WXIN

“Kerri brings a wealth of news experience and leadership from several markets and I am thrilled to have her now take the helm of the FOX59 News franchise,” said WXIN-WTTV vice president and general manager Larry Delia. “Her proven ability to launch newscasts, grow ratings, and mentor talent will be extremely valuable as FOX59 continues to build on its ratings success.”

Cavanaugh starts June 17. She comes to WXIN from Tribune’s WXMI in Grand Rapids, MI, where she has been the news director since 2010. Before WXMI, she was news director at WSFL in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and has also worked at WFTS in Tampa, WPEC in West Palm Beach and WDBB in Tuscaloosa, AL.

“I’m honored to join the staff at FOX59,” said Cavanaugh. “The station has seen tremendous growth in recent years, producing by far the most local news in the market.  It is quickly becoming the go-to place for breaking news and weather coverage.  I’m eager to work with such a dedicated team and continue to build on its success.”

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While promoting Saturday’s Professional Bull Riders event in Indianapolis, the station was visited by Megan and Sam, two Pop Tart eating Border Collie riding Capuchin monkeys who make up “Team Ghost Riders.”

WXIN anchor Angela Ganote introduced the pair along with trainer Tim ‘Wild Thang’ Lepard. The monkeys the showed their stuff by racing up and down one of the station hallways. Megan and her steed crossed the line first, helped by the fact they only raced halfway and then turned around while Sam dutifully ran the whole route. You can watch the video after the jump. continued…

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“With the spate of violence in our schools, nationally and locally, we wanted to take the bold step in starting a real and constructive dialogue,”  WXIN VP-GM Larry Delia said in a statement. “This is an initiative that transcends our roles as journalists; we are empowering the local community to rise up, ask tough questions, and ultimately keep our children safe in their schools.”

Special reports on the school violence debate will air nightly on the 10 p.m. newscast and will feature a variety of topics, including gun control measures, mental illness and school security.

WXIN will air a televised town hall, moderated by anchors Angela Ganote and Ray Cortopassi, on Thursday, February 7. The panel discussion (pictured) will include school administrators and security experts, as well as a parent and a student.

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The station reported on Sadie during the 4 p.m. newscast, showing video of the donkey running around outside WXIN’s headquarters in the snow. Animal Control was called, but three officers who responded were not able to corral Sadie, who escaped into some nearby fields.

“I even sacrificed my apple to help lure Sadie in,” Walt Maciborski said in his report. “She wasn’t going for it.”

Animal Control eventually gave up the chase. But later in the night, a big red trailer — with Sadie inside — pulled into the WXIN parking lot. Volunteers from the Hearts and Hoofs Equine Ministry drove from nearby Monrovia to rescue Sadie after seeing WXIN’s early afternoon report.

Watch the WXIN report after the jump. continued…

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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.

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Eva Pilgrim

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. continued…

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Dan Spehler

It is a return to Indianapolis for Spehler, who worked as a reporter and anchor at ABC affiliate WRTV from 2005-10. Since 2010, he has been a reporter and fill-in anchor at WKRC, the CBS affiliate in Cincinnati.

Spehler begins Monday at WXIN. He will anchor the weekend evening newscasts.

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Edward Moody

Moody comes to WCCO from WXIN, the Fox-affiliate in Indianapolis. The Pioneer Press reports Moody will be paired with Liz Collin on the Saturday evening newscasts. He will also be a reporter during the week.

He makes his debut on August 24.

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Walt Maciborski

Maciborski is the weeknight anchor at KDAF, the CW-affiliate in Dallas. He was hired in 2009, along with co-anchor Amanda Salinas, who will reportedly continue to anchor the newscast solo.

Maciborski will join WXIN, the Fox-affiliate in Indianapolis, in September. He wrote on Twitter he is “excited about [the] new opportunity.”

“Walt is a tremendous person,” Salinas told Bark. “He’s a true professional, and this is an amazing opportunity for him. He will be greatly missed here at CW33.”

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Ryan Minnaugh, who most recently served as executive producer of KDVR-KWGN’s evening newscasts, is joining WXIN in Indianapolis.  And Marc Sternfield, KDVR-KWGN’s executive producer for digital media, has been named assistant ND at KSTU in Salt Lake City.

Both moves represent promotions within the Local TV-Tribune family. continued…

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Maliska comes to WGXA, a Fox-affiliate owned by Frontier Broadcast Holdings that also broadcasts ABC programming on a digital subchannel, from WJHG in Panama City Beach, FL, where he has served as news director since last summer.

Maliska began his TV career at WFLD in Chicago and since then he has been news director at WXIN in Indianapolis, WOFL in Orlando, and KECI in Missoula, MT. continued…

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“Our hour at 6:00 will continue our mission — at any hour of the morning, day or night — of being the go-to place for the big stories as they happen,” news director Lee Rosenthal said in a statement.

WXIN said several new on-air faces, as well as production staffers, will be hired in preparation for the newscast’s September 10 debut. The newscast will bring WXIN’s weekday local news hours to 50 per week, the highest in the Indianapolis market.

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WXIN morning anchor Angela Ganote, an Indiana University graduate, and morning meteorologist Jim O’Brien, a Kentucky fan, placed a bet when the teams met recently in the NCAA tournament.  And after the Hoosiers lost, Ganote succumbed to a dunk tank during the station’s morning show.

Winning the bet, O’Brien had the chance to knock Ganote off her perch in the dunk tank… it didn’t take long.  Oh, by the way, the temperature outside at the time was 34 degrees.

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In a moment made for YouTube, KTXL reporter Sean Bennett attempted to snowboard (or, as he called it, “surf skating”) on live TV while covering a snow storm that hit the Sacramento area this week. It didn’t go well.

KTXL quickly posted raw video of Bennett’s fall on its website and now fellow Tribune station WXIN has uploaded it to YouTube, proclaiming it to be a “viral video.” So far, it’s received 54 views.

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Several local news outlets, including WRTV and Fox-affiliate WXIN, identified the winner as James Prather. On February 24, WRTV interviewed Prather’s estranged wife, Ericka, who hired an attorney to stake her claim to half of the $34.5 million jackpot. She told WRTV’s Chris Proffitt that her husband called her and asked her for a divorce after he won the lottery.

“I was like, is it because you just hit the lottery?’” she said in the interview. “And he’s like, ‘huh?’ He tried to say he didn’t, but then he’s like, ‘Yeah, I did.’”

One problem: Prather may not be the lottery winner.

continued…

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