead began to narrow as WISH-TV and Fox affiliate WXIN saw viewership gains, and WTHR's ratings decreased in certain timeslots.
June 2011: WTHR Offers Newscast Segments for Free Streaming on Roku
In June 2011, WTHR began offering newscast segments for free streaming on the Roku digital video player.
December 14, 2011: MeTV Affiliation Agreement
On December 14, 2011, Dispatch Broadcast Group signed an agreement with MeTV to affiliate with WTHR.
2011: WTHR Earns Two National Edward R. Murrow Awards
In 2011, WTHR earned two national Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) in the "Overall Excellence" and "Investigative Series" categories.
January 1, 2012: WTHR Carries MeTV
On January 1, 2012, WTHR began carrying MeTV on its second digital subchannel, replacing Universal Sports.
2012: WTHR Earns Two Murrow Awards
In 2012, WTHR earned two Murrow Awards for breaking news coverage of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse and in the spot news category, which was given to WTHR videographer Steve Rhodes.
January 25, 2013: Cozi TV Affiliation
On January 25, 2013, WALV-CD/WTHR .2 affiliated with Cozi TV, replacing the SkyTrak Weather Network.
June 2013: Transmitter Power Increase Request
In June 2013, WTHR filed a request with the FCC to increase its transmitter power to 77,000 watts to address reception problems.
2013: WTHR Carried Two Colts Games
During the 2013 season, WTHR acquired the local rights to two Colts regular season games; one against the San Diego Chargers on October 14, and one against the Tennessee Titans on November 14. WTHR also provided local coverage of Super Bowl XLVI.
2013: Sponsorship of Pacers and Fever
From 2013, WTHR served as an official sponsor of the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever, displaying on-court advertisements during home games.
2013: WTHR Earns Peabody Award for "Investigating the IRS"
In 2013, WTHR earned a Peabody Award for "Investigating the IRS", an investigative series which exposed illegal immigrants fraudulently receiving tax refunds.
February 24, 2014: WTHR Expands Weekday Morning Newscast
On February 24, 2014, WTHR expanded its weekday morning newscast by a half-hour to 4 a.m.
June 23, 2014: The Indianapolis Star Ends Content Partnership with WTHR
On June 23, 2014, The Indianapolis Star announced it would end its content partnership with WTHR, and enter into a new content agreement with Fox affiliate WXIN beginning on August 1.
2014: Cross-Flex Broadcast Rules
Since 2014, any games moved from WTTV via the new 'cross-flex' broadcast rules.
2015: NFL Games Move to WTTV
In 2015, NFL games moved to WTTV after CBS acquired the rights.
2015: WTTV took over rights through CBS
Since 2015, WTTV took over rights through CBS to televise over-the-air games locally.
2016: Summer Olympics Programming Changes
During the 2016 Summer Olympics from August 8 to 19, some of WTHR's syndicated programming was moved to WALV and its other subchannel.
2016: WTHR Wins Two Peabody Awards
In 2016, WTHR won two Peabody awards for "Charity Caught on Camera" and "Dangerous Exposure".
2016: End of Sponsorship
Until 2016, WTHR served as an official sponsor of the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever.
May 26, 2017: MeTV on WALV-CD
By May 26, 2017, WALV-CD began broadcasting MeTV, which stayed on WTHR 13.3, dropping Cozi TV programming. However, Cozi was retained by WTHR.2.
June 11, 2019: Dispatch to Sell Assets to Tegna
On June 11, 2019, Dispatch announced it would sell its broadcasting assets, including WTHR and WALV-CD, to Tegna Inc. for $535 million in cash.
2019: Sister Stations
In 2019, WLWI and WLWA become sister stations when Tegna acquired channel 13.
2019: WTHR Becomes Local Broadcaster of Indianapolis 500
In 2019, WTHR replaced WRTV as the local broadcaster of the Indianapolis 500, returning the race to WTHR for the first time since 1979.
2020: 2020 Race Airs on August 23
Due to attendance restrictions, the 2020 Indianapolis 500 aired on WTHR on August 23.
May 27, 2021: Indianapolis 500 Local Blackout Lifted
On May 27, 2021, WTHR aired the Indianapolis 500 live as IMS lifted the local blackout due to all 135,000 tickets being sold, though attendance was capped at 40% for social distancing. This marked the first time in two consecutive years that the entire race was televised live in Indianapolis.
2023: Big Ten Football Games
Since 2023, WTHR carries any Purdue and Indiana University Big Ten college football games scheduled as part of the Big Ten Saturday Night package.
February 2024: The Nest on 13.6
In February 2024, WTHR brought The Nest to subchannel 13.6 after a month of the subchannel being off-air.
May 26, 2024: Indianapolis 500 Local Blackout Lifted Due to Weather Delay
On May 26, 2024, WTHR aired the Indianapolis 500 live after IMS lifted the local blackout because of a delay due to inclement weather. This marked the fourth time that live, flag-to-flag coverage was available in the Indianapolis area. It was also the last Indy 500 broadcast on WTHR, as rights were sold to Fox Sports beginning in 2025.
2024: Local Broadcast Home of Indiana Fever
Beginning with the 2024 season, WTHR and WALV-CD became the local broadcast home of Indiana Fever women's basketball. 10 of the 17 games will be broadcast on WTHR.
January 2025: Pacers and FanDuel agreement
In January 2025, the Indiana Pacers and FanDuel Sports Network Indiana announced an agreement to simulcast five games on WTHR.
August 19, 2025: Nexstar to Acquire Tegna
On August 19, 2025, Nexstar Media Group agreed to acquire Tegna for $6.2 billion.
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