WLFI owners to lay off local meteorologist Chad Evans; station owner announces chainwide plan

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

WLFI owners to lay off local meteorologist Chad Evans; station owner announces chainwide plan

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — WLFI’s longtime meteorologist Chad Evans will soon leave the Lafayette airwaves as part of companywide layoffs by the local station’s owner, Allen Media Group.

Several sources confirmed Evan’s pending separation from WLFI, making him the latest well-known, high-profile, on-air personality to leave the Lafayette station. Sources said they do not know when Evan’s last broadcast will be. Evans told local journalist Dave Bangert on Monday that he does not know when his last day will be.

Reached Tuesday morning, Evans declined to comment.

More: Exodus of WLFI on-air personalities raises eyebrows; station doesn’t comment

More: Longtime TV18 anchor Jeff Smith settles into life without deadlines

An Allen Media Group

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

announced it is transferring its local forecasting to The Weather Channel, which is owned by the same company.

“The Allen Media Group broadcast television station division … is rolling out a groundbreaking format for local weather coverage powered by The Weather Channel across local markets nationwide,” the new release said. “This innovative partnership based at The Weather Channel’s Atlanta headquarters brings together world-class meteorological expertise, cutting-edge technology, and the most advanced forecasting tools to deliver superior weather content to local television station audiences.

“This new weather initiative, which will have additional visual storytelling capabilities, is set to roll out across AMB’s local television markets in 2025.”

Evans came to WLFI in 2009 and left to go to another station in the summer of 2015. He then returned to the West Lafayette broadcaster in 2018.

The Journal & Courier left a voicemail for WLFI Vice President and Station Manager Gary Yoder for comment about the changes at the station. He did not return the call.

Evans becomes the latest on-air personality to leave the station.

WLFI has bid farewell in recent months to anchors Jeff Smith, Marlee Thomas and Joe Paul, reporter Vinny Martorano, sports reporters Brianna Shackelford and Kelly Hallinan and morning meteorologist David Siple.

Allen Media Group went through several rounds of layoffs in 2024, and news reports indicate the group is struggling financially.

More:

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

More:

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

On Friday, WLFI’s sister station in Terre Haute, WTHI, released its longtime anchor and meteorologist, according to a

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Patrece Dayton, an anchor there for 37 years, and Kevin Orpurt, a meteorologist at the station for more than 40 years, announced they were laid off, according to CNN.

According to WLFI’s staff page, with the station’s meteorologists are laid off, the on-air staff will be Ella Chew, Stacy Schooler and Tim Fields in news and Hadassah Harris in sports.

Reach Ron Wilkins at *****@*****.tld. Follow on

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier:

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#WLFI #owners #lay #local #meteorologist #Chad #Evans #station #owner #announces #chainwide #plan

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up