WFIE

What WFIE does

WFIE is a local television broadcast station licensed to Evansville, Indiana, operating under the '14 News' brand as the designated NBC affiliate for the Evansville Designated Market Area spanning southwestern Indiana, northwestern Kentucky, and southeastern Illinois. Founded in 1954 and now in its eighth decade of operation, WFIE delivers local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage, and community programming through four primary distribution channels: free over-the-air broadcast (digital channel 14), cable television carriage, satellite distribution via DirecTV and Dish Network, and proprietary streaming applications on web, iOS, and Android platforms. The station is wholly owned and operated by Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) through its Gray Local Media subsidiary, providing access to shared investigative and political content resources including InvestigateTV, the Gray DC Bureau, and PowerNation.

The product portfolio centers on the core 14 News broadcast augmented by modular offerings: 14 First Alert Weather (Doppler radar, SkyVision live cameras, SMS emergency alerts), 14 News Investigates (original investigative journalism), Futbol Frenzy (soccer coverage), the Peace of Mind health initiative, and the 'Inside Look' and 'What's the Trend' podcast series. WFIE has invested in NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) broadcast infrastructure to enable enhanced audio/video quality and future addressable advertising and datacasting capability. Content production is supported by traditional studio facilities, news-gathering equipment, and weather radar integration, with distribution extended through social media (Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube) and email newsletters.

Revenue is generated through four streams, none of which involves direct consumer payment: (1) traditional television advertising sold to local and regional businesses including spot ads, sponsorships, and weather-alert segments; (2) digital advertising on 14news.com and a dedicated digital marketing services division (GDM Evansville); (3) recurring retransmission consent fees paid by cable and satellite MVPDs; and (4) advertising monetization tied to the audience delivered by NBC network programming, MLB coverage, and Indiana Fever (WNBA) broadcasts. The station serves a general-audience viewer base across the Tri-State region plus a B2B customer base of local advertisers; station-level revenue is not separately disclosed by the publicly traded parent.

Name

WFIE

Legal name

Gray Local Media, Inc.

Website

https://14news.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WFIE is the NBC-affiliated local television station (branded '14 News') serving the Evansville, Indiana Tri-State area, delivering local news, weather, and sports content via over-the-air broadcast, cable, satellite, and streaming apps. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gray Television (NYSE: GTN).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), News Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAF)

Keywords

• Local television broadcasting
• News and weather coverage
• Broadcast advertising sales
• Digital news streaming
• Investigative journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Evansville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Traditional TV commercial advertising including spot ads, sponsored segments, and promotional inventory sold to local businesses, regional advertisers, and national brands targeting the Evansville DMA. Includes weather alert sponsorships and community event coverage.
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising on 14news.com including display ads, video pre-roll, native content, and digital sponsorships. The station operates a digital marketing division (GDM Evansville) offering services to local businesses.
3. Retransmission Consent: Fees paid by cable and satellite television providers (such as DirecTV, Dish Network, and local cable operators) for the right to carry WFIE's broadcast signal, a standard revenue source for broadcast television stations.
4. Programming Content: Distribution of network programming (NBC network shows, MLB coverage, Indiana Fever basketball) and local programming. Content generates viewership that is monetized through advertising rates based on audience size (ratings).

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WFIE operates as the local NBC-affiliated broadcast television station (Channel 14 / "14 News") for the Evansville Tri-State market, producing and distributing local news, weather, sports, and community programming. Content is delivered free over-the-air and via cable and satellite carriage, with additional digital streaming through 14news.com and mobile apps, plus a digital marketing services arm (GDM Evansville) serving local advertisers.

Product overview

WFIE operates as a local television broadcasting station (Channel 14) providing news, weather, sports, and entertainment content to the Evansville Tri-State area (Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois). The core product is the 14 News broadcast service, which delivers local news coverage across multiple platforms including traditional TV broadcasting and digital streaming. The station's portfolio includes specialized modules such as 14 First Alert Weather for severe weather tracking, Futbol Frenzy for soccer coverage, 14 News Investigates for investigative journalism, and NextGen TV for advanced broadcast technology. Content is distributed through 14 News Streaming Apps, podcasts, and social media channels, while community initiatives like Peace of Mind focus on health and wellness coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 14 News broadcast Core local television news broadcast (Channel 14, NBC affiliate) covering Evansville, Indiana and the Tri-State area (Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois) with live news, weather, sports, and community programming available free over-the-air and through cable and satellite carriage.
• 14 News Streaming Apps Mobile and connected TV applications enabling live streaming of WFIE broadcasts, on-demand news content, and real-time weather alerts on iOS, Android, and web.
• GDM Evansville Digital Marketing Services Digital marketing services arm operating from WFIE, offering services such as display ads, video pre-roll, native content, and digital sponsorships to local businesses in the Evansville market.
• 14 News Podcasts Audio content programming including 'Inside Look' and 'What's the Trend' podcast series covering news, entertainment topics, and community storytelling for on-demand listening.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gray Television / Gray MediacoreOthersWFIE is owned and operated by Gray Television, one of the largest television broadcasting companies in the United States. Gray Television provides corporate resources, technology infrastructure, advertising systems, and operational support. WFIE is part of Gray Local Media division and operates under the Gray Television broadcast group umbrella.
• NBC (National Broadcasting Company)coreTechnology or IntegrationWFIE serves as the local NBC affiliate for the Evansville market, carrying NBC network programming including primetime shows, sports events (Olympics when applicable), and NBC Sports coverage. This affiliation provides access to national network content that complements local programming.
• Major League Baseball (MLB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFIE carries 'MLB on WFIE' programming, broadcasting MLB games and related content. This provides additional sports programming beyond local coverage.
• Indiana FeverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFIE broadcasts Indiana Fever (WNBA) basketball games as part of its sports programming, offering regional access to professional women's basketball.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WEVV-TV: WEVV is the local CBS/Fox affiliate serving the same Evansville/Henderson/Owensboro market as WFIE. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor for local news viewers and local advertising dollars in the Tri-State area.
• WANE-TV: WANE is a local network-affiliated TV station serving a comparable mid-sized Midwest market (Fort Wayne, IN). It mirrors WFIE's operating model—local news, weather, sports, and retransmission-driven economics in a similar demographic and competitive context.
• WNEM-TV: WNEM is a Gray Television-owned NBC affiliate serving Saginaw/Flint, Michigan, making it a sister station and one of the most directly comparable peers in terms of network affiliation, parent company, mid-sized market, and content strategy.
• WFLA-TV: WFLA is a Nexstar-owned NBC affiliate in Tampa, Florida. It is a strong peer for NBC-affiliated broadcast operations, including local news production, retransmission negotiations, and digital revenue diversification.

Regional players

• WTHR: WTHR is the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis, the dominant Indiana market. It is directly comparable as an NBC-affiliated local news operation in the same state, though it serves a materially larger DMA and competes with WFIE for some statewide advertising.
• WLKY: WLKY is the Hearst-owned CBS affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky, an adjacent market that overlaps with WFIE's Kentucky-side coverage area. It is a strong peer for local news operations and retransmission economics in a nearby Mid-South market.

Broad incumbents

• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest US television broadcaster and a direct industry incumbent to Gray Television. It competes for local ad budgets, retransmission deals, and acquisition targets across the same mid-market local TV landscape WFIE operates in.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest US broadcast groups and a broad incumbent competing in the same local TV advertising and retransmission markets. It serves as a key industry comparable for station-level operating economics and group synergies.
• TEGNA: TEGNA is a major publicly traded broadcast group operating local network-affiliated stations, comparable in size and strategy to Gray Television. It competes for similar local ad revenue and digital audience share in mid-sized markets.

Others

• Gray Television: Gray Television is WFIE's parent company and the entity that determines WFIE's capital allocation, content sharing, and corporate strategy. While not a competitive peer, it is the most important contextual comparator for understanding WFIE's operating economics and strategic direction.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/14news
• Facebookfacebook.com/14firstalert
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/14news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WFIE