WRTV, channel 6, is the ABCtelevision affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana owned by McGraw Hill. Its transmitter is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis at 8001 Township Line Road.[1] Its studios are found at 1330 N. Meridian Street, in the middle of Indianapolis' Television Row.
The station signed on the air on May 30, 1949 under the call sign WFBM-TV with a documentary entitled Crucible of Speed covering the history of the Indianapolis 500, followed by the inaugural live television broadcast of the event. It is Indiana's oldest television station. It was owned by the Bitner Group along with WFBM-AM 1260 (now WNDE).
It was originally a CBS affiliate with secondary ABC and DuMont affiliations. When WTTV signed on a few months later, WFBM shared ABC programming until 1954, when WISH-TV signed on and took over the ABC affiliation. WFBM-TV also aired programs from the short-lived Paramount Television Network, among them Time For Beany,[2]Dixie Showboat,[3]Hollywood Reel,[4]Cowboy G-Men,[5] and Hollywood Wrestling.[6] In 1956, WFBM took the NBC affiliation from WTTV. During the late 1950s, WFBM was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[7]
Bitner merged with Time-Life in 1957. As part of a sale mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), WFBM-TV was sold to McGraw-Hill in 1972 along with sister station KLZ-TV (now KMGH-TV) in Denver, Colorado, KOGO-TV (now KGTV) in San Diegoand KERO-TV in Bakersfield, California. The purchase price for the four stations in 1972 was 50 million dollars. At that time, the station assumed its current calls, WRTV. In 1979, WRTV traded affiliations with WTHR and became an ABC affiliate. NBC was the lowest rated network in the late 1970s while ABC rose to the ranks of the highest rated network that same time and was seeking out stronger local stations in many markets, thus motivating this affiliation switch in Indianapolis. WRTV is one of the few stations in the country to have been a primary affiliate of all three original networks.
As ABC carries the Indianapolis 500, in order to encourage attendance of the race among locals, WRTV has continued to tape-delay coverage of the race since coming back to ABC in 1979 rather than airing it live as it does throughout the nation, and airs it in primetime to assuage the concerns of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1999, WRTV did televise the Indianapolis 500 live, in addition to primetime.
WRTV has been a leader in adding innovation to Indiana broadcasting. Some of WRTV's innovations over the years, have included the first station in the state to broadcast in color, the first use of videotape, the first to use news mini-cams, the first use of microwave (a [pre-runner to satellite) (Insta-Cam), the first satellite truck (NewStar 6), the first cable news on NewsChannel 64 (now 6 News 24/7), the first use of non-linear digital editing, the first use of digital news cameras, the first entry into web publishing (www.theINDYchannel.com), and the first into cellphone delivery of news (6News OnTheGo) and VODcasting.
On September 10, 2007, WRTV launched a 7 p.m. newscast, a first for the Indianapolis market (and the second in Indiana). Station Vice President and General Manager Don Lundy attributes the decision to "longer commutes and longer work days" that prevent viewers from being home by 5 or 6. 6 NEWS First at 5:00, the first five o'clock newscast launched in 1988 remains at 5:00 p.m., and has been expanded to one-hour, followed by 6 NEWS at 6:00 then World News with Diane Sawyer at 6:30 p.m. and finally the evening news block concludes with6 NEWS at 7:00.
WRTV led the ratings in Indianapolis for many years. As recently as the late 1980s and very early 1990s, WRTV's news audience often exceeded the combined audience of WISH and WTHR. Following the retirement of veteran anchor Howard Caldwell and other news mis-steps, WRTV's ratings began to tumble then spent most of the 1990s as a solid runner-up to WISH. However, it has never really recovered from a botched relaunch in 1996 and has spent most of the last decade in third place behind WTHR.
On March 17, 2010, WRTV announced a partnership with Hometown Sports to air live high school and college sporting events on 6.2 (6 News 24/7). Broadcasts will include football, basketball and baseball, but WRTV will not currently have rights to air IHSAA championship events. Details are still being worked out for the full launch.
WRTV signed-off its analog signal on June 12, 2009, and continued to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 25.[8] Most receivers display WRTV's virtual channel as 6 through the use of PSIP.
Until the government-mandated digital transition on June 12, 2009, WRTV had to provide two call signs (legal IDs) in on-air spots, "WRTV/WRTV-DT Indianapolis". This allowed the station to identify both its analog and digital broadcast signals in the same message. On June 3, 2009, the FCC announced that following the digital transition stations would be allowed to revert to their analog call signs.[9] Since the call letters "WRTV" are only in use by a television station, the station elected to use only "WRTV INDIANAPOLIS" as its official call sign for the station currently broadcasting on RF channel 25.
When WBAK in Terre Haute (now WFXW) left ABC for Fox, WRTV became the default ABC station for the Indiana side of the market. It is viewable in Terre Haute with a rooftop antenna and is carried by all cable systems on the Indiana side of the Terre Haute market. For the Illinois counties in the Terre Haute television market, many systems offer WICD from Champaign, Illinois or WEHT from Evansville, Indiana.
WRTV continues to air the entire ABC network schedule, although the station has no weekend morning local newscasts.
On October 12, 2008, WRTV became the third station in Indiana (and Indianapolis) to broadcast its newscasts in high definition. In the 6:00 p.m. weekend newscast, the station unveiled a number of new aspects to its newscasts; featuring all new graphics, an updated news set, all new opens and rejoins, as well as updated music from the "ABC Affiliate News Collection" (also known as "Eyewitness News"), and an updated logo for all newscasts.
Weekday newscast airtimes:
6 NEWS Good Morning Indiana (Weekdays 4:30 - 7:00 a.m.)
6 NEWS at Noon (Weekdays 12:00 - 12:30 p.m.)
6 NEWS First at 5:00 (Weeknights 5:00 - 5:30 p.m.)
6 NEWS at 5:30 (Weeknights 5:30 - 6:00 p.m.)
6 NEWS at 6:00 (Weeknights 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.)
6 NEWS at 7:00 (Weeknights 7:00 - 7:30 p.m.)
6 NEWS Nightcast (Weeknights 11:00 - 11:35 p.m.)
Weekend newscast airtimes:
6 NEWS Weekend (Weekends at 6:00 p.m., though may air at 6:30 or 7:00 p.m., due to ESPN on ABC sports programming)
6 NEWS Nightcast (Saturdays at 11:00 p.m., though may air at 11:30 p.m. or later, due to ESPN on ABC sports programming; Sundays at 11:00 p.m.)
Watchdog focuses on consumer and citizen advocacy. The Watchdog team, which includes Norman Cox, Kara Kenney, Jack Rinehart and Rafael Sanchez, investigates government spending, rip-offs and scams, and criminal and political issues.
Tough Question focuses on reporter Joanna Massee getting answers for Hoosiers.
Hal Fryar (aka "Harlow Hickenlooper") was one of nine local Three Stooges show hosts from across the country cast as villains in the Three Stooges full-length feature "The Outlaws Are Coming! The Outlaws Are Coming!"
Harlow Hickenlooper's famous rendition of "Happy Birthday", which always resulted in his getting a pie in the face, was patterned after Jerry Colonna who always exaggerated certain songs. It can be heard on Hal Fryar's website www.harlowhickenlooper.com.
Dan O'Rourke, after news internship became WRTV's youngest reporter at age 21, and youngest anchor at 22.
Kevin Gregory (the chief meteorologist) is the son of former WTHR chief meteorologist Bob Gregory.
Bill Crawford, weatherman during the 1950s and early 1960s, was really a dentist by profession. Meteorology was only his hobby.
Bob McLain, who still appears occasionally, was the station's primary meteorologist from 1972 to 2001; he covered the Super Outbreak of 1974 and the Great Blizzard of 1978.
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