What WLEX-TV does

WLEX-TV operates as a local broadcast television station under the LEX 18 brand, serving as the NBC affiliate for Lexington and Central Kentucky. Founded in 1953 and headquartered at 1065 Russell Cave Road in Lexington, the station is owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a publicly traded diversified media conglomerate. The station produces and distributes local breaking news, weather coverage, sports (notably University of Kentucky athletics via BBN Tonight), investigative journalism (LEX 18 Investigates), and community storytelling (Positively LEX 18, Heroes Among Us, Covering Kentucky) across multiple platforms.

The station's core technology consists of traditional over-the-air broadcast television infrastructure complemented by digital streaming capabilities on lex18.com, the LEX 18 News App, and the StormTracker Weather App (iOS and Android). Specialized weather infrastructure includes MaxTrack Doppler radar and Weather Bug Cams. Content is additionally distributed via social media channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram) and email newsletters. WLEX-TV holds an FCC broadcast license as a regulated market participant.

WLEX-TV generates revenue primarily through local television advertising sold to regional and national advertisers, supplemented by retransmission consent fees paid by cable and satellite providers for carriage of the station's signal. As a free over-the-air broadcaster, the station does not charge viewers for access; monetization is entirely advertiser- and distributor-driven. The station serves a geographic customer segment of Lexington and Central Kentucky residents seeking hyper-local news, weather alerts, sports, and community information, employing between 101 and 250 staff.

Name

WLEX-TV

Legal name

The E.W. Scripps Company

Website

https://lex18.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WLEX-TV (LEX 18) is a local NBC affiliate broadcast television station in Lexington, Kentucky, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, delivering local news, weather, sports, and community content to Central Kentucky viewers across broadcast, digital, and mobile platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Local television advertising revenue generated from local businesses, regional advertisers, and possibly national advertisers purchasing airtime through the station. Revenue is also generated through retransmission consent agreements with cable and satellite providers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WLEX-TV (branded as LEX 18) is a local NBC affiliate broadcast television station in Lexington, Kentucky, producing and distributing local breaking news, weather forecasts, sports coverage (including University of Kentucky athletics), investigative reporting, and community-focused content. The station distributes content through over-the-air broadcast, the lex18.com website with live streaming, and iOS/Android mobile applications, reaching viewers across Lexington and Central Kentucky.

Product overview

WLEX-TV operates LEX 18 as a local broadcast television station serving Lexington, Kentucky, as part of the Scripps Media network. The station offers a multi-platform news and entertainment portfolio centered on its flagship LEX 18 broadcast, complemented by mobile applications (LEX 18 News App and StormTracker Weather App) for on-demand access. Content divisions include investigative reporting (LEX 18 Investigates), community storytelling (Positively LEX 18), and University of Kentucky sports coverage (BBN Tonight). The station distributes content across broadcast television, websites, and mobile applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEX 18 / WLEX-TV Broadcast WLEX-TV's primary local broadcast television station serving Lexington, Kentucky. Delivers local breaking news, weather, sports, and community content across broadcast and digital platforms.
• LEX 18 News App Mobile application for accessing local news, weather alerts, and breaking news notifications on iOS and Android devices.
• StormTracker Weather App Dedicated weather application featuring MaxTrack Doppler radar, hourly and daily forecasts, severe weather alerts, and weather bug cameras for the Lexington area.
• LEX 18 Investigates Investigative journalism unit producing in-depth investigative reports on local issues, public safety concerns, and accountability journalism.
• Positively LEX 18 Community-focused storytelling segment featuring positive news stories about local residents, nonprofits, and community initiatives across Kentucky.
• BBN Tonight Sports show dedicated to University of Kentucky athletics coverage, also known as the Big Blue Nation sports platform featuring the Hoot App social platform.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WAVE-TV: WAVE is the NBC affiliate in nearby Louisville, Kentucky, sharing both the same network affiliation as WLEX and overlapping regional audience coverage. It is a network-sibling and regional benchmark with mirrored content and revenue dynamics.
• WKYT-TV: WKYT is the CBS affiliate serving the same Lexington DMA as WLEX, competing head-to-head for local news, weather, and sports audiences under Gray Television ownership. It is the most direct comparable given identical market footprint and station-class economics.
• WTVQ: WTVQ is the ABC affiliate operating in the Lexington DMA, directly competing with WLEX for local viewers, advertisers, and retransmission consent agreements. It is a direct market competitor with overlapping news/sports coverage priorities.
• WLWT: WLWT is the Cincinnati-based NBC affiliate whose signal overlaps into the Lexington DMA and competes for Kentucky-adjacent audiences. Same network affiliation makes it a directly comparable affiliate with overlapping market coverage.
• WHAS-TV: WHAS is the ABC affiliate in Louisville serving viewers across Kentucky. It competes with WLEX for Kentucky regional news, weather, and advertising dollars, making it a comparable mid-sized network affiliate station.
• WKRC-TV: WKRC is the CBS affiliate in Cincinnati whose coverage area extends into Northern Kentucky, overlapping with WLEX's regional footprint. Comparable network-affiliate local station economics and shared Kentucky coverage make it a direct peer.
• WCPO-TV: WCPO is the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio, with coverage reaching into Kentucky markets. It competes with WLEX in the overlapping Kentucky audience footprint and operates a similar local news and digital product portfolio.

Regional players

• WBKO: WBKO is the ABC affiliate in Bowling Green, Kentucky, serving a smaller southern Kentucky market with similar local news and weather priorities. It is a comparable regional affiliate operating in a different but adjacent Kentucky DMA.

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest U.S. local TV station operators, with hundreds of network affiliates across mid-sized markets. It operates at greater scale than Scripps but offers a useful benchmark for affiliate economics and group-level cost structure.
• Gray Television: Gray Television is a leading U.S. local broadcast operator, owning WKYT directly in the Lexington DMA. It is a peer broadcast group comparable to Scripps/WLEX in station mix, mid-market focus, and retransmission-driven economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lex18news
• Facebookfacebook.com/lex18
• Instagraminstagram.com/lex18news/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wlex-tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 WLEX-TV