WLEX-TV

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For the experimental television station in Boston that used the branding "WLEX", see W1XAY.

WLEX-TV
Lexington, Kentucky
Branding	Lex 18
Slogan	Coverage You Can Count On
Channels	18 (UHF) analog, 39 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	NBC
Owner	Evening Post Publishing Company
Founded	March 15, 1955
Call letters meaning	WLEXington
Former affiliations	DuMont (Secondary: 1955), ABC (Secondary 1955-1958), CBS (Secondary: 1955-1968)
Website	www.lex18.com

WLEX-TV Channel 18 is the NBC affiliate for Lexington, Kentucky and the East-Central Kentucky region. Its transmitter is located in Lexington.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Firsts 2 Newscasts 3 News Music 4 Past Station Logos 5 External links

[edit] History

WLEX first went on the air as a radio station in 1946. After changing frequencies and being sold. WLEX signed on March 15, 1955 as Lexington's first television station, with programming from all four networks (ABC, CBS, DuMont, and NBC). The DuMont network went out of business later that year. In 1957 ABC programming moved to WKYT. In 1968 CBS programming moved to WKYT, making WLEX a full-time NBC affiliate.

[edit] Firsts

• First station to broadcast a test pattern in Lexington (January 19, 1955)
• First station to broadcast programming in Lexington (March 15, 1955)
• First tower over 600 feet in Kentucky (December, 1954)
• First Kentucky commercial station to regularly schedule an educational program (Zemanski and White Physics, 1959; Anthropology I, September, 1959)
• First television broadcast of University of Kentucky basketball – DePaul, from Chicago, February 18, 1956 (DePaul won 81-79)
• First station to air regularly-scheduled church service telecast in Kentucky (Immanuel Baptist)
• First station in Kentucky to broadcast in full-color and first full-color UHF in the United States (November 15, 1962)
• First station in Lexington to have a female news anchor, Sue Hackett Wylie (April, 1968)
• First station in Kentucky to produce a computer-generated program log (July, 1968)
• First commercial station in Lexington to use broadcast-quality Electronic News Gathering, ENG, (October, 1978)
• First & only station not a CBS affiliate in which Brian James had served as the voice over talent (1991-1994)
• First station in Lexington to air a Saturday morning newscast (July 4, 1992)
• First station in Lexington to air an hour-long weekly morning newscast (July 6, 1992)
• First station in Lexington to have a station website (March, 1995)

[edit] Newscasts

Monday-Friday

• LEX 18 News at Sunrise (5:00-7:00AM)
• LEX 18 News at Noon (12Noon-12:30PM)
• LEX 18 News at 12:30 (12:30PM-1:00PM)
• LEX 18 News at 5 (5:00-5:30PM)
• LEX 18 News at 5:30 (5:30-6:00PM)
• LEX 18 News at 6 (6:00-6:30PM)
• LEX 18 News at 11 (11:00-11:35PM)

Saturday-Sunday

• LEX 18 News at 6 & 11 (6:00-6:30PM & 11:00-11:35PM)
• LEX 18's SportsZone (11:20-11:35PM)

News Anchors

• Kevin Christopher - Weekday Evenings
• Nancy Cox - Weekday Evenings
• Dia Davidson - Weekdays Morning/Noon
• Heather Higdon - Weekends
• Richard Lom - Weekends

News Reporters

• Chris Lupien
• Heather Higdon
• Richard Lom
• Leigh Searcy
• Lee Cruse
• Kristen Pflum
• Richard DeVayne
• Sarah Lane
• Amanda Hara
• Chase Cain
• Travis Thompson

Weather

• Bill Meck - Chief Meteorologist
• Tom Ackerman - Meteorologist
• Kristie Kubovic - Meteorologist

Sports

• Alan Cutler
• Ryan Lemond
• Justin White

[edit] News Music

• On Top Of It All - Mayoham Music - Unknown Dates
• News People - Tuesday Productions - Unknown Dates
• NBC The Place To Be - Creater Unknown - 1990 until 1991
• Centerpiece - Soundtrack - Unknown Date until 1991
• Newsleader - Stephen Arnold Music - 1991 until 1994
• The One and Only - Gari Communications, Inc. - 1994 until 2000
• In-Sink (V.1, V.2, V.3) - 615 Music - 2000 until present

[edit] Past Station Logos

Late 90's Logo

WLEX's 50 Anniversary logo, from 2005.

[edit] External links

• WLEX website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WLEX