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Gentleman, staaaart your television station.
The Hulman-George family's Wabash Valley Broadcasting Corp. is engaged in a thorough overhaul of its newly purchased WMCC-TV Channel 23. When formally launched in January, the station will feature new call letters, a new studio complex in the shadows of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and an aggressive approach toward independent competitors like venerable WTTV Channel 4.
Wabash Valley President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Duffy released details of plans for the station last week as Wabash Valley prepared to close on the purchase from Cincinnati businessman Gerry Robinson. The Federal Communications Commission approved the deal last month.
In January, the station will become WNDY. Its programming--and logo--will be closely tied to the auto racing venue that made the Hulman-George family famous. Even kids' programming will be race themed: "The Gasoline Alley Gang" is the tentative name for a planned local production.
But WNDY will be more than racing.
Duffy said WNDY will use its new financial clout to battle WTTV-TV Channel 4, seen as its main competitor, on a wide front, even taking a shot at grabbing Indiana and Purdue University basketball when broadcast rights for the games come up for bid next year.
A more immediate priority is the construction of new office and studio space across the street from the Speedway.
TelX Sports and Entertainment Co., also owned by the Hulmans, and Channel 23 will be housed in the 30,000-square-foot facility being built in a Hulman-owned shopping center on the south side of 16th street near the track's second turn.
Duffy said the company is pouring $3.5 million into production equipment for use at the station. The price for the station itself was undisclosed, but media insiders estimate it was acquired by Wabash for around $5 million.
Among the wide-ranging ambitions for WNDY discussed by Duffy are plans...