WGEM-TV

WGEM-TV
Quincy, Illinois /
Hannibal, Missouri /
Keokuk, Iowa
City of license Quincy
Branding WGEM (general)
WGEM News (newscasts)
Tri-States CW (on DT2)
WGEM Fox (on DT3)
Slogan The Tri-States'
News Leader
Channels Digital: 10 (VHF)
Subchannels 10.1 NBC
10.2 The CW
10.3 Fox
Owner Quincy Newspapers
(Quincy Broadcasting Company)
First air date July 5, 1953
Call letters' meaning GEM City (civic slogan of Quincy)
Sister station(s) WGEM, WGEM-FM
Former channel number(s) Analog:
10 (VHF, 1953-2009)
Digital: 54 (UHF)
Former affiliations ABC (1953-1969, 1971-mid 1990s)
Fox (1990-1994)
both secondary
Transmitter power 21.2 kW
Height 238 m
Facility ID 54275
Website wgem.com

WGEM-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Tri-States area of Western Illinois, Northeastern Missouri, and extreme Southeastern Iowa that is licensed to Quincy, Illinois. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter east of the city on Cannonball Road near I-172. The station is the flagship of Quincy Newspapers and has studios in the New Tremont Apartments on Hampshire Street in Downtown Quincy. Syndicated programming on WGEM includes: Entertainment Tonight, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, and Inside Edition. WGEM clears all NBC programming, although the station airs Days of Our Lives weekdays at 4PM instead of NBC's recommended timeslot of 1PM local time.

Contents

Digital programming

WGEM's signal is multiplexed. On WGEM-DT2, Comcast channel 6, US Cable channel 16, and Mediacom channel 18 is the area's CW affiliate. This station gets all of its programming from The CW Plus. On WGEM-DT3, Mediacom channel 2, US Cable channel 12, and Comcast channel 18 is the area's Fox affiliate. This can also be seen in high definition on Comcast digital channel 383 and Mediacom digital channel 802. Syndicated programming on WGEM-DT3 includes: The Insider, Family Guy, Friends, and Everybody Loves Raymond.

Channel Programming
10.1 Main WGEM programming / NBC
10.2 WGEM-DT2 "Tri-States CW"
10.3 WGEM-DT3 "WGEM Fox"

History

The station signed on for the first time on July 5, 1953. WGEM has always been an NBC affiliate, but maintained a secondary ABC affiliation between 1953 and 1969 as well as from 1971 until the mid-1990s, shared with CBS affiliate KHQA-TV during the 1960s. WJJY-TV in Jacksonville, Illinois was the primary ABC affiliate for Quincy between 1969 and 1971; when WJJY went bankrupt and shut down, WGEM resumed carrying a few ABC shows. The station also had a secondary affiliation with Fox between 1990 and 1994. It is one of the few and longest operating television stations in the country, outside of network owned-and-operated stations that has had the same call letters, owner, channel number, and primary network affiliation throughout its history.

Since the mid to late-1990s, WGEM has not mentioned its channel number on-air, instead choosing to be identified by its call letters. WGEM's broadcasts have been digital-only since February 17, 2009.[1]

News operation

WGEM once produced a weeknight 9 o'clock newscast for the Fox channel called CGEM News at 9. It debuted in April 2006 but was canceled in March 2007. The broadcast was anchored by Jake Miller with Chief Meteorologist Rich Cain and Sports Director Ben Marth. At one point in time, WGEM-DT2 simulcast WGEM-FM's weekday morning show, WGEM Sunrise: Radio Edition, from 7 to 9. Today it re-airs one WGEM-produced weekly public affair shows, City Desk, along with one other locally-produced programs: WGEM Academic Challenge. In addition to its main studios, the station used to operate a bureau on South Randolph Street in Macomb, Illinois, but it was closed in 2008. The main channel does not air early evening news on weekends. Like all CW Plus affiliates in the Central Time Zone, WGEM-DT2 airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz on weekdays from 5 to 8.

Newscast titles

Station slogans

Newscast music

News team

Anchors

WGEM News StormTrak Meteorologists

Sports

Reporters

References

  1. ^ Quincy station off air during switch to digital, Hannibal Courier-Post, Feb 17, 2009

External links