Circle City Broadcasting
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | July 1, 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Founder | C. Bruce McConnell |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis , United States |
Area served | Indianapolis metropolitan area |
Key people | DuJuan McCoy (owner) |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
| Owner | Circle City Broadcasting |
WISH-TV (channel 8) operates as a television broadcaster in Indianapolis, Indiana, affiliated with The CW. It is under local ownership by Circle City Broadcasting, which also owns Marion-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WNDY-TV (channel 23) and low-power Class A Confess affiliate WIIH-CD (channel 17). These stations share studio facilities on North Meridian Street in Indianapolis, while WISH-TV and WNDY-TV jointly utilize transmitter sites located on Walnut Drive in the Augusta neighborhood of northwest Indianapolis.
Early years
WISH-TV commenced operations on July 1, 1954, at 6 p.m. The station was established by C. Bruce McConnell, who also owned WISH radio (1310 AM, now WTLC). It was the third television outlet in the Indianapolis area after WFBM-TV (channel 6, now WRTV) and Bloomington-licensed WTTV (channel 10, now channel 4). Initially, WISH-TV held a primary affiliation with the ABC, while maintaining secondary ties with the DuMont Television Network and NBC. Its original broadcasts were transmitted from a tower shared with WISH radio; however, the station constructed its own transmitter tower the following year to improve signal reach within the market.
Affiliation with CBS (1956–2014)
In 1956, ownership transferred to Indiana Broadcasting Company, the broadcast division of J. H. Whitney & Company, which also owned WANE-TV in Fort Wayne. That year, WISH-TV secured CBS programming rights, taking over from WFBM. Consequently, the ABC affiliation moved to WTTV, while WLBC-TV in Muncie effectively served as the ABC outlet for northern regions due to WTTV's limited broadcast range. Additionally, in 1956, WISH became one of the earliest American stations to install a videotape recorder.
Indiana Broadcasting was renamed the Corinthian Broadcasting Corporation in 1957, designating WISH-TV as its flagship station. Between 1958 and 1959, it was affiliated with the NTA Film Network. Corinthian merged with Dun & Bradstreet in 1971; later in 1984, Dun & Bradstreet sold its broadcasting properties to the Belo Corporation. Because of Federal Communications Commission ownership restrictions, Belo divested WISH-TV and WANE to LIN Broadcasting (which later became LIN Media) in March 1984. LIN initially based its headquarters in Indianapolis and operated WISH-TV as its flagship until relocating to Providence, Rhode Island during the late 1990s. In 1992, LIN acquired low-power independent station W11BV (now WIIH-CD) and moved WISH-TV’s transmitter location in 1995.
WISH-TV began digital transmissions on VHF channel 9 on December 17, 1998. Two days later, it broadcast its first high-definition program during an NFL game. By 2002, WISH took over master control operations for sister stations WANE-TV and WLFI-TV; this centralized hub expanded further by late 2003 to include LIN’s duopoly in Buffalo.
On February 10, 2005, LIN purchased UPN affiliate WNDY-TV (channel 23) along with sister station WWHO for $85 million, forming a duopoly with WISH-TV. In May 2007, LIN announced it was considering strategic options including a possible sale.
In September 2008, LIN entered into a retransmission consent conflict with Time Warner Cable, impacting Bright House Networks subscribers in Indianapolis. LIN sought compensation comparable to cable networks for carriage rights. This dispute resulted in LIN stations being removed from Time Warner Cable systems on October 3 but was resolved with a new agreement on October 29.
WISH-TV discontinued analog broadcasts on June 12, 2009, continuing digital transmissions on VHF channel 9 while maintaining virtual channel number 8. On August 7 of that year, it launched a Mobile DTV service initially accessible through a BlackBerry application.
In January 2010, LIN applied to operate a digital fill-in translator on UHF channel 17 aimed at restoring coverage lost after the digital transition; this translator began broadcasting in January 2011 from the same site as the main transmitter. It simulcasts both primary and subchannels of WISH and was later supplemented by a simulcast via WNDY-DT3 starting March 2015.
On March 21, 2014, Media General announced intentions to merge with LIN Media for $1.6 billion; upon completion on December 19 that year, WISH-TV became part of Media General’s holdings.
CW affiliation (2015–present)
On August 11, 2014, Tribune Broadcasting revealed that WTTV, the local CW affiliate, would switch to become the CBS affiliate in the market starting January 1, 2015. This change was part of a broader agreement renewing CBS partnerships across five other Tribune-owned stations. This transition brought an end to WISH-TV’s 58-year tenure as the CBS affiliate, a move reportedly triggered by WISH management’s refusal to acquiesce to network demands regarding the sharing of retransmission consent fees. Notably, this marked the second occasion WTTV acquired an affiliation from WISH, the first being ABC back in 1956.
With major networks already committed to other local broadcasters, WISH declared on December 11, 2014, that it would operate as an independent station following the loss of CBS programming. To fill the void left by network content, WISH expanded its local newscasts and added syndicated talk shows, newsmagazines, and sitcoms—including some programs previously aired on its sister station WNDY-TV—and replaced the CBS Morning News with a national newscast from TouchVision, which was subsequently supplanted by a lengthier morning news segment.
However, shortly after completing its merger with LIN Media, Tribune sold the market’s CW affiliation to Media General on December 22, 2014. As a result, WISH assumed CW affiliation status in a direct swap with WTTV. This arrangement prevented The CW from being relegated to a secondary digital subchannel or potentially losing carriage on satellite services. The loss of CBS affiliation by WISH also contributed to a $110 million reduction in the valuation of the Media General-LIN merger.
Following these changes, Media General affiliated several stations with Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Get network; accordingly, WISH launched Get programming on its .2 digital subchannel on February 1, 2016.
Nexstar acquisition
After an unsuccessful attempt to merge Media General with Meredith Corporation, Nexstar Broadcasting completed its purchase of Media General in January 2017. This acquisition expanded the existing WISH-WNDY duopoly by adding new sister stations in Indiana markets: in Evansville, the virtual duopoly of ABC affiliate WEHT and CW affiliate WTVW, and in Terre Haute, the virtual duopoly of NBC affiliate WTWO and ABC affiliate WAWV-TV. The CBS affiliate WANE-TV in Fort Wayne remained the sole existing sister station retained alongside WISH and WNDY within the combined portfolio. To adhere to FCC ownership regulations, Nexstar and Media General divested multiple Indiana stations—including Nexstar’s Fox affiliate WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne; Media General’s CBS affiliates WTHI-TV in Terre Haute and WLFI-TV in Lafayette to Heartland Media; and Nexstar’s WEVV-TV in Evansville to Bayou City Broadcasting.
In March 2015, Media General introduced a 1080i high-definition simulcast of WISH’s primary channel on WNDY-TV’s 23.3 subchannel. This move aimed to enhance over-the-air reception for viewers whose geographic location or antenna setup limited access to WISH’s VHF channel 9 signal. By January 2016, this subchannel transitioned from broadcasting a continuous Doppler radar feed to becoming an affiliate of the Justice Network.
Acquisition by Circle City Broadcasting
On December 3, 2018, Nexstar announced its $6.4 billion cash-and-debt acquisition of Chicago-based Tribune Media, which included Fox affiliate WXIN (channel 59) and CBS affiliate WTTV. Due to Federal Communications Commission ownership restrictions, Nexstar was unable to retain both duopolies simultaneously.[1] Subsequently, on April 8, 2019, Circle City Broadcasting—owned by Indianapolis native DuJuan McCoy (formerly principal at Bayou City Broadcasting)—agreed to purchase WISH and WNDY for $42.5 million.[2][3] Nexstar opted to maintain the longer-established WTTV/WXIN duopoly instead of keeping WISH/WNDY.[4] The transaction finalized on September 19, 2019, concluding a sister station relationship with WANE-TV that had lasted for 62 years.
Sports programming
During its final years affiliated with CBS, WISH-TV broadcast the majority of Indianapolis Colts regular season and playoff contests under CBS's rights to the NFL's American Football Conference. This coverage featured rookie quarterback Peyton Manning and included the Colts' appearances in Super Bowl XLI and Super Bowl XLIV. Additionally, the station aired Indiana Pacers games from 1976 until 1990 through CBS's NBA contract, and it also covered significant local sporting events such as the 1987 Pan-American Games and several NCAA Men's Final Fours in 1991, 1997, 2000, 2006, and 2010.
Following the January 2015 affiliation swap with WTTV, WISH-TV ceased to be the unofficial "home" broadcaster for the Colts. Starting with the 2015 NFL season, Colts games and associated programming transitioned to WTTV and its sister Fox station WXIN.
To offset the loss of CBS sports content, WISH secured new sports broadcasting agreements. On February 17, 2015, the station inked a two-year contract to televise home matches of the Indy Eleven soccer team from the North American Soccer League for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, taking over from sister station WNDY. These broadcasts, including post-game shows, are produced through an outsourcing partnership with Indianapolis-based WebStream Sports.
On March 20, 2015, Media General announced that WISH and WNDY would join the broadcast networks for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, airing numerous games locally via ABC's WLS-TV, former CW affiliate WGN-TV, and later WPWR-TV. Due to restrictions related to CW affiliation, WISH airs only Sunday games while WNDY covers weekday contests. This agreement followed Tribune Broadcasting’s cessation of Chicago-area sports on WGN America. The Indianapolis market shares Major League Baseball broadcast territories among the Cubs, White Sox, and Cincinnati Reds (via Fox Sports Indiana).
Beginning June 30, 2015, WISH agreed to carry Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball matchups produced by Raycom Sports through ACC Network syndication starting with the 2015–16 season. The inaugural broadcast featured a September 5 game between the Wofford Terriers and Clemson Tigers.
On October 6, 2015, Media General revealed that WISH would broadcast Chicago Blackhawks NHL games produced by WGN-TV. The initial schedule included 19 weekend games during the 2015–16 season. This marked the first occasion that WGN’s Blackhawks coverage aired outside Chicago’s market—excluding Canadian cable exceptions.
News operation
WISH-TV produces a total of 85 hours of local news weekly—14 hours each weekday, seven hours on Saturdays, and eight on Sundays—ranking it second nationally in local news output behind KTLA in Los Angeles. It holds a leadership position in both the Indianapolis market and throughout Indiana in terms of newscast hours.
The station pioneered extensive live coverage of major local incidents as early as 1963 with reporting on the Fairgrounds Coliseum explosion. From the mid-1980s until 2002, its newscasts led Indianapolis ratings, supported by a stable team including Mike Ahern who served as lead anchor for more than three decades and Debby Knox who co-anchored from 1980 to 2013. Other prominent personnel included weathercaster Stan Wood and news director Lee Giles.
In the 1990s, WISH-TV branded itself as Central Indiana’s premier local news provider. Currently, it holds second place behind WTHR in most time slots but maintains a slight lead during weekday early evening newscasts and reclaimed dominance at 11 p.m., benefiting from strong CBS prime time programming leading into The Late Show with David Letterman. Its investigative unit "I-Team 8" has received numerous journalism honors such as Regional Emmy Awards, Peabody Awards, and Edward R. Murrow Awards. In 2008, it earned recognition from the Indiana Associated Press Broadcast Association for both "Outstanding News Operation" and "Outstanding Weather Operation."
Adopting the "24-Hour News Source" format in 1990, WISH-TV delivered brief news updates every hour throughout its schedule—a practice it continues despite many stations discontinuing this approach by the early 2000s. The "24-Hour" branding was retired in 2018.
The station’s news music frequently incorporates motifs from "Back Home Again in Indiana," featuring custom compositions by Stephen Arnold Music and 615 Music. After briefly removing this theme in 2012, WISH-TV reinstated it alongside its current theme package by 2018.
Following LIN TV’s acquisition of sister station WNDY in 2005, WISH-TV assumed production responsibilities for WNDY’s 10 p.m. newscast and subsequently added a weekday morning extension at 7 a.m.
In September 2008, all local newscasts—including those on WNDY—transitioned to high-definition broadcasts. In 2013, WISH expanded its morning news to begin at 4:30 a.m., becoming the final English-language station in Indianapolis to adopt this early start.
After affiliating with The CW on January 1, 2015, WISH-TV increased its weekly news programming by twenty hours (from thirty-four to fifty-four hours). It consolidated newscasts previously produced by WNDY onto channel 8; extended the morning Daybreak show by two hours on weekdays and one hour on weekends; lengthened the noon newscast to a full hour; introduced a weeknight newscast at 6:30 p.m.; shortened weekend evening newscasts to half-hour segments; and adjusted sports programming to include Sports Locker along with a newly launched Indy Sports Tonight segment.
Distinguished Former On-Air Personnel
- Mike Barz – reporter and anchor
- Chet Coppock – sports broadcaster (1974–1981)
- Nicole Manske – sports reporter and anchor (2004–2006)
- Mark Patrick – sports director (1990–1999)
- Jane Pauley – weekend news anchor (1972–1975)
- Rolland Smith – news anchor (1967–1969)
- Sage Steele – sports correspondent (1997–1998)
- John Stehr – news anchor
- Anne Marie Tiernon – reporter and anchor (1991–2000)
Local Weather Station
In 2005, WISH-TV introduced digital subchannel 8.2 to deliver its 24-hour weather broadcast service, known as Local Weather Station (LWS), available over-the-air. This offering resembled the former SkyTrak Weather Network previously managed by WTHR. Beginning January 1, 2009, LWS was simulcast on sister station WIIH-CA after that station ended its Univision affiliation. However, in January 2011, WIIH-CA ceased carrying LWS when it was repurposed as a fill-in translator for WISH-TV. Up until February 2016, Channel 8 aired a 30-minute simulcast of LWS during late Friday nights into early Saturday mornings.
Technical information and subchannels
<section begin=subs />WISH-TV and WNDY-TV operate from shared transmitter facilities located in northwest Indianapolis. Their broadcast includes a high-powered VHF channel 9 signal alongside a digital replacement translator broadcasting on UHF channel 26. The multiplexed signals for these stations are organized as follows:
| License | Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Identifier | Programming Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WISH-TV | 8.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WISH-HD | The CW |
| 8.2 | 480i | 4:3 | getTV | Get | |
| 8.3 | 16:9 | Confess | Confess (WIIH-CD) | ||
| 8.4 | DIYA | Diya TV | |||
| WNDY-TV | 23.1 | 720p | My INDY | MyNetworkTV | |
| 23.2 | 480i | RADAR | Radar | ||
| 23.3 | WISHNET | Independent |
<section end=subs />