WQOW-TV

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WQOW-TV
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Branding	News 18
Channels	18 (UHF) analog, 15 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	ABC The CW on DT2
Owner	Quincy Newspapers
Founded	September, 1980
Call letters meaning	W-Q (sounds like Eau Claire) OW (sister station to Madison's WKOW)
Website	wqow.com Chippewa Valley CW website

WQOW is an ABC-affiliated television station in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The station broadcasts on channel 18. The station is owned and operated by Quincy Newspapers, Inc., which also owns WXOW-TV. The station's DT2 subcarrier shows programming from The CW Plus, which is also carried on cable channel 15 on the Charter cable systems in the Chippewa Valley. WQOW's transmitter is located in Eau Claire, at the former WEAU tower next to the WEAU studios. [1] The station is not availible on the major satellite systems, as the operators opt to carry sister station WXOW, which carries identical network and syndicated programming but its own local newscasts.

Contents 1 News 18 Personalities 1.1 Anchors 1.2 Stormtracker 18 Weather 1.3 News 18 Sports 1.4 News 18 Reporters 1.5 Former On-Air Personalities: 1.5.1 Notables 1.5.2 Anchors 1.5.3 Weather 2 History 3 Logos 4 External links

[edit] News 18 Personalities

[edit] Anchors

• Lisa Patrow - Weekdays at 5:00pm
• Brooke Allyson - Weekdays 6 & 10pm Reports
• Jerry Gallagher - Weekdays 6 & 10pm
• Jamie Page - Weekday Mornings 5:30-7:00am
• Ross Alexander - Weekends 6 & 10pm Reports

[edit] Stormtracker 18 Weather

• Doug Michaels - Chief Meteorologist
• LeAnn Lombardo - Morning Meteorologist
• Tony Barlow - Weekend Meteorologist

[edit] News 18 Sports

• Bob Bradovich - Sports Director, Weeknights
• David Kmiecik - Weekends
• Jon Keimig - Sports Overtime Reporter

[edit] News 18 Reporters

• Adam Stapel
• Carrie Phelps
• Bill Osmulski

[edit] Former On-Air Personalities:

[edit] 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

[edit] Anchors

• Mike Rindo (News Director): 1996-2001
• Kristin Everett: 1996-early 2000's
• Melissa Wollering: mid-2000's - March 2006 [2]
• Rachel Licht: mid-2000's - April 2006 [3]

[edit] Weather

• Bob Trihy: 1996 - August 11, 2006 (Chief Meteorologist 1996-2006)
• Megan Salois: 2002 - April 2006 [4]

[edit] History

WQOW-TV signed on in September, 1980, as a relay station for sister station WXOW-TV 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 53, 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 Hwy 93 northbound bridge. The new building is on Highway 93 immediately south of Interstate 94 on the south side of Eau Claire.

[edit] Logos

Current WQOW 18 logo

Logo of the new "Chippewa Valley's CW" from CW section of WQOW web site

Logo of the new "Chippewa Valley's CW" from WQOW web site

Old logo of "WBCZ", a WB 100+ station

[edit] External links

• WQOW-TV website
• Chippewa Valley CW website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WQOW-TV