WTTV

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WTTV is a The WB affiliate in the Indianapolis television market. Broadcasting on analog channel 4, the station is owned by the Tribune Broadcasting. It is licensed to Bloomington (southwest of Indianapolis) and operates a satellite (WTTK 29) in Kokomo to serve the northern areas of the market. It was announced that in September 2006 WTTV will become the home of the new CW Network.

History

WTTV began operation on November 11, 1949 on channel 10 as central Indiana's second television station (after WFBM, now WRTV). The station was owned by Sarkes Tarzian, a Bloomington-based radio manufacturer, and was an NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. Its transmitter was located in Trafalgar, which made it difficult for people on the north side of Indianapolis to get a good signal.

WTTV moved from channel 10 to channel 4 on February 21, 1954. The station became a full ABC affiliate later that year, after the NBC affiliation moved to WFBM-TV (now WRTV). WTTV remained an ABC affiliate until 1957, when WLWI Channel 13 (now WTHR) signed on and took the ABC affiliation. WTTV then became an independent station. At that point, the station signed on air weekdays at 2pm, and showed a test pattern until 4pm, when its programming began. The station initially ran old movies and low budget syndicated shows as well as producing some of its own local programming.

Throughout the 1960s, 70s and early 80s, WTTV was known in Central Indiana for its local programming, including children's shows Janie (previously Popeye and Janie) and Cowboy Bob's Corral (previously Chuckwagon Theatre, both starring Bob Glaze as Cowboy Bob). By then WTTV was on the air by 6am and stayed on until at least 2am. In addition to local programming WTTV aired alot of movies in the early afternoon and prime time slots. They also aired cartoons both mixed in with locally produced children's shows in the afternoons from 3pm to 5 pm. In the evenings WTTV aired off network sitcoms. Horror movies were presented late-nights by Sammy Terry, a ghoulish vampire character portrayed by Bob Carter.

By the mid 1980's WTTV increased the amount of cartoons on the station as well as airing more recent off network sitcoms during the evening. The station was on 24 hours a day by then as well. During the day WTTV began airing first run syndicated talk shows. In 1989, Sarkes Tarzian bought WWKI-TV, channel 29 in Kokomo, and made the station a full-time satellite of WTTV as WTTK. Channel 29 had signed on in 1987.

The station was sold to River City in the late 1980s and became a UPN affiliate in 1995. It came under the ownership of the Sinclair Broadcast Group following the group's merger with River City. The station became a The WB affiliate in 1998 after swapping affiliations with WNDY-TV.

In 2002, the station was sold by Sinclair to Tribune, making WTTV and WXIN-59 sister stations. WTTV's 10pm newscast, produced by WRTV, was promptly cancelled by Tribune as it would compete against WXIN's own 10pm news. Because of WTTV's signal coverage requiring a translator, Tribune decided to protect UHF station WXIN's Fox affiliation by not swapping affiliations with WTTV, which is on the VHF dial.

Sports

The station also referred to itself as "Indiana's Sports Station" for years, having been the home of Big Ten basketball - with a focus on Indiana University and Purdue University - since the 1950s, via both in-house productions and later syndication deals with Raycom and ESPN Plus. WTTV also presents other Big Ten football and men's basketball matchups on Saturdays, but when the Big Ten's cable/satellite channel launches in August 2007, all college sports are expected to leave the station.

WTTV traditionally broadcast the boys' and girls' state high school basketball "Final Fours" and football class championship games; however, after the Indiana High School Atheltics Association converted its basketball tournament from single-class to multi-class in 1997, WTTV chose not to renew those rights due to declining ratings.

WTTV has also served as the TV flagship for the Indiana Pacers since the team's days in the ABA, except for a period in the mid-'80s when WXIN held those rights. In addition, the station is the broadcast home of Indianapolis Colts preseason games.

From The WB to The CW

On January 24, 2006, the WB and UPN networks announced they would merge. The newly combined network would be called The CW, the letters representing the first initial of its corporate parents CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner. WTTV was announced as one of the network's charter affiliates. The merger would take effect on-the-air in September 2006. Current UPN station WNDY-TV, owned by LIN Television will go to My Network TV.

External links

• Indiana's WB 4
• What Columbus Watched... - History of television in central Indiana, from the perspective of a Columbus, Indiana resident
• Sammy Terry's official web site
• Tribune Company: Press Release: Tribune Completes Acquisition of WTTV-TV (WB4), Indianapolis - July 24, 2002
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