Jeff Smith, longtime anchor, abruptly out at Lafayette's WLFI-TV18

WEST LAFAYETTE – Jeff Smith, an anchorman at WLFI-TV18 for decades, is out as anchor and news director at the West Lafayette-based CBS station.

Why that’s the case wasn’t immediately clear.

Shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, Smith sent a memo to the WLFI staff announcing his departure, according to email shared with the J&C.

“All: Effective immediately, I am no longer employed at WLFI,” Smith wrote Friday afternoon.

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Smith told the J&C he wasn’t interested in talking about the situation.

Kurt Lahrman, WLFI’s creative services and operations manager, said: “At this time, we have no comment.”

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Commercials featuring Smith continued to run during Friday night’s news broadcasts.

Smith, a Valparaiso native and Purdue graduate, started as a reporter at WLFI in the late-‘80s. He followed that with reporting stints at WFLA-AM in Tampa, Florida, and WGLM-FM in West Lafayette, before landing back at WLFI in 1999, according to his bio.

At WLFI, Smith led the newsroom and anchored broadcasts at noon, 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. He also is heavily involved in Greater Lafayette’s art scene as a painter.

Reach Dave Bangert at 765-420-5258 or at dbangert@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @davebangert.