WLW-I Indianapolis, Channel 13 (ABC)

[Drucifer]

WLW-I Channel 13 in Indianapolis was an ABC affiliate long before becoming NBC and WTHR. Can anyone recall a news anchor by the name of John Lindsey? Wonder whatever became of him?

 

[KeithE4]

WLW-I Channel 13 in Indianapolis was an ABC affiliate long before becoming NBC and WTHR. Can anyone recall a news anchor by the name of John Lindsey? Wonder whatever became of him?

Doesn't ring a bell. WLWI was an also-ran in the Indy market during the Crosley/Avco era. The only people I remember from Channel 13 were kid-host Bill Jackson (later with WFLD Chicago) and some weather-guy named Letterman (I hear he made it big at NBC and CBS later in life. ;D ).

 

[KeithE4]

Somebody on the Indiana board might remember him.

 

[flashback]

dave leterman ,as he was refered to then .hosted a late night movie .around 1:30 or 2 am on saturday nights.it was called freeze dryed movies.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Although this was after the call letter change (taped July 1977), here's a great aircheck of WTHR-13's "Eyewitness NewsCenter 13" from YouTube back when Paul Udell was at the station (his next stop IIRC would be up I-65 at WLS Chicago). "On Top of it All" was the news theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gz9qI1hxsI&feature=related

BTW, "On Top of It All" was, according to the Southern Media News Music site, was also being used at that time by another station that at least in the analog days could also be received in parts of the WTHR viewing area (specifically far western Indiana): WCIA-3 Champaign, IL (CBS).

http://www.southernmedia-nmsa.com/

 

[Drucifer]

I remember Udell at WTHR. Way ahead of their time and WAY to aggressive for the Indianapolis market. WRTV held 2/3 of the total audience at the time split between WTHR, WRTV and WISH.

I understood, but I cannot recall how, that Lindsey was not an anchorman but an actor hired to "read" the news and with AVCO's "interest" in WLW-I this would not be surprising. I am trying to find out if anyone else knows anything about this...

By the way, I am VERY hip to http://www.southernmedia-nmsa.com/

Thanks

 

[Bluenoser]

Although this was after the call letter change (taped July 1977), here's a great aircheck of WTHR-13's "Eyewitness NewsCenter 13" from YouTube back when Paul Udell was at the station (his next stop IIRC would be up I-65 at WLS Chicago). "On Top of it All" was the news theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gz9qI1hxsI&feature=related

BTW, "On Top of It All" was, according to the Southern Media News Music site, was also being used at that time by another station that at least in the analog days could also be received in parts of the WTHR viewing area (specifically far western Indiana): WCIA-3 Champaign, IL (CBS).

http://www.southernmedia-nmsa.com/

In a copy of the Central Indiana edition of TVG in my collection, there's an ad for Eyewitness NewsCenter 13 that mentions that Udell worked in NYC and LA...which stations did he work for?

 

[wbhist]

Although this was after the call letter change (taped July 1977), here's a great aircheck of WTHR-13's "Eyewitness NewsCenter 13" from YouTube back when Paul Udell was at the station (his next stop IIRC would be up I-65 at WLS Chicago). "On Top of it All" was the news theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gz9qI1hxsI&feature=related

BTW, "On Top of It All" was, according to the Southern Media News Music site, was also being used at that time by another station that at least in the analog days could also be received in parts of the WTHR viewing area (specifically far western Indiana): WCIA-3 Champaign, IL (CBS).

http://www.southernmedia-nmsa.com/

In a copy of the Central Indiana edition of TVG in my collection, there's an ad for Eyewitness NewsCenter 13 that mentions that Udell worked in NYC and LA...which stations did he work for?

In L.A., Udell had worked at then-KNXT (now KCBS-TV), prior to 1972; in New York, he'd worked (and bombed) at WNBC-TV in 1972-73, paired with former Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes. A clip of the opening of the Aug. 17, 1972 Eleventh Hour newscast (the only one where Channel 4 led the news ratings in those days, unlike their 6 P.M. newscast whose ratings were so low at that point there was an asterisk in place of a number figure) can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZZi2aDCDJI
It should be noted that there, Stokes and Udell, who normally anchored the Sixth Hour newscast, were filling in that night for Jim Hartz; and that while Stokes had no journalistic experience to speak of, he lasted at WNBC through 1980 - unlike Udell who was gone from the anchor desk by early 1973.