Longtime WTHR anchor John Stehr is retiring from the Dispatch Broadcast Group NBC affiliate.
“I am enormously grateful to my WTHR family and the many people I have worked with over the years,” Stehr said in a statement. “After forty years in the business and a few months to reflect following my heart surgery last year, it really gave me perspective as to the importance of family, health and other ways to contribute.”
Stehr joined WTHR in 1995 and has anchored the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. news since. His last day is June 20. He will be a regular contributor at the station for big news nights and community coverage.
“We are happy to know that John will continue to play a role in our station’s coverage,” said WTHR news director Kathy Hostetter. That includes WTHR’s airing of the Indy 500 which is coming to the NBC affiliate next year. Just last week, NBC won the rights to broadcast the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
“I’m thrilled that he will be with us as we solidify our leadership stake in all things IndyCar,” said Hostetter.
Stehr joined WTHR from CBS News in New York, where he was a correspondent and anchor of the CBS Morning News. He was a founding anchor at CNBC, anchoring from 1989 to 1991. He previously worked at WISH (Indianapolis), WOTV (Grand Rapids, MI) and WSEE (Erie, PA).