David Lindquist

david.lindquist@indystar.com

On the first day WISH-8 is without its longtime CBS network affiliation, the TV station will expand its news programming by four hours.

Beginning Jan. 1, WISH's "Daybreak" will expand by two hours, airing from 4:30 to 9 a.m. "News 8 at Noon" will expand by 30 minutes to 1 p.m. An early evening newscast will expand by 30 minutes, airing from 5 to 7 p.m. A late newscast will expand by one hour, airing from 10 to 11:30 p.m.

CBS rocked the landscape of Indianapolis television in August when the network cut ties with WISH and made plans to air its programs on WTTV-4 beginning in 2015.

Industry observers say CBS sent a message to all of the network's affiliates: Pay what we're asking for the right to broadcast "Big Bang Theory," "NCIS" and other popular shows. LIN Media, the company that owns WISH, had been renegotiating its affiliation contract with CBS but apparently was unwilling to ante up for "program fees," in the terminology of CBS President Leslie Moonves.

Network affiliations rarely shift in Indianapolis. WISH's alliance with CBS dates to 1956. In 1979, WTHR-13 and WRTV-6 traded NBC and ABC affiliations. WTHR has been an NBC station and WRTV has been an ABC station since then.

WISH-8 General Manager Les Vann also said a lineup of entertainment programming is in the works.

"Today's announcement and these news expansions mark a new era for WISH-TV and the viewers we serve," Vann said in a statement. "However, this is only the beginning of that era. We're looking forward to announcing, in the days to come, our new entertainment program lineup that complements these news expansions."

Texas-based LIN Media takes its initials from three cities where it originally owned radio stations: Louisville, Indianapolis and Nashville.

Presently in $1.6 billion merger negotiations with Virginia-based Media General, LIN marked down its value by more than $100 million after WISH lost its CBS ties.

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.



