Heath Benfield

WTHR Indianapolis embarked on a seven-month research project to check the health of the station’s “News Leader” brand. The goal was to enable WTHR to connect better with its viewers in authentic and meaningful ways.

“We want viewers to see our people how we get to see them every day behind the scenes — down-to-earth and personable,” says Heath Benfield, promotion manager for WFXT, Cox’s Fox affiliate in Boston.

Not many local TV marketing departments get the chance to create long-form content like a four-part documentary. But the team at New York’s WPIX welcomed the challenge. “I think if you went to most creative services shops in the country, you would find a lot of frustrated filmmakers who would be dying to do something like this,” said Heath Benfield, the series creator.