Indianapolis - This is a sad day for all of us at Channel 13. We are mourning the death of our president and general manager Jim Tellus.
Jim died of an apparent heart attack Monday night while attending a business meeting in Ohio.
The WTHR family will remember all that Jim Tellus accomplished in his broadcasting career at Channel 13, including the awards for leading Channel's 13's investigative work, our station's coverage of the Olympics and the Colts, his commitment and his leadership into the digital age conversion. But most of all, we'll remember our boss for his love of humor.
Jim Tellus loved to laugh.
"Jim, at one point in an earlier career, was a standup comic, so Jim could bring smiles and laughter to a room of two or 200 people," said Michael Fiorile, Dispatch CEO.
Coats for Kids was one of Jim's passions as Channel 13's leader.
"He often talked about the Coats for Kids project that we've been involved in and how he thought we could make it a better project and get more warm clothes to kids that needed them," said Fiorile.
All of us at Channel 13 needed Jim. We needed his leadership and relied on his vision.
He's remembered as a competitive manager and as a boss who wanted to win. But this was a man with a desire to impact the world around him and the community his station served. It's a sad day for his family and for all of us at Channel 13.
Jim Tellus was 47. He was a husband and father of four children.
"This is a family and Jim was certainly an important part of this family," said Fiorile. "Jim just had a real passion for everything he did. We're just gonna miss him."
- Scott Swan
WTHR statement:
WTHR is deeply saddened to announce that Jim Tellus, our President and General Manager since January of 2008, has died.
He was a gentle, kind and compassionate leader and he will be missed greatly by the Channel 13 staff and by the entire Dispatch Printing Company
We extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to his wife Kathy and their four children.
Funeral arrangements
Visitation will be held on Friday (March 12th) from 3:00pm-9:00pm at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. A vigil service will be held at 7:30pm that evening.
The funeral will be held on Saturday (March 13th) at 11:00am at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church is located at 14598 Oak Ridge Road, Carmel, IN 46032.
Jim's family requests memorial donations be made to the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.
Scholarship fund
Former colleagues of the late Jim Tellus have established a scholarship fund at his alma mater, Wichita State University.
Jim was general manager and president of WTHR after being promoted from news director. He was also an ND in Seattle, Norfolk, and Wichita. You can contribute online - be sure to enter Jim Tellus Memorial Fund under 'other' - or via mail to:
Jim Tellus Memorial
c/o WSU Foundation
1845 Fairmount, Box 2
Wichita, KS 67260-0002
Other tributes
