David Shepherd, political director and weekend anchor at WEHT has left the station.

“After working as a political director and lead political correspondent for WEHT, I want to use my experience to help address the challenges our nation is facing from inside of the Beltway,” Shepherd told TVSpy. “I am currently looking at several options on how to do that. A lot of thought and prayer is going in to this and hopefully I’ll have a more firm announcement regarding my future in the coming weeks.

Shepherd was named weekend anchor at WEHT in October. He worked at WTWO in Terre Haute, IN, before joining WEHT. Read more

Mission Broadcasting has announced WTVW, its Nexstar-run station in Evansville, IN, has agreed to become a CW affiliate.

Mission Broadcasting president and chief executive officer, Dennis P. Thatcher said in a statement, “We are delighted to announce this relationship with CW as we will now also bring local Tristate viewers what they have been asking for since CW went off the air earlier this month.”

WTVW will begin airing the CW prime time lineup Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m, beginning Thursday. The first official CW show to air on WTVW will be fan favorite, “The Vampire Diaries.”  WTVW will air an hour of news at 9:00 p.m following CW’s lineup.

Evansville viewers have been without a CW affiliate since early January when former CW affiliate WAZE, owned by financially troubled Roberts Broadcasting, shut down. WTVW lost its FOX affiliation in July 2011.

[Jake's DTV Blog]

Zakk Gammon, Western Kentucky bureau chief for WEHT-WTVW has announced he’s leaving the station.

Gammon posted the news to his his facebook page saying, “Today marks the beginning of my last week at Eyewitness News. Next week,” said Gammon. “I begin a new career as a Marketing Representative for a local company in Owensboro. Thanks to everyone in the Tri-State who helped make this the best job anyone in news could ever ask for… you are the best!

Gammon has worked at the Evansville, IN, ABC affiliate WEHT for less than a year.

WTVW-WEHT in Evansville, IN, has announced a few anchor changes taking place this week.

Kara Kirtley has joined the station as the morning co-anchor.  She anchors the 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. news for ABC affiliate WEHT and the 7:00 a.m. news for WTVW.

“I am thrilled and honored to become a part of the Eyewitness News Daybreak team,” said Kirtley. “Having grown up in Central City, Kentucky, returning to the Tri-State now feels like coming home. Covering the news in our community means so much to me and I consider it a real blessing.”

Kirtley comes to WTVW-WEHT from Great Falls, MT, where she was the evening news manager and anchor for KFBB.

Read more

David Shepherd has been named the new weekend anchor for Evansville’s WEHT-WTVW.  Shepherd was the weekend anchor for WEHT before the station merged with WTVW last year.

Shepherd confirmed with TVSpy he will begin co-anchoring with Shalah Sasse beginning next weekend.

Shepherd was recently promoted to political director and lead political reporter for the station.

[Jake's DTV Blog]

Drew Gardner is headed to Knoxville to report for ABC affiliate WATE, according to Jake’s DTV Blog.  Gardner comes from WTVW in Evansville, IN.

Gardner joined WTVW in 2010.  He survived a merge between two Evansville stations last year when Nexstar, which already owned WTVW, bought cross town ABC station WEHT.

He posted this farewell to his facebook page Friday:

Julie Dolan is the new morning co-anchor Lexington NBC affiliate WLEX, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

Dolan joins WLEX from WEHT in Evansville, where she has worked since 2007, most recently as the morning anchor. At WLEX, she will anchor from 4:30 to 7 a.m. alongside Chris Goodman.

“When we put Julie on the set for her newscast audition, it was as if Chris and Julie had worked together forever,” WLEX news director Bruce Carter told the Herald-Leader. “They had great chemistry, and it was just the perfect match.” Read more

Bob Walters is out as news director of WEHT-WTVW in Evansville.

Walters, who had been with WTVW since 2000, was promoted to news director of both stations last year after Nexstar Broadcasting acquired WEHT and merged its operations with WTVW.  His departure was first reported this week by Jake’s DTV Blog.

WEHT-WTVW production manager John Payne was also let go by Nexstar, and he has since been replaced by Jeremy Moore from WTWO, the company’s NBC-affiliate in Terre Haute. Read more

Whitney Ray, who spent three years as a morning anchor and reporter at WEHT before being cut loose last year, has been tapped as the Evansville ABC-affiliate’s new evening anchor.

A native of Southern Indiana, Ray will co-anchor WEHT’s 4, 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts alongside Brad Byrd, and she’ll also helm the 6:30 p.m. newscast produced for WTVW.

“We are delighted to welcome Whitney Ray back to WEHT as she brings the right skill set, community knowledge and commitment to serve as a successful co-anchor in the market,” WEHT vice president and general manager Arika Zink said, announcing the appointment. Read more

Doug Kufner, who has worked as a sports anchor at WTVW for the past six years, is leaving Evansville, IN to join WCNC in Charlotte.

Kufner has accepted a “jack of all trades” position with the NBC-affiliate’s sports department.  He’ll work as a producer, reporter, photographer, and anchor.

“I’m extremely grateful to WTVW for giving me the opportunity to live and work in Evansville over the last six years,” Kufner told TVSpy via email.  “My wife and I are thrilled to be moving to such a wonderful city in Charlotte.  I’m very excited to be joining the talented group of journalists at WCNC!” Read more