Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN has compiled the best moments of 2012 from the station’s morning newscast (video above). The highlights include a fair bit of dancing, an unfortunate flag football accident and, of course, a bet settled with a trip to the dunk tank.

WRTV has announced Marc Mullins and Beth Vaughn will be the morning news team for “Good Morning Indiana.”

“Energy and urgency are what our viewers want in a morning newscast,” said Terri Cope-Walton, WRTV assistant news director. “Beth Vaughn delivers both.”

Vaughn comes to the Indianapolis ABC affiliate from KHSB in Kansas City where she was an anchor and reporter.  Vaughn’s co-anchor, Marc Mullins, comes to WRTV from KMTR in Eugene, OR, where he was also an anchor and reporter.

“We are very pleased Marc is joining our “Good Morning Indiana” team,” said vice president and general manager Larry Blackerby. “His experience as a morning anchor combined with his natural enthusiasm and passion for reporting will be a perfect fit for our morning viewers.”

The new team will start in January.

One down, two to go.   WISH has removed the “interim” from interim news director Steve Bray‘s title, reducing the number of open news director slots in Indianapolis to two.

“Steve’s varied and experienced background in news and weather, as well as his dedication to being a first informer with digital and on-air, makes him the ideal candidate to lead our news department,” said WISH president and general manager Jeff White.  “Steve has made a tremendous positive impact in every one of his many roles at WISH-TV.  I look forward to this success continuing as news director.” Read more

Since August, three out of the four news directors in Indianapolis have exited their posts. The Indianapolis Business Journal takes a look at the unusual timing of the vacancies and talks to the one remaining news director, WXIN’s Lee Rosenthal, about the departures:

“I ran a TV news operation for 25 years, and I do not recall ever having seen a market, any market, that has had three news directors gone at one time,” said Mike Cavender, executive director of Radio Television Digital News Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association. “It will be interesting to see what impact these new hires will have coming on board around the same time.”

“It’s certainly an unusual situation, but it doesn’t totally surprise me,” said Dave Rust, the former director of broadcast and electronic media at Indiana University and a nine-year TV news veteran. “That job today is a pressure cooker.” Read more

Eva Pilgrim, anchor/reporter for the Indianapolis FOX affiliate, WXIN, will be joining Philadelphia’s ABC Affiliate WPVI.

Pilgrim announced the move on her blog saying in part,

“I’m moving. Wednesday is my last day=( I’m taking an anchor/reporter job in Philadelphia at WPVI, the ABC O&O station there. I am excited to get back to the east coast near family and friends… but the move isn’t an easy one for me.”

WXIN news director Lee Rosenthal posted a farewell to Eva on his twitter page, saying “So proud & happy for a great @fox59 talent & an even better person, we’ll miss u @evapilgrim but we wish you the best!”  You can also view a screen grab of the tweet after the jump. Read more

Keith Connors, news director at WTHR will be leaving the Indianapolis NBC affiliate when his contract expires in a few weeks.

The Indiana Business Journal reported Connors told staffers he’ll be leaving the station to pursue other options.

Indianapolis has been hard on its news directors lately.  In August, CBS affiliate WISH ousted Patti McGettigan while ABC affiliate WRTV and news director Kevin Finch parted ways last week.  Soon, FOX affiliate WXIN will be the only network affiliated station with a news director.

Connors came to WTHR in January of 2011 from KHOU in Houston where he was executive news director.  Previous to Houston, Connors worked in Rochester, NY, Norfolk, VA and Charlotte, NC.

>UPDATE: WTHR sent TVSpy a press release not only announcing their continued dominance in the Indianapolis ratings but showing big ratings increases over last year’s numbers, “Eyewitness News continues to dominate and win all key newscasts, remaining a strong number one at 4:30am, 5:00am, 5:30am, 6am, 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm and 11pm. In addition, all key newscasts earned big ratings increases from the same time period a year ago.”

Stacia Matthews has announced she will be leaving Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV after 23 years as a reporter for the station.

Matthews confirmed with TVSpy she has taken a position as a public relations manager for the Indiana Spine Group.

The veteran reporter’s announcement comes one week after news director Kevin Finch‘s departure from WRTV.

Matthews started at the Indianapolis ABC affiliate in 1989.  She previously worked at WSET in Lynchburg, VA and WTVF in Nashville, TN.

[Indiana Business Journal]

News director Kevin Finch has parted ways with Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal:

A WRTV spokesman on Thursday confirmed that Finch was no longer with the station, but declined to provide details, citing station policy that prohibits commenting on personnel matters.

Finch was hired at WRTV in April 2011. Before joining the station as news director he produced documentaries for cable networks. He is also a former news director at rival WISH, the CBS affiliate.

Two stations in Indianapolis are now without news directors. Patti McGettigan parted ways with WISH in August.

Last week TVSpy wrote about four local meteorologists competing on the TV game show “Let’s Ask America”.  This week we got the chance to find out how the show went and how much Steve Raleigh, Ashley Brown, Denis Phillips and Lisa Hidalgo raised for the American Red Cross’ Hurricane Sandy Relief.

“Let’s Ask America” is a show similar to the “Family Feud” where contestants answer questions based on what groups of people think about certain subjects.  For self-admitted science geeks like these meteorologists, that proved harder than they predicted.

“I’m a science nerd,” said WRTV meteorologist Brown.  “I don’t know what normal people think.  But I had fun guessing.”  Hidalgo, the morning news meteorologist for KMGH in Denver echoed the sentiment, “It’s totally opposite of what we’re doing on a daily basis.”

You can watch a clip from the show after the jump. Read more

WFAA and WTHR were the two regional winners at the 33rd annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, handed out Monday night in New York City.

WFAA, the ABC affiliate in Dallas, took home the Emmy for Outstanding Regional News Story in the Spot News category. The award for “A Day of Weather” was presented to executive producer Valerie Roberts-Evans, producer Eric Valadez and chief director Art MacLaren.

 Related, TVNewser: News and Doc Emmy Awards: PBS, ABC, CBS Lead List of Winners

WTHR, the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis, won Outstanding Regional News Story in the Investigative Reporting Category. Producer Cyndee Hebert, reporter Bob Segall, photojournalist Jim Hall and photojournalist-editor Bill Ditton were honored for “Reality Check: Where Are The Jobs?”

A full list of the winners is here.