The Wenatchee World acquires NCWLIFE television station

Both media organizations serve and cover different areas of the community and will continue to do so while complementing their respective distribution mediums. This is a very unique partnership and will set a prime example for news organizations across the country to consider within their own strategies.”

Francis Wick, CEO of Wick Communications

The Wenatchee (Washington) World acquired the NCWLIFE television station from LocalTel on Tuesday, Oct. 1, uniting the valley’s two most prominent news outlets into a multimedia operation better positioned to serve the region for years to come.

All NCWLIFE employees have been offered positions with The World. The NCWLIFE name and brand will remain separate, and its local programming will continue to be broadcast on LocalTel TV Channel 12, Spectrum TV Channel 19, via streaming on its website at NCWLIFE.com and on YouTube. 

The move will expand both organizations’ news capabilities, World Publisher Sean Flaherty said. For readers and viewers, that means more local news that keeps the community informed and connected.

“This combination of our video, print and online storytelling will bring North Central Washington’s news, information and entertainment to local audiences across several platforms,” he said. “That’s so important today when people consume their media when they want on the device and channel they prefer.”

“NCWLIFE has been a reflection and a spotlight on our community for news, high school sports, events and people in the area,” LocalTel owners Dimitri and Brenda Mandelis said. “We look forward to seeing what new and exciting things this merger will bring to our community.”

Combining forces will also bring a wider range of advertising channels — digital and broadcast video, print, social media, and a pool of other digital options — for local businesses, Flaherty said. 

“Local businesses will have more access to these powerful marketing tools to enhance their ability to grow their reach and compete with national retailers,” he said. 

The station began more than 30 years ago as Apple Valley TV and it was acquired by LocalTel in 2015. Its staple shows, Wake Up Wenatchee Valley, NCWLIFE Evening News and LIVE High School Sports, have since become favorites in tens of thousands of living rooms across North Central Washington. 

NCWLIFE’s online live-streaming presence has also grown to include everything from wildfires to high school sports to the Apple Blossom Festival and parades.

Together, the two organizations have more than 150,000 social media followers and reach hundreds of thousands of people through their websites monthly. 

And, crucially, as a combined organization they’ll be better positioned to fight the headwinds faced by local media across the country, said Francis Wick, CEO of Wick Communications, The World’s parent company. 

"With the rate of change occurring in local news today, the opportunity for these institutions to join forces makes complete sense,” Wick said. “Both media organizations serve and cover different areas of the community and will continue to do so while complementing their respective distribution mediums. This is a very unique partnership and will set a prime example for news organizations across the country to consider within their own strategies."

The Wick family is proud to carry on the station’s legacy of family ownership, Francis Wick said. 

"We're grateful to the Mandelis family for entrusting us to carry on the important work and investment made to serve the Wenatchee Valley,” he said. “We continue to see a bright future for local journalism here and it’s all thanks to the support from the community.”