WLEX-TV
- For the experimental television station in Boston that used the branding "WLEX", see W1XAY.
WLEX-TV, channel 18, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Lexington, Kentucky and the East-Central Kentucky region. Its transmitter is located in Southern Lexington near Hamburg Pavilion on WTVQ-DT's tower. WLEX-TV's studio is on Russell Cave Road in northern Fayette County.
Digital television
At 7 a.m. EDT on June 12, 2009, WLEX-TV's digital signal remained on channel 39 when the analog to digital conversion was completed. The digital signal originates from the tower that also transmits the WTVQ-TV signal.[1] [2]
History
Channel 18 signed on March 15, 1955 as Lexington's first television station and the third in Kentucky (following Louisville's WAVE-TV and WHAS-TV). It was co-owned with WLEX radio (1300 AM, now WLXG) and carried programming from all four networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and DuMont). The DuMont network went out of business later that year. In 1957 ABC programming moved to WKXP-TV (channel 27, now WKYT-TV). In 1968 CBS moved to WKYT when WBLG-TV (now WTVQ-TV) signed on and took the ABC affiliation, making WLEX a full-time NBC affiliate.
In November 2009, it was announced that WLEX has partnered with online sports site Wazoo Sports to form the Wazoo Sports Network. The new regional television network will be dedicated to carrying live coverage of Kentucky High School sporting events, as well as classic coverage of past high school & college events. The network was available until late 2011 on the Lexington-area digital cable outlet, as well as on WLEX digital subchannel 18.2.[3][4]
On December 31, 2011, WLEX digital subchannel 18.2 started broadcasting programming from Me-TV.
Firsts
- First tower over 600 feet in Kentucky (December, 1954)
- First station to broadcast a test pattern in Lexington (January 19, 1955)
- First station to broadcast programming in Lexington (March 15, 1955)
- 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 University, 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 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 Kentucky and Lexington to announce the appointment of John Calipari as the head coach of the University of Kentucky Basketball program on March 31, 2009 at 6:45pm.
- First station in Lexington and the Ohio Valley with a "Live" Doppler, The Maxtrack Live Doppler in 2004.
- In September 2007, Kristie Kubovic became the first woman in Kentucky to receive the American Meteorological Society's CBM seal. This seal is an upgrade to the AMS seal.
- First station in Lexington to launch a 7:00 p.m. newscast.[5]
- WLEX is the first station in Lexington to have a on-the-air 4 p.m. newscast.[6]
Programming
Kentucky Derby Coverage
WLEX has brought Central Kentucky live coverage of the Kentucky Derby since 2000 when the station signed a contract with NBC Sports. In 2005, LEX 18 Renewed the contract and they are still bringing all-day coverage of the Derby with their "Derby Crew". No other Lexington stations currently broadcast Derby Day coverage due to contract rights.
News operation
In the Spring of 2007, WLEX-TV became the second station in Lexington and the entire state of Kentucky to broadcast local newscasts in high definition, and it debuted a new set in preparation for the transition. The station had used their famous "Skyline" set for twelve years until they updated it in May 2007. The station uses 615 Music's In-Sink as its news music package, which they have used for eleven years. WLEX's graphics are made by Giant Octopus and feature the NBC peacock logo.
News/station presentation
Newscast titles
Station slogans
- "WLEX-TV, Lexington's Color Station" (1966–1970)
- "This is TV-18" (early 1970s)
- "Lexington Turns Us On"' (mid-1970s)
- "The Big One-Eight" (late 1970s)
- "WLEX-TV 18, Your Action News Station" (late 1970s)
- "The News People" (1980s)
- "Central Kentucky's 18" (1991–2000)
- "Coverage You Can Count On" (2000–present)
News team[9]
Anchors
- Nikki Burdine - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Kevin Christopher - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Nancy Cox-Kenny - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6, 7 and 11 p.m.
- Lee Cruse - weekday mornings LEX 18 News Sunrise (field anchor) and 12:30 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Dia Davidson - weekdays at noon, 12:30, 4 and 5:30 p.m.; also 7 p.m. fill-in anchor
- Chris Goodman - weekday mornings LEX 18 News Sunrise, weekdays at noon and 12:30 p.m.
- Devon Patton - weekdays at 4 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Nicole Pence - weekday mornings LEX 18 News Sunrise
- Kristen Pflum - weekdays at 4 and 5:30 p.m.; also; also reporter and 7 p.m. fill-in anchor
LEX 18 StormTracker Weather
- Bill Meck (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m.
- Tom Ackerman (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings LEX 18 News Sunrise, noon and 12:30 p.m.
- Mat Ortiz - meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Lindsay Schwarzwaelder - meteorologist; weekdays at 4, and weeknights at 5:30 p.m.
Sports team
- Alan Cutler - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Mary Jo Perino - sports anchor; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Brent Carney - sports reporter
Reporters
- Jeff Allen - general assignment reporter
- Adam Baker - general assignment reporter
- Josh Breslow - general assignment reporter
- Jackie Congedo - general assignment reporter
- Courtney Fischer - general assignment reporter
- Jennifer Hoff - general assignment reporter
- Leigh Searcy - general assignment reporter
- Bianca Spinosa - general assignment reporter
- Chris Sutter - general assignment reporter
- Adam Winer - general assignment reporter
Out-of-market coverage
In Tennessee, WLEX and many other Lexington television stations are carried in Jellico. WLEX is also available in Ashland, which is in the Charleston/Huntington, West Virginia market.
References
2. Cordillera Communications. Station Information. [1] 3.Lexington Herald-Leader (2008-11-17). "WLEX-18 manager retiring in February" [2]
External links
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Kentucky Broadcast television: Bowling Green • Charleston/Huntington, WV • Cincinnati, OH • Evansville, IN • Knoxville, TN • Lexington • Louisville • Nashville, TN • Paducah
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See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, ION, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other stations in Kentucky
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