‘Lexington, we’re on the air.’ LEX 18 launched 70 years ago

Editor’s Note: As Lexington celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com throughout 2025 will share interesting facts about our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey, all are notable moments in the city’s history - some funny, some sad, others heartbreaking or celebratory, and some just downright strange.

On March 15, 1955, WLEX (known as Lex 18) hit the airwaves.

The first Lexington television broadcasting station, WLEX joined TV stations from Louisville and Cincinnati to bring news and entertainment to the Central Kentucky area.

According to a Courier-Journal article on March 4, 1955, Earl Boyles, station manager for WLEX (radio) and WLEX-TV, said the much-awaited television station hoped it was finally ready for its debut following a maze of hearings and squabbles for channels.

Boyles said the station expected to have an audience of 30,000 people, reaching into “Brodhead on the south, Shelbyville on the west, Falmouth on the north and Owingsville and Stanton on the east.”

However, Boyles noted, only about a quarter of the population in that area then had a television.

Affiliated at the time with ABC, NBC and Du Mont, the station carried shows like “Theater Guild” and “Circle Theater” from ABC and Bishop Sheen from Du Mont, the article said.

The station also featured such local programming as ‘Red Kirk and his Kentucky Korn Kutters,’ a pantomime music show and a fashion show starring Kay Karol, as well as weather, news, markets and farm programs.

The station launched to a big fanfare with a party attended by city and county officials.

Master of Ceremonies was Jean Clos, who had previously been at WLEX radio. Snooky Larson, one of three singers on the popular show “Hit Parade,” was on-hand as well. While Louisville couldn’t get “Hit Parade,” viewers to WLEX could.

The station has seen its share of ups and downs, On Jan. 21, 1959, the station’s 654-foot tower collapsed in a windstorm and landed on the building, killing receptionist Suzanne Grasley, and hurting two others, while contributing to a significant amount of damage to the building.

The station was out of service for more than a month. It was also the first station in the country to air network and local color programming and produced various local programming including Call the Doctor, In the Know, and Winner’s Circle.

In 1968, the station became a full-time NBC affiliate. Now, it is the home of The Kentucky Oaks, the Olympics and The Kentucky Derby. The broadcast area includes some 40 counties in central Kentucky.

Now owned by the E.W. Scripps company, the station said it is committed to providing quality programming for the region.

“Our station’s goal is to inspire and inform our family and friends in the community, and our viewers respond by tuning in and always counting on LEX 18,” the station said.

Have a question or story idea related to Lexington’s 250-year history? Let us know at 250LexKy@gmail.com

Editor’s Note: As Lexington celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com each day throughout 2025 will share interesting facts about our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey, all are notable moments in the city’s history - some funny, some sad, others heartbreaking or celebratory, and some just downright strange.

This story has been updated to correct that LEX 18 was founded 70 years ago.

This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 1:39 PM.