About

Airs: Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Fridays at 6 p.m. on WTIU

The Weekly Special is an eclectic local magazine program that looks at issues, events, people and things of interest in our broadcast area.

The program looks at what’s creating the buzz in our viewing area each week. If a regional political issue, incident or event is gaining attention, The Weekly Special provides the background, finds the right people and gathers the latest information.

If a special entertainment or artistic event visits the region, The Weekly Special takes you there. The program even introduces you to fascinating things and people who are all around you but often go unnoticed.

Joe Hren co-hosts the program with local radio personality Pam Thrash.

Former Weekly Special Producer Ann Shea and former News Directors Tony Perkins and Chuck Carney can be seen in archived episodes.

The Weekly Special uses the metaphor of the local restaurant as a focal point for community discussion, and the format is a mix of live discussion, performance, and regular pre-taped features.

Joe Hren, Co-Host

After filling in for former WTIU News Directors Chuck Carney and Tony Perkins, Joe Hren permanently moves to WTIU News as Reporter/Anchor and co-host of THE WEEKLY SPECIAL. Joe graduated from IU Bloomington in fall of 1998 with a degree in telecommunications and a minor in theatre and drama in the College of Arts and Sciences.

He worked for WTIU as a Schedule Director during his undergrad years, eventually producing a few episodes of B-town Sounds and completing the WTIU News Forum class. He currently heads up severe weather and delays and closings information on WTIU as well as managing the WTIU Air Operations.

You might even hear Joe on WFIU; as part of the move to the new WTIU/WFIU Newsroom, he is learning the board for WFIU radio.

Joe is from Hebron in northwest Indiana and relies on the Hoosiers to get him through the Cubs’ off-season.

Pam Thrash, Co-Host

Originally from Muncie, Indiana, Pam brings more than two decades of media experience to co-hosting The Weekly Special.

She is well-known as host of the Retro Lunch Hour on Bloomington radio station B97 and from her numerous live appearances at Bloomington-area events.

The Weekly Special Staff

• Eric Bolstridge, Producer
• Jay Kincaid, Director
• Shameka Neely, Contributing Producer
• Ron Prickel, Contributing Producer
• Susanne Schwibs, Contributing Producer
• Bridget Siebert, Contributing Producer
• John Winninger, Contributing Producer
• Jason Pear, Chief Videographer / Editor
• Bill Shaw, Videographer / Editor
• Michael Nice, Technical Director
• Stuart Norton, WTIU Audio Engineer
• Mike Gray, Studio Manager
• Scott Carmichael, AVID Systems Administrator and Computer Graphics
• Fred Duer, Art Director
• Rob Anderson, Director of Education and Production Services
• Phil Meyer, WTIU Station Manager
• Perry Metz, Executive Producer