WLFI-TV
Encyclopedia
WLFI-TV, channel 18, is the CBS
television affiliate in West Lafayette, Indiana
that serves the Lafayette, Indiana
metropolitan area. It operates on digital channel 11. Its transmitter is located in Rossville, Indiana
. It is owned by LIN Television, who also owns WISH-TV
in Indianapolis
, WANE-TV
in Fort Wayne and WTHI-TV
in Terre Haute.
, a radio manufacturer in Bloomington
, and was a sister station to WTTV
in Indianapolis
and WPTA
in Fort Wayne. The station was a CBS
and DuMont
affiliate. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network
.
It moved to Channel 18 in 1957 and changed its call letters to WLFI-TV around 1967. Formerly, the news division of WLFI was known as "News Service 18" and then for many years as "Lafayette Live TV-18." Jeff Smith, Chris Morisse, Larry Clisby, and Steve Scherer have been associated with the station for more than twenty years.
The station was owned by Block Communications
from 1979 until 2000, when current owner LIN Television acquired WLFI in exchange for 67 percent of then-ABC
(now NBC
) affiliate WAND
in Decatur, Illinois
. LIN TV has since sold off the remainder of WAND to Block Communications.
Weather team
Sports team
Reporters
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television affiliate in West Lafayette, Indiana
West Lafayette, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific...
that serves the Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
metropolitan area. It operates on digital channel 11. Its transmitter is located in Rossville, Indiana
Rossville, Indiana
Rossville is a town in Ross Township, Clinton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,653 at the 2010 census. The town is named for John Ross, a pioneer settler and associate county judge.-History:...
. It is owned by LIN Television, who also owns WISH-TV
WISH-TV
WISH-TV, virtual channel 8, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central Indiana licensed to Indianapolis. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, WISH-TV is part of a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WNDY-TV and the two share studios on North Meridian Street at the north end of Indianapolis'...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, WANE-TV
WANE-TV
WANE-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northern Indiana licensed to Fort Wayne. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 31 from a transmitter at studios on West State Boulevard in Northwest Fort Wayne/Tower Heights section of the city. The station can also be...
in Fort Wayne and WTHI-TV
WTHI-TV
WTHI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station in Terre Haute, Indiana. Owned by LIN TV Corporation, it operates on VHF digital channel 10. Its transmitter is located in Farmersburg, Indiana...
in Terre Haute.
History
WLFI began broadcasting on June 15, 1953 http://www.wlfi.com/Global/story.asp?S=6512244 on channel 59, as WFAM-TV. It was owned by Sarkes TarzianSarkes Tarzian
Sarkes Tarzian was an Armenian-born US engineer, inventor, and broadcaster. In 1907, he and his family immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and received an undergraduate degree in 1924 and a graduate degree in 1927...
, a radio manufacturer in Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, and was a sister station to WTTV
WTTV
WTTV is a CW-affiliated television station licensed to Bloomington, Indiana, serving the Indianapolis television market. WTTV is owned by the Tribune Company, and is one-half of a duopoly with WXIN , the market's Fox affiliate. The two stations share a studio at 6910 Network Place on the northwest...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and WPTA
WPTA
WPTA is the ABC-affiliated television station for Northeastern Indiana licensed to Fort Wayne. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter at its studios on Butler Road. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Frontier FiOS channel 7...
in Fort Wayne. The station was a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
affiliate. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network
NTA Film Network
The NTA Film Network was an early American television network founded by Ely Landau in 1956. The network was not a full-time television network like CBS, NBC, or ABC. Rather, it operated on a part-time basis, broadcasting films and several first-run television programs from major Hollywood studios...
.
It moved to Channel 18 in 1957 and changed its call letters to WLFI-TV around 1967. Formerly, the news division of WLFI was known as "News Service 18" and then for many years as "Lafayette Live TV-18." Jeff Smith, Chris Morisse, Larry Clisby, and Steve Scherer have been associated with the station for more than twenty years.
The station was owned by Block Communications
Block Communications
Block Communications is a privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German immigrant who came to the United States fifteen years prior, formed an ad...
from 1979 until 2000, when current owner LIN Television acquired WLFI in exchange for 67 percent of then-ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(now NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) affiliate WAND
WAND
WAND, virtual channel 17, is an NBC-affiliated television station serving the Decatur–Springfield–Champaign area. It is owned by Block Communications...
in Decatur, Illinois
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
. LIN TV has since sold off the remainder of WAND to Block Communications.
Digital television
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 18.1 | Main WLFI programming / CBS |
| 18.2 | TheCoolTV TheCoolTV THECOOLTV is a United States over-the-air digital subchannel launched in March 2009. The network's current program schedule consists of an all-music video lineup that can be customized to meet an affiliate's preference, along with the three hours per week of E/I programming as required by the... |
| 18.3 | Weather |
Newscast titles
- Clete Roberts Report (1953)
- News Service 18 (1970s-1980s)
- Lafayette Live: TV-18 News (1980s-2000)
- NewsChannel 18 (2000–present)
Station slogans
- Lafayette's News Leader (1991–2000)
- The Look of Lafayette is TV-18 (1991–1992, local version of CBS ad campaign)
- News From Where You Live (2000–present)
News music packages
- Turn To News by Gari Media GroupFrank GariFrank Gari is a popular singer and songwriter from the late 1950s and early 1960s. His best known songs as a performer are "Utopia" , "Lullaby of Love" and "Princess" , all of which hit the U.S. Top 40 in 1961. He co-wrote with Roger McGuinn the song Beach Ball for Bobby Darin...
(?–1991) - News Series 2000 by Gari Media Group (1991–1996)
- Eyewitness News by Gari Media Group (1996–2000)
- This Is Your News by Gari Media Group (2000–2004)
- Working For You by 615 Music615 Music615 Music is a broadcast production music company based in Nashville, Tennessee. 615 Music composes television news music packages and custom image campaigns for many television networks around the world. 615 Music also operates out of Los Angeles...
(2004–2008) - Adrenaline by Groove Addicts (2008–2010)
- Heart of Our City by In The Groove Music (2010-present)
Current on-air staff
Current anchors- Niccole Caan - weeknights at 11 p.m.; also reporter
- Alexandra Deiro - weekdays at noon (alternating basis); also reporter
- Tiffany Dismore - weekdays at noon (alternating basis); also reporter
- Laura Kirtley - weekday mornings and noon; also reporter
- Joe LePage - weekday mornings; also reporter
- Jeff Smith - weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.; also assistant news director
Weather team
- Chad Evans - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Cameron Hopman - meteorologist; weekday mornings and noon
- Steve Scherer - meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also weeknight fill-in http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~scherer/
Sports team
- Mike Cleff - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Ross Bolin - sports reporter
- Caleb Martin - sports reporter
Reporters
- Julie Krizen - general assignment reporter; also producer
- Aaron Leedy - general assignment reporter
- Jamie Long - multimedia journalist
- Kristin Maiorano - general assignment reporter
- Ava Wilhite - general assignment reporter
Notable WLFI Alumni
- Dan Ablan, Author, 3D Animator, Photographer; now at AGA Digital Studios, Inc in Chicago, IL http://www.danablan.com
- Joel Allen, News Anchor; now at WPDE-TVWPDE-TVWPDE-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for South Carolina's Pee Dee and Grand Strand areas licensed to Florence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 16 from a transmitter on Pee Dee Church Road in Dillon...
in Myrtle Beach, SC - Jill Bauer, host of QVC'sQVCQVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
At Home With Jill http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/main.html.file.%7Ccp%7Ccp_host_bauer,html/left.html.file.%7Cnav%7Cnavhqhosts,html - Lauren Bercarich, Reporter, WKRC, Cincinnati
- Cameron Bowman, Sports Anchor/Reporter 2002-2005
- Angela Buchman, Meteorologist, WISH-TVWISH-TVWISH-TV, virtual channel 8, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central Indiana licensed to Indianapolis. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, WISH-TV is part of a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WNDY-TV and the two share studios on North Meridian Street at the north end of Indianapolis'...
, Indianapolis - Kristin Crowley, Reporter, now at sister station WLUK
- Kelly Crull, Sports Reporter, now at KOCO-TVKOCO-TVKOCO-TV, virtual channel 5 , is the ABC affiliate in the Oklahoma City television market. The station is owned by Hearst Television, Inc., but uses "Ohio/Oklahoma Hearst Television, Inc." as their end tag during their newscasts, the same licensing purpose corporation as sister Cincinnati, Ohio...
Oklahoma City - Angela Ganote, anchor/reporter, now at WXIN-TV Indianapolis
- Kevin Gregory, Chief Meteorologist, WRTVWRTVWRTV, channel 6, is the ABC television affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana; it is owned by McGraw-Hill. Its transmitter is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis at 8001 Township Line Road. Its studios are found at 1330 N...
, Indianapolis http://www.theindychannel.com/weather/123875/detail.html - Jane KingJane King (journalist)Jane King is an American journalist. King does syndicated business and financial reports for Bloomberg News from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Formerly, King covered local Business News for CNN's Newsource division, CNN Marketsource...
, CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
New York correspondent http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/king.jane.html - Judy May, former host of "Cash Call Movie"
- Mary McDermott, anchor, now at sister station WISH-TV Indianapolis
- Mike Prangley, Chief meteorologist 1999-2009, Meteorologist 2010 to present at Gannett's First Coast News (ABC AND NBC stations in Jacksonville, Florida)
- Paul Poteet, Meteorologist, WRTVWRTVWRTV, channel 6, is the ABC television affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana; it is owned by McGraw-Hill. Its transmitter is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis at 8001 Township Line Road. Its studios are found at 1330 N...
, Indianapolis - Sue Scott - Noon, 5pm Anchor; executive producer
- Gina Quatrocchi, News Anchor 1999-2008,
- Larry Clisby, Sports Anchor
- Mike Piggott, News Anchor
- Jill Ditmire, News Anchor