WQOW is an ABC-affiliated television station in
Eau Claire, WisconsinEau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 61,704 as of the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County, although a small portion of the city lies in neighboring Chippewa County...
. The station broadcasts on digital channel 15. The station is owned and operated by
Quincy NewspapersQuincy Newspapers, Inc. is a family-owned media company that originated in the newspapers of Quincy, Illinois. The company's history can be traced back to 1835, when the Bounty Land Register was one of only four newspapers in all of Illinois. Over the next century, a number of mergers followed...
, Inc., which also owns WXOW. A
digital subchannelIn broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel...
shows programming from
The CW PlusThe CW Plus is a group of primarily digital subchannels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
, which is also carried on cable channel 15 on the
CharterCharter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 5.7 million customers in 29 states. It is the third-largest cable operator in the U.S., behind Comcast and Time Warner Cable...
cable systems in the
Chippewa ValleyThe Chippewa Valley was first inhabited by the Ojibwe Indians and settled by German and Scandinavian immigrants. The region also has a large Hmong community...
. WQOW's transmitter is located in
Eau ClaireEau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 61,704 as of the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County, although a small portion of the city lies in neighboring Chippewa County...
, at the former WEAU tower next to the WEAU studios. The station is not available on the major
satelliteSatellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial or cable providers.-History:The...
systems, since Eau Claire and La Crosse share the same television market and beyond the two station's differing newscasts, air completely identical programming schedules.
Anchors
- Lisa Patrow (News Director) - Weekdays 5:00 p.m.
- Jerry Gallagher - Weekdays 6:00 p.m.
- Jamie Page - Weekdays 6:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.
- Krista Hostetler - Weekends 6:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.
- Amie Winters - Weekday Mornings
- Chris Stanford - Weekdays 10:00 p.m.
Stormtracker 18 Weather
- Doug Michaels - Chief Meteorologist
- LeAnn Lombardo - Morning Meteorologist
News 18 Sports
- Bob Bradovich - Sports Director, Weeknights
- Bill Port - Weekend Sports Anchor
- Stephen Kelley - Sports Reporter
- Lee DeJarlais - Sports Photographer
News 18 Reporters
- Stephen Kelley
- Trent Artus
- Kyle Jorgenson
- Megan Wiebold
- Andrea Albers
- Steve Betchkal
Notables
- Hayes Callaghan: EHC Sports Play-By-Play Announcer; WQOW Sports Anchor: early 1980s-1990
- Mary Lahammer: Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) "Almanac" Political Reporter; WQOW Weekend Anchor: 1996-98
Karen Kraus ( Action City) ????- Present
Anchors & Reporters
- Laura Littell: early 1980s
- Jim LeTourneau: 1980s
- Mary Beth Larson: 1980s
- Andrew Bohage: late 1980s
- Cami Rapson: early 1990s
- Mike Rindo (News Director): 1996-2001
- Kristin Everett: 1996-early 2000s
- Melissa Wollering: mid-2000s - March 2006 http://nbc15.madison.com/station/bios/news/2699136.html
- Rachel Licht (now Rachel Pierce): January 2004 - April 2006 http://www.wowt.com/station/bios/news/2791611.html
- Jesica Witte (5 p.m. anchor/assistant news director/news director): 1998-2003
- Karen Kraus (weekend anchor/reporter) : late 1990s-early 2000s
- Janell Witte (morning anchor/reporter): early 2000s
- Kathryn Bracho (morning anchor/weekend anchor/reporter): early 2000s
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=3096814&nav=menu24_10_7_1
- Mark Meisenheimer (weekend sports anchor): late 1990s-early 2000s
- Vanessa Brown (reporter): late 1990s-early 2000s
- Jeff Schlesser (reporter): early 2000s
- Eric Kent (weekend sports anchor): early 2000s
- Addie Boland (intern/reporter): late 1990s-early 2000s
- Brooke Allyson (weekend anchor/main evening anchor): 2004-2007
- David Kmiecik (Weekend Sports Anchor): 2004-2007
- Jon Kiemig (Intern/Reporter/Sports): 2003-2007
- Mike "Jocko" Jacques (Weekend Sports Anchor): 2002-2003
- Roy Flynn (Weekend Sports Anchor) 1982-1985
Weather
History
WQOW-TV signed on September 1, 1980 as a relay station for sister station
WXOW-TVWXOW is an ABC-affiliated television station in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The station broadcasts on digital channel 14. The station is owned and operated by Quincy Newspapers, Inc. Its transmitter is located in La Crescent, Minnesota....
in La Crosse, and airing ABC programming and WXOW newscasts in the Eau Claire area where WXOW's signal is weak. Their building was located on old
Highway 53U.S. Route 53 is a north-south U.S. highway that runs for 403 miles from La Crosse, Wisconsin to northern Minnesota. It is the primary north-south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the city of Duluth, Minnesota...
, east of the then-current Highway 53/93 interchange east of London Square Mall on the southeast side of Eau Claire. WQOW started airing local newscasts in 1982, which became known as "Newsource 18." Weather segments originated from WXOW, as WQOW did not have a weather department. Newscasts ceased airing in March 1990, a decision made by then-owners Tak Communications. WQOW aired WXOW's newscasts, as they had from 1980-82.
Local newscasts resumed on WQOW in October 1996 and the station was known as "News 18." Since the new Highway 53 Bypass was set to be constructed on the site of WQOW's building, the station moved in January 2001. The old building's site is located approximately in the northbound lane of the Hwy 53 Bypass near the Highway 93 northbound bridge. The new building is on Highway 93 immediately south of
Interstate 94Interstate 94 is the northernmost east-west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. Its western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
on the south side of Eau Claire.
WQOW has been digital-only since noon, February 17 2009.
External links