Anne Ryder to leave anchor desk in 2004
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Indianapolis, November 4, 2003 - Two years ago, Anne Ryder made the difficult personal decision to reduce her anchoring schedule so that she could spend more time with her daughter and husband. In her continuing search for the right balance between family and career, she has decided to step down completely from the anchor position she has held for the past fourteen years. Instead, Anne would like to focus her efforts on writing and storytelling for a variety of entities. The station is in negotiations with Anne to develop a long-term freelance relationship when she steps down as anchor in the spring of 2004.
“It is a testament to Anne’s commitment to her family that she is willing to walk away from such a prominent, high profile and financially lucrative position at the station,” says WTHR Senior Vice President and General Manager Rich Pegram. “Her accomplishments speak for themselves and we will miss her, but we are working hard to establish a framework for a new relationship that will keep Anne as a part of our success well into the future.” “I have always been a believer in following my heart….and my heart tells me it’s time to focus on my passions; my family, my writing and telling stories for television,” says Ryder. “Channel 13 has been my home for nearly 20 years and I hope it will be home for many years to come.”
Anne holds the distinction of being WTHR’s longest-tenured main news anchor. Following stints as weekend producer and anchor, then “ Sunrise ” anchor, Anne took over as main anchor of Channel 13’s newscasts in 1989. Over the past two decades Anne has proven to be one of Indiana ’s most influential and respected journalists. In addition to her role as an anchor at WTHR, she is well known for her reporting and inspirational speeches.
She is perhaps best known for her 1996 series and documentary “In the Arms of Mother Teresa,” in which she traveled to Calcutta , India to chronicle the nun’s compassionate story. In fact, Anne was the last journalist to do a sit-down interview with Mother Teresa before her death. Her reporting has taken her all over the world, from Bosnia and Kosovo during the wars, to Northern Ireland during the historic Good Friday peace accord, to here at home with her riveting series about Indiana ’s “Children of the Street.” She also created and produces "Hope to Tell", an ongoing series of reports about hope, faith and the resilience of the human spirit.
