WTTV Indianapolis Names News Team Ahead of CBS Affiliation Switch

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WTTV, Tribune Broadcasting’s Indianapolis station today announced the anchor teams for the station’s new morning and evening weekday newscasts, which will launch when the station’s CBS affiliation takes effect on Jan. 1, 2015.

Debby Knox and Bob Donaldson will anchor the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. They will be joined by meteorologist Chris Wright.

The 5 a.m. newscast will be anchored by Marianne Lyles and Tim Doty. Lindsay Riley will join the team as the morning meteorologist.

“We listened to what local viewers told us they wanted in a news team and a newscast. The team we’ve built for WTTV will bring a high level of local knowledge and experience, as a viewer I can’t wait to see this new team on the air,” said Paul Rennie, vice president and general manager, WXIN & WTTV.

Meet the team:

Debby Knox, who has been a staple in Indiana homes for more than 33 years, recently left the news anchor position at WISH-8. Knox, the longest serving female anchor in central Indiana, is an Emmy Award winning journalist who has also been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press. Most recently Knox was inducted into the Associated Press Broadcast Hall of Fame and was named a Distinguished Hoosier by Gov. Mike Pence.

Bob Donaldson joined Tribune’s FOX59 in 1991, when the Indianapolis station launched its award-winning newscast, FOX59 News at 10. He was a key contributor to one of the most successful local news launches ever among FOX affiliates and his efforts helped make WXIN-TV “FOX Station of the Year” both in 1992 and again in 1994. Besides his work on the anchor desk, Bob has produced Emmy-award winning special reports and documentaries during his long career at FOX59. Bob will also continue to anchor for FOX59’s News at 10 weeknights.

Chief Meteorologist Chris Wright, who was most recently at WTHR in Indianapolis, is a 10-time Emmy Award winner. Last year, Wright was inducted into the Silver Circle of the Lower Great Lakes Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and is the first African-American from the Indianapolis market to receive this honor. With his move to WTTV, Wright returns to the family, having entered the Indianapolis market in 1991 at WXIN-TV FOX59.

“I am excited to work with this talented group. We set out to create a hometown team of professional, trustworthy journalists who know what’s important to Hoosiers. Debby, Bob and Chris know Indiana and they know our local viewers. They will be a winning combination for WTTV,” said Kerri Cavanaugh, WXIN & WTTV news director.

Marianne Lyles joins WTTV Morning and Noon News from WISN, Milwaukee’s ABC affiliate where she was most recently the Morning News anchor for WISN’s “12 News This Morning.” Born in the Philippines, Lyles grew up in Chicago and has worked on air for WFIE-TV in Evansville, Indiana and KAVU-TV in Victoria, Texas.

Tim Doty joins WTTV from Tribune Broadcasting’s WXMI FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, MI where he was an anchor of FOX 17 Morning News where he was involved with the station’s news expansion anchoring several lifestyle and sports programs before moving to the weekend morning news anchor desk.

Meteorologist Lindsay Riley joins WTTV from NBC 5 in Dallas/Fort Worth, where she anchored the station’s weekend a.m. news. Riley has also forecasted at LEX 18 in Lexington, Ky. and WIVB in Buffalo, NY. Riley earned her B.S. in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University, where she graduated with honors. She has also been a member of The American Meteorological Society for more than six years.