About Lilly Broadcasting
Family-owned. Multi-market. Trusted for over three decades.
Our Story
Built on Family Values, Driven by Community
Founded in 1987, Lilly Broadcasting began with a single television station and a straightforward conviction: local news matters. What started as a family venture in Erie, Pennsylvania has grown into a multi-market media company reaching viewers across the United States and the Caribbean — yet the founding principles remain unchanged. We believe that the communities we serve deserve accurate, timely reporting delivered by people who live and work alongside them.
Over three decades, the Lilly family has reinvested in every market we’ve entered — upgrading newsrooms, hiring local talent, and expanding digital capabilities so that our stations remain the first place viewers turn for breaking news, severe weather, and the stories that shape their neighborhoods. Today, Lilly Broadcasting operates television stations across multiple DMAs, each one an independent voice rooted in its community.
Our mission is simple: to inform, connect, and serve. We accomplish this by pairing award-winning journalism with forward-thinking digital solutions through our PowerPlay Digital division — giving advertisers the ability to reach engaged local audiences across every screen, every platform, and every moment that matters.
Milestones
Three Decades of Growth
1987
Lilly Broadcasting is founded in Erie, Pennsylvania with the acquisition of its first television station.
1995
Expansion into Michigan with the addition of WWTV, extending local news reach into the northern Midwest.
2003
Multi-market portfolio surpasses five stations. Newsroom investments bring HD production capabilities across all properties.
2012
Launch of digital streaming and mobile apps, making local news accessible on every device.
2018
PowerPlay Digital division established, offering omnichannel advertising solutions powered by audience data and first-party insights.
2025
Continued expansion across the U.S. and Caribbean, with stations reaching millions of households and an industry-leading local digital advertising platform.
From our first broadcast signal in northwestern Pennsylvania to our current footprint spanning markets from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and into the Caribbean, Lilly Broadcasting’s trajectory has been defined by a willingness to invest where others consolidate. Each acquisition and each new market entry has followed the same playbook: hire locally, build newsroom capacity, earn the community’s trust, and stay for the long haul.
Our growth has never been about accumulating call letters for their own sake. It has been about extending our ability to deliver local journalism that matters — the severe weather alert at 5 a.m., the school board vote at 7 p.m., the investigative series that holds public officials accountable. These are the stories that define a community, and they require newsrooms staffed by people who know the geography, the politics, and the culture.
As media consumption shifted, so did we. The launch of our digital platforms brought local news to phones, tablets, and smart TVs — meeting viewers wherever they are. And with PowerPlay Digital, we turned our deep audience relationships into a competitive advantage for advertisers, offering data-driven targeting and campaign measurement that national platforms cannot replicate at the local level.
Leadership Philosophy
Locally Rooted, Independently Minded
As a family-owned company, Lilly Broadcasting operates with a time horizon that publicly traded media conglomerates cannot match. We make decisions with decades in mind, not quarterly earnings reports. This independence allows us to invest in investigative journalism, upgrade facilities ahead of market pressure, and maintain editorial standards that prioritize accuracy over speed.
Our leadership team brings together decades of broadcast experience with a forward-looking digital strategy. Every station general manager is empowered to serve their market’s unique needs while drawing on the resources and expertise of the broader Lilly Broadcasting family.
We believe in the power of local media to strengthen civic life. When a station covers a city council meeting, reports on a school district’s budget, or alerts residents to a winter storm, it performs a public service that no algorithm-driven feed can replicate. That conviction sits at the center of every decision we make — from the stories our newsrooms pursue to the technology we deploy to reach our audiences.
This philosophy extends to our advertiser partnerships as well. Through PowerPlay Digital, we offer omnichannel campaign solutions grounded in first-party audience data — giving local and regional businesses the same sophisticated targeting tools that national brands take for granted, without sacrificing the trust and credibility that comes from a decades-long relationship with our viewers.
What We Stand For
Our Values
Integrity
Accurate, fair reporting is non-negotiable. Our newsrooms hold themselves to the highest editorial standards because our communities depend on it.
Community
We live in the markets we serve. Our stations are neighbors first, broadcasters second — invested in local causes, schools, and civic life.
Innovation
From HD broadcasts to mobile-first streaming and data-driven digital campaigns, we embrace new technology to better serve audiences and advertisers.
Family
Family ownership means long-term thinking, personal accountability, and a culture where every employee is treated as part of the Lilly Broadcasting family.
Our People
Team Highlights
Brian Lilly
President & Chief Executive Officer
A second-generation broadcaster who has led the company’s expansion into new markets and digital platforms while maintaining its commitment to local journalism.
Katherine Mercer
Vice President, News Operations
A veteran newsroom leader with over 20 years in broadcast journalism, overseeing editorial standards and talent development across all Lilly Broadcasting stations.
David Hartwell
Chief Revenue Officer
Directs sales strategy across television and digital platforms, spearheading the integration of PowerPlay Digital’s omnichannel solutions with traditional broadcast partnerships.
Rachel Dominguez
Director of Digital Strategy
Leads the company’s digital transformation initiatives, from streaming infrastructure and mobile app development to audience analytics and programmatic advertising.
Join Our Mission
We are always looking for talented journalists, sales professionals, engineers, and digital strategists who share our commitment to local communities. Explore open positions across our stations and corporate offices.