Holiday Spots

Christmas is a big deal in Downtown Fort Wayne. The city is proud of it's history, and the holiday season doesn't begin until the night before Thanksgiving, when tens of thousands of people gather to see the giant 1940's era Santa and his reindeer display lit up on the side of a building. Over the years, I've built a fantastic and mutually benficial relationship with Downtown Fort Wayne, the organization in charge of promoting what they call "The Night of Lights." For several years, WANE 15 has worked with Downtown Fort Wayne to promote and grow the event, and WANE 15 staff is on stage to do the countdown to the lighting. This past year, the event brought 35,000 people downtown, which is a new record. Working closely with news and Downtown Fort Wayne, I've helped coordinate live coverage during the 5 and 6PM newscasts for that evening, ending with the lighting at the end of the 6. During COVID, there was no public lighting, but the displays were lit. To give Fort Wayne a bit of a holiday boost, I worked with Downtown Fort Wayne to produce a 30 minute special called "Merry and Bright: A History of the Night of Lights" so viewers could get some sense of normalcy around the holidays. This was the first half-hour I've ever produced, with the help of key staff from downtown and from the WANE 15 news team. Also included here is a WANE 15 holiday spot that acts as it's own proof of brand, showcasing our commitment to different charities and causes that we highlight around Christmas, and throughout the year. You'll also see a fun piece that the creative team put together to run during Christmas week, when news is slow and short staffed, and producers are looking for extra content to fill time. It's our take on The Night Before Christmas. In Fort Wayne, it really is "the most wonderful time of the year!"