FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — For 60 years, WTWO has been the station you’ve turned to, and while the look has changed, the mission has stayed the same.
Back in 1965, WTWO was broadcast for the very first time.
From black-and-white film to live updates right in the palm of your hand, the tools are different now, but the heart of local journalism still beats strong right here in the Wabash Valley.
Old jingles can take you right back to the early days: “The most complete and comprehensive coverage of the sights and sounds of the Wabash Valley.”
“It was such an innocent time in news and actually broadcasting in general, Retired Anchor Tom McClanahan said. “I started as a photographer, so we shot film. We had silent film and sound-on-film. Had to process it here, load it in the dark, and use a light meter,” McClanahan added.
Over the years, the station unveiled new logos and new sets. “Hi, I’m Tom McClanahan, and I’m Nancy Hauskinds. Welcome to the unveiling of News Channel Two. We’re excited about our new look and name,” the anchors said as they opened an evening broadcast in the 90s.
Tom McClanahan remembers the early days, dating back to when his career started at the station in 1972. A newsroom powered by creativity. Graphics, painted by hand. But the storytelling was timeless.
We then went to videotape, so everyone was just so excited,” he said. “And we started out with ¾” tape. And had this huge recorder that we had to carry over our shoulder, with a cord, an umbilical cord from the recorder to the camera. Then we went to 1/2″ tape. Big deal there,” he added.
Anchor Dana Winklepleck started at the station in 1994.
“You had these fifty-pound cameras that you packed around, and you know, VCR tapes,” Winklepleck recalled. “Now, man, I can shoot stuff on my phone. It’s really gotten easier in that sense to go out and to collect stories.”
From shoulder-mounted tape decks to shooting on a smartphone, the gear has gotten lighter, but the responsibility is just as heavy.
“The basics of news broadcasting really have not changed,” McClanahan said. “And that being, find the story, cover the story, write the story, edit the story, deliver the story,” he added.
“I think commitment to getting things correct, commitment to the truth, commitment to telling the best stories, that I don’t think will ever change,” Winklepleck said.
Whether it was told on film, tape, or a touch screen, every story we tell starts the same way: with people.
“We are not just delivering the news,” Anchor Mike Tank said. “We are storytellers,” he added.
A jingle from the early years puts people at the heart of local news. “The news people, in touch with people, here on TV 2,” was sung.
“We all want a connection with other people and find out what they’re doing, and be inspired by them, cry with them, laugh with them, celebrate with them,” Mike said.
But through all the trends, one thing stayed the same. Our commitment to the Wabash Valley.
We’re grateful you’ve made us part of your day for the last six decades.
That’s probably the biggest honor that we have, being invited into people’s homes each and every day,” Morning Anchor David Shepherd said. “I can’t think of a better honor, really, than that,” he added.
In every decade, WTWO has grown and changed. The sets, outfits, and even the hair.
But one thing never will. We’ll keep showing up and we’ll keep telling the stories that matter most. Because here at WTWO, the story’s only just begun.
Coming up next week, Reporter Julia Prickett will highlight the evolution of the weather team at WTWO.
