Action News (Fort Wayne)

Fort Wayne Action News
Also known as	CBS 41 Action News INNCD 47 Action News
Genre	Live News Telecast
Presented by	see below
Language(s)	English
Production
Location(s)	Fort Wayne Indiana
Camera setup	Multiple camera
Broadcast
Original channel	WTOR, WXXC
Original airing	2008

Fort Wayne Action News, began in 2007 but not completed until early 2008, is a collective name for news for the Fort Wayne, Indiana area's CBS and Independent stations owned and operated by NoSirGifts. It was originated from independent station WXXC's newscasts but now provides content for all of the channels listed above. After WTOR (Fort Wayne's CBS affiliate since 2004) was sold to NoSirGifts in late 2007, NoSirGifts took over operations at WTOR and merged the news departments of both WTOR and WXXC, respectively known locally as CBS 41 and INNCD 47. Slow changes to WTOR were made and now a multi-channel format is in place called Fort Wayne Action News.

NoSirGifts runs a very similar operation with other duopolies in markets which NoSirGifts owns and operates fantasy television stations.

Stations

CBS 41

WTOR (called "CBS 41") is the flagship station of NoSirGifts Fantasy Television Stations. When WTOR merged with WXXC, in late 2008, WTOR took over WXXC's newscasts, keeping all on-air talent.

INNCD 47

WXXC (CBS 41 Plus, formerly INNCD 47) was the first station under the ownership of NoSirGifts Fantasy Television Stations as well as the first station acquired by NoSirGifts. WXXC has been an independent station since its 1999 launch.

Programming

News

Between WTOR and WXXC, the duopoly broadcasts 120 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 18 hours on weekdays and 15 hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). CBS 41 broadcasts 52 hours of news per week (7 hours on weekdays and 8½ hours on Saturday and Sunday) while CBS 41 Plus broadcasts 100 hours of news per week (14 hours on weekdays and 10 hours each on Saturday and Sunday); in regards to the number of hours devoted to news programming on WTOR and WXXC, it is the highest local newscast output among all broadcast television stations in the state of Indiana as well as the highest in the United States and the world. WTOR is one of the few Big Three stations in the United States whose weekly news programming total exceeds 40+ hours (which is more common with news-producing affiliates of the post-1986 broadcast networks, such as Fox affiliate WINO locally).

WTOR does not simulcast the entirety of the weekday morning edition of Action News This Morning, the weekday noon and daily 6:00 p.m. newscasts; however, WTOR exclusively airs the 4:00 a.m. hour of Action News This Morning (resulting in WXXC airing the CBS Morning News), while WXXC exclusively airs Action News This Morning from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., where it joins the two-hour long midday newscast (of which only the 12:00 p.m. half-hour portion is simulcast on WTOR) and hour-long weekday 7, 8, 9 newscasts and a nightly 10 p.m. newscasts while WTOR exclusively airs an hour-long 4:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. newscasts on weekdays, and an hour-long 11:00 p.m. newscast daily (resulting in The Late Show and The Late Late Show airing on 25 minute delay Monday-Friday). On weekends, WTOR exclusively airs the weekend edition of Action News This Morning from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. (resulting in WXXC airing the Saturday edition of CBS This Morning) while WXXC exclusively airs the weekend edition of Action News This Morning from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., where it joins the hour-long weekend midday newscast, and an hour-long 5 p.m. newscast.

In addition since 2008, WXXC began carrying WTOR's 11 p.m. newscast during instances where CBS' NCAA basketball or NFL game telecasts run into the 11:00 p.m. timeslot and WTOR's weekend 6 p.m. newscast during instances where CBS Sports' telecasts run into the 6:00 p.m. timeslot–the latter of which is often pre-empted.

Evolution of Action News

Beginnings as Fox 41 News at 9 (1996-2000)

On June 3, 1996, WTOR launched half-hour primetime newscasts at 9:00 p.m./10:00 p.m. each night, being the first newscast in the 9:00/10:00 timeslot to be offered by a commercial television station in the Fort Wayne (pre-dating WFTW's addition of its own late evening newscast in that slot when it switched from CBS to Fox in February 2004, and the formation of eventual sister station WXXC's news department with the debut of its own 10:00 p.m. newscast in 2007). The news team consisted of anchors Bob Imperial (formerly of WNDI), Sally Ford (who had been a fill-in anchor at Lafayette sister station WLIN, now at sister station WIFX), meteorologist Jillian Gates (formerly of WFTW), and sports anchor Phil Sorensen (who had anchored sports at WRNC in Raliegh, NC) and reporters were Lee Ann Hackson (now at Milwaukee sister station WXWI), Jack Steele, and Ken Watts. The weekend editions were added a year later with anchor Jack Steele, meteorologist Neal Mellingham, and sports anchor Mark Pantazi

2001-2006

47 Update

What was then known as WRDS on channel 47, that station produced a 10-minute newscast called 47 Update Early in the Morning from 1999 to 2006; hosted by Holly Everman, the program was taped at the end of the workday and aired at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Its format was similar to the Saturday Night Live segment Weekend Update. The timeslot and the satirical content of the program were a reaction to FCC rules in effect at the time that required stations to carry some news and information content – although WRDS had to broadcast news, the FCC could not dictate when it aired or demand that it have a serious tone. 47 Update Early in the Morning was cancelled at the end of 2006. Standard, more serious news updates with the 47 Update (it was renamed INNCD News Update in 2006 and now known as INNCD 47 Action News Update) anchors (Ava Zinn and Holly Everman) also ran during the day in between programs on channel 47 and continued until 2008.

WTOR switches from Fox to CBS

Channel 41 (as a Fox affiliate) added a four-hour morning newscast in the spring of 2001. The first anchors of the morning newscast was Jack Steele and Joanna Erickson (now at KSEA Seattle) and meteorologist Whitney Viera (now at sister station WIFX). The morning newscast, called Fox 41 a.m. initially aired from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m., replacing paid programming and children's programs that had previously aired in that time period. Although the morning newscast initially beat competing local and national morning news programs in the 25-54 age demographic, WTOR was one of Fox's weaker stations in terms of local viewership, usually ranking fourth in the Nielsen ratings. Occasionally however, WTOR overtook then-ABC affiliate WNDI (channel 7, now silent) for third, behind long-dominant WFAZ (then an NBC affiliate channel 36, now ABC O&O WMRI on channel 9) and runner-up WFTW (channel 6, then a CBS affiliate, now an NBC affiliate).

The station expanded the flagship 10:00 p.m. newscast to one hour on April 21, 2003; until that point, WTOR had been among the smallest news-producing Fox affiliates by market size that did not air an hour-long primetime newscast, either on a nightly basis or on weeknights only. The expansions was not enough to save WTOR's Fox affiliation after 14 years.

At the time of WFTW's switch to Fox, WTOR was the only non-Big Three station in Fort Wayne with a functioning news department—a major reason CBS approached Imperial for an affiliation.

WRDS becomes WXXC

When channel 47 station became WXXC, channel 47 launched a full-scale news department on February 3, 2007 and a news schedule typically for a small market Fox affiliate; local news programming on the station weekdays from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and nightly from 10:00 to 11:30 p.m. The nightly 10:00 p.m. newscast became the second newscast in the 10:00 timeslot to be offered by a commercial television station in the Fort Wayne market (after WFTW's addition of its own late evening newscast in that slot when it switched from CBS to Fox in February 2004). WXXC did not have shows that could lead into its newscasts, so consistent viewership and ratings were difficult to maintain and a 9:00 p.m. newscast was added (and was later canceled in 2010).

2009-2010

Under then-news director Ava Zinn, WXXC became well known in Northeast Indiana, and throughout the nation, for its emphasis on double standard stories and sensationalistic reporting – summarized in the phrase, "News Directors/Producers Have a Choice, Viewers Don't." Although this embrace of tabloid television was criticized, it rejuvenated a station that had languished for eight years. Within a few years, with anchors Alexandra Moffitt and Season Atkins at the at the helm, WTOR/WXXC became the market's highest-rated station from sign-on to sign-off, a rank it overtook from WMRI in May 2014 and has held it ever since.

WXXC's success also influenced how newscasts on other NoSirGifts-owned stations and duopolies would look in later years; the station's decision to pair two women on all weekday newscasts would eventually serve as the template for the programming formats of NoSirGifts-owned duopolies that known as Action News as a result of NoSirGifts acquiring stations since 2008 and certain news-producing duopolies that are not affiliated with Fox, NBC, CBS or ABC. Other NoSirGifts-owned duopolies and stations have taken cues from WXXC's set (notably sister duopolies in Milwaukee, Tampa, and Denver; it is interesting to note that WXXC became the fourth NoSirGifts-owned station to pair two women for its main newscasts after Milwaukee's WXWI (Lanise White and Kathy Fountaine from 1989 to 2014), Denver's KDNC (Kym Christian and Janet Webb from 1994 to 2014), and Tampa's WWCF (Kellie Rock and Marti McDaniel) from 1995 to 2009). The overall format was successful enough in Fort Wayne that by the end of 2008, Ava Zinn overhauled NoSirGifts' three Fox affiliates in Indiana at the time–WIFX Indianapolis, WXSB South Bend, and WLIN Lafayette (WIFX and WXSB have since switched to CBS)–and two NBC affiliates–WVTH Terre Haute and WNEI Evansville for its newscasts; as in Fort Wayne, the two woman main anchor format in Lafayette helped WLIN become one of Fox's strongest affiliates in the country and the same format for WVTH and WNEI rise from a perennial third place into a contender for first in the news ratings (against the more respective traditional WTHL and WEAI). WIFX, WXSB, WLIN, WVTH, and WNEI uses many visual cues taken from WXXC including the use of flashy graphics, pairing two women (or a transwoman and a female co-anchor in later years) on all newscasts; in recent years though, NoSirGifts had been pushing for news directors and station managers to add male and transmale staff to the all female and transfemale staff.

At that time of the merger, WXXC added WTOR main anchor Bob Imperial, weekend morning meteorologist Neal Melllingham (now at WHOO), sports director Phil Sorensen (will be retiring in December 2016), and reporters Ken Watts and Harold Matthewson (now Hillary Matthewson) were added to WXXC's mostly female and transfemale news team after merging with WTOR.

2011-present

By the end of 2010, NoSirGifts executives still felt WTOR/WXXC's news staff did not have enough male news staff. On the orders of then-NoSirGifts Chairperson Archibald Coolranch and NoSirGifts President and CEO Ava Zinn, new male anchors and reporters had to be added to the station's news staff or the the station would face possible sanctions by the Equal Opportunity Office (EEOC). Zinn realized that someone had to be dismissed. Zinn chose to resign from NoSirGifts in 2011 but not before Zinn dismissed morning meteorologist Elizabeth Atkins (who went to sister station WKJM, and now at rival WINO+), weekend morning meteorologist Kira Hurd (now Kira Walters, who went to rival WFTW), morning anchor Juanita Davidson (who later joined sister duopoly WPTL/WPN Pittsburgh and now at rival WFTW) and anchor/reporter Hillary Matthewson (the former Harold Matthewson, later at sister station WIFX now at wival WINO+) from the news staff, and later said it was the hardest decisions she had ever made at NoSirGifts. Though several news staff initially claimed the firings were for other reasons likely due to their contracts not being renewed, Zinn confirmed that the firings were on the orders of Coolranch.

For most of the 2010s as the station expanded its newscasts, WTOR/WXXC hired several high-profile people to its news team. The most notable was former Columbus and Atlanta veteran anchor Rhonda Spencer from sister station WCOL, who was hired as the station's primetime anchor in July 2014 and former WFCN Jacksonville and Columbus, Ohio veteran meteorologist Tim Doogan was hired as the station's weekend evening meteorologist in January 2015 and has since been promoted to weeknight prime-time meteorologist. In more key moves, WTOR/WXXC also hired former WMRI anchors Sabrina Everman (now retired), Lynne Jackson, and Frank Davidson; Columbus, Ohio anchors Colleen Rea and Kevin Stapleton to anchor the station's midday newscasts, whom all except Davidson were hired in 2010 (Davidson was hired away from WMRI in 2015 after four years, but did not appear on WTOR until January 2016, due to Davidson's non-compete clause). Action News' major coups came during 2014 and 2015 were longtime Denver anchorwomen Kymberly Alvaraz from sister duopoly KDNC/KZCO; Kylie Dwyar from KIAA after the contracts of Alvaraz and Dwyar were not renewed in Denver; new hires Rachael Passalt from sister duopoly WXDS/KAFZ Duluth; Kendra Ray from sister duopoly KIAX-FTV/KFIA-FTV Des Moines (after her wife took a job at sister duopoly WLIN/WWKI); former San Francisco anchor Perri Johnson; meteorologists Glenn Swaringen from WHOO Indianapolis (after his wife, Patrice, retired from WMRI owner ATE Media Corporation after 33 years) and Luka Runecraft (its first transman on their news team) from Detroit sister duopoly WDMI/WWJD.

As of January 2016, news anchors Frank Davidson, Bob Imperial and Kevin Stapleton, meteorologists Tim Doogan and Luka Runecraft–the latter of which is currently the only transman in the station's news team, sports director Phil Sorensen, and investigative reporter Ken Watts are currently the only males on the station's news team as the other news staff are either women or transwomen.

2016 Vote for the Girls April Fools prank

Most of Fort Wayne Action News' news staff are also on the moderator panel of the American version and previously the British version of Vote for the Girls (created by former WXXC alumnus Ava Zinn), of which is distributed by WXXC's parent corporate cousin NoSirGifts Television Distribution. Due to their commitments on Vote for the Girls, most of WTOR/WXXC's news staff were shuffled in 2015. Former WTOR/WXXC reporter Ava Zinn and Holly Everman, weekend morning anchor Kendra Ray, weekday midday anchor Tracia Matthewson, and meteorologist Glenn Swaringen were the only members of the news staff to appear on both the American and British versions of Vote for the Girls.

In addition to Zinn, Everman, Ray, Matthewson, and Swaringen, weekday morning anchors Kylie Dwyar, Maribel Mort, and Maci Blanca, weekday midday anchor Rachael Passalt and meteorologist Tim Doogan, weekend morning and midday anchor Kymberly Alvaraz, weekend midday anchor Perri Johnson, weekend morning meteorologist Luka Runecraft, weekend evening team of anchors Donna Doogan, Devin Martin, meteorologist Breeanna Sorensen, and sports anchor Kye Sanchez appear on the American version as does on-air staff from both sister stations in Lafayette and Indianapolis.

Although American Idol aired locally WINO/WMRN/WORT from 2010 until 2016 (and previously on WTOR as a Fox affiliate from 2002 until January 2004 before moving to WFTW from that point until 2010), the American version of The Voice airs locally on WFTW since 2015 (and previously WNDI from 2011-15), America's Got Talent airing locally on WFTW since 2016, So You Think You Can Dance since 2010 on WINO+ (and previously on WFTW from the show's 2005 premiere until 2010) and Dancing with the Stars locally on WMRI since the show premiered in June 2005.

On March 31, 2016, as part of an April Fool's Day joke, WTOR anchors Frank Davidson, Bob Imperial and Kevin Stapleton, sports director Phil Sorensen, meteorologist Tim Doogan, WIFX fellow anchornam Rick Cortos from WTOR's sister station in Indianapolis, and special guest Stephen Christian, accompanied by the (male) villain panelists of Vote for the Girls trade places with the main female moderators anchoring WTOR's newscasts in addition to the WTOR-produced newscasts for WXXC. Davidson hosted the Dancing with the Stars result with Alvaraz and Holly Everman respectively filling in for Luka Runecraft and Clark Jones along with Ava Zinn and Perri Johnson respectively filling in for Archibald Coolranch and Glenn Swaringen for the Dancing with the Stars on March 28. Davidson, who filled in for Ava Zinn and Holly Everman in the third season following the death of Robyn Hurd, ceded hosting duties to Zinn and Everman for the American Idol result.

On-air staff

Weekdays

Start time	End time	Station	Title	On Air Personalities				Original Run	Note(s)
				Weather	News Anchor 1	News Anchor 2	Sports
4:00 AM	4:30 AM	CBS 41	CBS 41 Action News This Morning	Lisa Shingelton	Kylie Dwyar	Charlotte Bakula	N/A	January 10, 2011 (2011-01-10)–present	CBS 41+ airs CBS Morning News
4:30 AM	5:00 AM							September 15, 2008 (2008-09-15)–present
5:00 AM	6:00 AM	CBS 41/CBS 41+						January 8, 2001 (2001-01-08)–present (WTOR) February 5, 2007 (2007-02-05)–present (WXXC)
6:00 AM	7:00 AM
7:00 AM	9:00 AM	CBS 41+						(January 8, 2001 (2001-01-08)–January 30, 2004 (2004-01-30) (WTOR) February 5, 2007 (2007-02-05)–present (WXXC)
9:00 AM	10:00 AM				Maribel Mort	Maci Blanca		September 1, 2014 (2014-09-01)–present (WXXC)	CBS 41 airs syndicated programming
10:00 AM	11:00 AM								CBS 41 airs Let's Make A Deal
11:00 AM	12:00 PM		CBS 41 Midday Action News					February 2, 2004 (2004-02-02)–September 13, 2013 (2013-09-13) (WTOR) September 16, 2013 (2013-09-16)–present (WXXC)	CBS 41 airs The Price is Right
12:00 PM	12:30 PM	CBS 41/CBS 41+		Alicia Williams				September 16, 2013 (2013-09-16)–present (WTOR) February 2, 2004 (2004-02-02)–September 13, 2013 (2013-09-13) (WXXC))
12:30 PM	1:00 PM	CBS 41+							CBS 41 airs The Young and the Restless
4:00 PM	5:00 PM	CBS 41	CBS 41 4:00 Action News		Lynne Jackson	Rhonda Spencer		January 4, 2016 (2016-01-04)–present (WTOR), February 5, 2007 (2007-02-05)–January 1, 2016 (2016-01-01) (WXXC))
5:00 PM	6:00 PM		CBS 41 5:00 Action News	Jillian Gates	Tracia Matthewson	Season Atkins	Destiny Morris	February 2, 2004 (2004-02-02)–present
6:00 PM	6:30 PM	CBS 41/CBS 41+	CBS 41 6:00 Action News			Rhonda Spencer		February 2, 2004 (2004-02-02)–present
6:30 PM	7:00 PM	CBS 41+	CBS 41 6:30 Action News					September 12, 2007 (2007-09-12)–present (WXXC)
7:00 PM	8:00 PM		CBS 41 7:00 Action News			Season Atkins		January 4, 2016 (2016-01-04)–present (WXXC) September 12, 2007 (2007-09-12)–January 1, 2016 (2016-01-01) (WTOR)
9:00 PM	10:00 PM		CBS 41 9:00 Action News		Lynne Jackson			September 12, 2011 (2011-09-12)–present (WXXC)
10:00 PM	11:00 PM		CBS 41 10:00 Action News			Rhonda Spencer		June 3, 1996 (1996-06-03)–February 1, 2004 (2004-02-01)(WTOR) February 5, 2007 (2007-02-05)–present (WXXC)
11:00 PM	12:00 AM	CBS 41	CBS 41 11:00 Action News		Tracia Matthewson	Season Atkins		February 2, 2004 (2004-02-02)–present

Weekends

Start time	End time	Station	Title	On Air Personalities				Original Run	Note(s)
				Weather	News Anchor 1	News Anchor 2	Sports
5:00 AM	6:00 AM	CBS 41	CBS 41 Weekend Morning Action News	Breeanna Sorensen	Janet Webb	Kendra Ray	N/A
6:00 AM	7:00 AM
7:00 AM	9:00 AM
9:00 AM	12:00 PM	CBS 41+
12:00 PM	1:00 PM		CBS 41 Midday Action News	Luka Runecraft	N/A
5:00 PM	6:00 PM		CBS 41 5:00 Action News			Donna Doogan	Shawna White
6:00 PM	7:00 PM	CBS 41/CBS 41+	CBS 41 6:00 Action News
10:00 PM	11:00 PM	CBS 41+	CBS 41 10:00 Action News
11:00 PM	12:00 AM	CBS 41	CBS 41 11:00 Action News

Correspondents

General Assignment Reporters:

• Charlotte Bakula - general assignment reporter/fill-in anchor (daughter of Laura Bakula and previously with WTOR from 2005-2011)
• Colleen Rea - general assignment reporter/fill-in anchor (former anchor 2010-2016)
• Kevin Stapleton - general assignment reporter/fill-in anchor (former anchor 2010-2016)
• Shawna White - sports reporter/fill-in sports anchor
• Sophia Williams - general assignment reporter/fill-in anchor (no relation to meteorologist Alicia Williams)

Action Investigators:

• Bob Imperial - Action 41 investigative reporter (former main anchor 1996-2011 and former morning anchor 2011-2016)
• Ken Watts - investigative reporter

NoSirGifts Correspondents:

• Sally Ford - Indiana Statehouse reporter (former anchor 1996-2003, also seen on WLIN/WWKI, WXSB, WIFX, WVTH/WJTH, WNEI/WBEI, WCIL/WIHR, WJDO/WOCB)
• Doug Loosader - chief NoSirGifts Washington correspondent
• Brooke Wilson - Ohio statehouse reporter