KADN sold to Gray Media, pending regulatory approval

Lafayette’s FOX and NBC affiliates, operated under the KADN/News 15 brand, will be sold to Gray Media, pending regulatory approval, just over a month after the broadcast conglomerate moved to acquire KATC. 

KADN’s parent company, Allen Media Group is selling 10 stations to Gray for $171 million. 

On paper, the deal would result in a “triopoly” — long a regulatory no-no — that Gray leadership expects to clear under new FCC rules adopted in the Trump era that relax barriers to consolidation in local broadcasting.

More than likely, the deal will lead to one combined newsroom. In effect, that revives the longstanding KATC vs. KLFY rivalry that dominated the Acadiana market for decades. KADN’s News 15 newsroom is a relatively new outfit and remains much smaller than KATC’s editorial team. KLFY is a CBS affiliate, owned by Nexstar.

Published:August 8, 9:37 am Concrete evidence: A timeline of The Current’s deep dive into school construction conflicts

Since early 2025, The Current has been investigating LPSS’s construction projects and potential conflicts of interest between top school officials and companies awarded the work.

A conspicuous benefit for KATC, a station with a long history in Lafayette, is the potential return of anchors Jim Hummel and Marcelle Fontenot, who departed to KADN after KATC moved to an anchorless format. 

Before the KATC sale was announced in July, Lafayette was the only Louisiana market without a Gray operation. Gray owns KPLC, the NBC affiliate in Lake Charles.