Gray Media to buy WAND TV in 3 station deal for $80 million

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – Gray Media will acquire WAND TV and two other stations from Block Communications, according to statements from the two companies.

The deal was announced Friday that Block Communications (BCI) will sell its television division to the Atlanta-based Gray Media for $80 million.

The deal includes WAND TV in Decatur, WDRB in Louisville, Ky., and WLIO in Lima, Ohio.

Gray Media owns television stations in 113 TV markets and Gray Digital Media, a digital ad agency serving national and local clients. The company also owns Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios.

Gray Media said it expects the deal to close in the last quarter of 2025, pending review and approval by various federal agencies.

Block Communications has fully owned WAND TV since 2007 but handled some of the station’s operations beginning in 2000. The company, founded in 1900, will continue to own cable and newspaper assets. Block Communications is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio.

WAND is the top-rated station (total day) in central Illinois, according to various TV ratings agencies. It broadcasts 5.5 hours of local news Monday – Friday and is an NBC affiliate carrying various programs including NFL Sunday Night Football, the Olympics, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Chicago Fire, and America’s Got Talent.