WLFI-TV News 18

Overview

WLFI-TV (channel 18) is a television station in Lafayette, Indiana, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus, owned by Gray Media. Studios are on Yeager Road in West Lafayette.

History

The station first signed on June 15, 1953, as WFAM-TV, founded by O.E. Richardson, owner of radio station WASK. It operated originally as a primary CBS and DuMont affiliate. Sarkes Tarzian purchased the station in 1959, and local broadcaster Dick Shively bought it in 1967, renaming it WLFI-TV in 1968. Block Communications acquired WLFI in 1979. LIN TV Corporation acquired WLFI from Block in 2000 in exchange for a majority interest in WAND-TV in Decatur, Illinois. LIN Media merged with Media General in 2014, which was acquired by Nexstar in 2017; Nexstar then sold WLFI to Allen Media Group, with the deal closing February 11, 2020, for an adjusted $305 million. On August 8, 2025, Allen Media Group agreed to sell WLFI and nine other stations to Gray Media for $171 million; the sale of WLFI completed March 27, 2026, marking Gray's entry into the Lafayette-West Lafayette market.

Location and contact info

Website
https://www.wlfi.com