Yesterday TVSpy reported on WBND‘s efforts to build a news department from scratch in South Bend, IN, and now the ABC-affiliate has gotten a boost from local lawmakers.
The St. Joseph County Council, which represents the property on which WBND plans to construct a state-of-the-art news facility, has granted Weigel Broadcasting Co., the stations’ parent company, a significant tax break for its planned $2.25 million investment in WBND’s news facility.
The council voted unanimously to give Weigel Broadcasting a tax abatement, which will allow the company to invest even more money into developing the building that will house WBND’s news operations.
WBND general manager Jeff Guy told the South Bend Tribune that the tax break will permit Weigel to increase its investment by as much as $500,000.
WBND currently produces an 11-minute nightly newscast in association with Milwaukee’s WDJT. The station is in the process of hiring a news staff that will include over 30 people and plans to launch its own local newscast this spring.