Template:WFTW-FTV Programming

Programming

Syndicated programs seen on WFTW include Extra, Access Hollywood, The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Wendy Williams Show, and as of fall 2020, the NoSirGifts-produced animated comedy-dramas Queen of the Willis and The Souzas. WFTW clears the entirety of NBC's network schedule and typically airs all network programs in pattern; this differs from WNDI and WMRI during their tenures with the network. The only exception are during instances where the station carries breaking news or severe weather coverage, or special programming.

Sports programming

As a CBS affiliate, WFTW previously carried select Indianapolis Colts NFL games broadcast by CBS as part of the network's rights to the team's American Football Conference division from 1998 until 2003 and from 1984 until 1993 (as a CBS affiliate) and from 2004 to 2009 (as a Fox affiliate) as part of Fox's rights to the National Football Conference when the Colts play against an NFC opponent.

Regular season games televised over-the-air locally are split between WTOR (through CBS' rights to the team's American Football Conference division), WINO/WMRN/WORT (for select games televised by Fox in which the Colts play against an NFC opponent), with the station as an NBC affiliate carrying non-preseason games via NBC's Sunday Night Football on occasions when a game involving the Colts is scheduled.

News operation

WFTW presently broadcasts 42 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 6½ hours on weekdays, four hours on Saturdays and 4½ hours on Sundays). In addition, the station produces the local news discussion program FWA Meet the Press, airing Sundays at 8:30 a.m., and the sports highlight program NBC6 Sports Xtra, airing Sundays at 11:30 p.m. As a CBS affiliate, WFTW's newscasts finished in second place the ratings in the Fort Wayne market for many years; as recently as the early 1970s, WFTW's news viewership often doubled the audience of WNDI (then WPMA). WMRI-FTV (then WFAZ)'s newscasts surged into first place since the 1960s, although WFTW managed to remain at a solid second place even after the retirement of longtime anchor Claire Wilson. However, channel 6's ratings flatlined after CBS' move to WTOR, and it fell to last place for the first time in its history. It has never really recovered, and from 2005 to 2014, remained in third place behind WTOR and WMRI-FTV (on some occasions, it has placed fourth behind current Fox affiliate WINO/WMRN/WORT (channels 12/28/58) and above WNDI). Since 2015, the station is now in a spirited battle for second place in the Fort Wayne newscast ratings race, along with WMRI-FTV and WINO/WMRN/WORT.

WFTW has brought forth several technological innovations over the years; it was the first television station in Fort Wayne to record local programming on videotape and to use mini-cams for newsgathering purposes. Channel 6 was also the first in the market to use microwave relays (years prior to the use of satellite transmissions for newsgathering) to provide live remote footage from the field ("Insta-Cam"), the first to use a mobile satellite uplink vehicle (NewStar 6) to provide live video from remote locations, the first to convert to non-linear digital editing for news content, the first to use digital news cameras and the first to provide VODcasting. In 1988, the station debuted a half-hour 5:00 p.m. newscast, becoming the first station in the market to carry an early evening news program in that timeslot. In the mid-1990s, the station launched a 24-hour cable news channel known as Fort Wayne News Now, which later evolved into "Channel 6 News 24/7" and began to be carried on digital subchannel 6.2 by the late 2000s.

When WFTW became a Fox affiliate in 2004, the station expanded its 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts to an hour replacing syndicated programming in the 5:30 p.m. timeslot and CBS Evening News in the 6:30 p.m. timeslot), expanded the weekday morning newscast by one hour (replacing The Early Show) and moved its 11:00 p.m. newscast to 10 p.m. At that time, WFTW phased out its longstanding "Channel 6 News" brand as a CBS affiliate and began branding itself as "Fox 6 News". The station's weekend morning newscasts were cancelled around this time, as a cost-saving measure imposed by Shoreline Communications in 2002.

When WFTW switched from Fox to The CW in 2010, WFTW kept their existing newscasts yet debuted weekend morning newscasts (a two-hour block running from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m., and an additional block at 9:00 a.m. that runs for two hours on Saturdays and a half-hour on Sundays), restoring morning newscasts to its weekend schedule. The expansion resulted in the hires of eight on-air and behind-the-scenes employees to the station. At that time, WFTW phased out its "Fox 6 News" brand and began branding their newscasts as "The News at (time) on Fort Wayne 6 News".

On March 9, 2011, WFTW shut down its sports department; with the move, then-vice president and general manager Bill Doures (who left the station in June 2014 and was replaced by veteran sales manager Don Johannes) announced the hirings of former WMRI news anchorwoman Melinda Long and WTOR anchorman Mark Pantazi.

Upon switching to NBC on November 1, 2015, most existing newscasts were retained, though the 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. newscasts moved to new CW affiliate WGOM (as NBC airs Today and prime time programming in those respective time slots), while the daily 6:00 p.m. newscasts were also shortened to a half-hour. At that time, WFTW began branding itself as "The News at (time) NBC 6 News".

Current on-air staff

• Kelli Bakula - weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. on WFTW and 7 and 10 p.m. on WGOM
• Melinda Long - weekdays afternoons at 12, 4, and weeknights at 6 p.m. on WFTW
• Jim Sorensen - sports director seen weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m. on WFTW and 10 p.m. on WGOM
• Kira Walters - chief meteorologist seen weekdays at 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. on WFTW and 7 and 10 p.m on WGOM
• Lucas Ward - weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 p.m. on WFTW and 7 and 10 p.m. on WGOM

Former on-air staff

• Samantha Zinn - anchor (2016-2020, died November 30, 2020)

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