| Davenport-Bettendorf, Iowa/ Moline-Rock Island, Illinois |
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|---|---|
| Branding | KWQC TV-6 |
| Slogan | Straight To The Point |
| Channels | Digital: 36 (UHF) Virtual: 6 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 6.1 NBC 6.2 KWQC 24/7 Weather |
| Affiliations | NBC |
| Owner | Young Broadcasting, Inc. (operated by Gray Television) (Young Broadcasting of Davenport, Inc.) |
| First air date | October 31, 1949 |
| Call letters' meaning | 'Welcome to the Quad Cities (calls modified to resemble former WOC calls and tie in regional nickname) |
| Former callsigns | Analog: WOC-TV (1949–1986) KWQC-TV (1986–2009) Digital: KWQC-DT (2003–2009) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 5 (1949–1952) 6 (1952–2009) Digital: 56 (2003–2009) |
| Former affiliations | Secondary: CBS (1949-1950) DuMont (1949-1955) ABC (1949-1963) |
| Transmitter power | 1000 kW |
| Height | 329 m |
| Facility ID | 6885 |
| Website | www.kwqc.com |
KWQC-TV, virtual channel 6 (digital channel 36), is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Quad Cities television market (Davenport, Iowa, Moline and Rock Island, Illinois). It is licensed to Davenport and is owned by Young Broadcasting. Its former analog transmitter is located in Bettendorf, Iowa; its digital transmitter is based in Orion, Illinois.
KWQC-SD can be seen in analog on Mediacom cable channel 5 in the Quad Cities area. KWQC-HD can be seen on Mediacom digital cable channel 705 in the Quad Cities area. KWQC-WX can be seen on Mediacom digital cable channel 108 in the Quad Cities area.
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KWQC originally signed on the air on October 31, 1949, as WOC-TV. The station was founded by B. J. Palmer, founder of the Palmer College of Chiropractic along with WOC radio (AM 1420 and FM 103.7, now WLLR-FM). Some say that the WOC calls stood for Wonders of Chiropractic though the Palmer family never acknowledged the phase in print or otherwise. Originally on channel 5, WOC-TV moved to channel 6 in 1952 due to interference with WOI-TV in Ames, Iowa. It has the distinction of being Iowa's and the Quad Cities' first television station, carrying programming from all four networks at the time (NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont). However, it has always been a primary NBC affiliate owing to WOC radio's long affiliation with NBC radio.
It lost CBS to WHBF-TV in 1950, and the two stations shared ABC until WQAD-TV signed on in 1963. The station was also affiliated with the short-lived Paramount Television Network; in fact, it was one of that network's strongest affiliates, carrying programs such as Dixie Showboat,[1] Hollywood Reel,[2] and Hollywood Wrestling.[3]
The WOC stations were sister stations to WHO-AM-FM-TV in Des Moines. Channel 6 remained with the Palmer family after Dr. Palmer's death in 1961.
Original programming included the daily Show Boat children's show hosted by Cap'n Ernie from 1964 to 1974.[4][5]
In 1986, Palmer Communications sold its Quad Cities radio properties to Vickie Anne Palmer and her then husband J. Douglas Miller. Due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules of the time, channel 6 changed its calls to KWQC-TV so as not to confuse the two properties. KWQC was sold to Broad Street Television in 1989 and to Young Broadcasting in 1995.
The January 9, 2008 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno featured a brief clip of a KWQC broadcast showing former KWQC anchor Mike Mickle's reaction to difficulties with a tape on a story about a Boise, Idaho woman struck by lightning.
The KWQC-TV Tower is a 1,381-foot (421 m) high guy-wired aerial mast for the transmission of FM radio and television programs in Bettendorf, west of the Scott Community College campus. (Geographical coordinates: ). It was built in 1982. In addition to the former KWQC analog signal, WHBF-TV and radio stations WOC, and WLLR-FM, both former sister stations of KWQC-TV (as WOC-TV), as well as religious WDLM-FM, and NPR member station WVIK, transmit their signals from this site.
KWQC's digital transmission tower is located in Orion, Illinois. The transmitter for KWQC-DT 56 had been operating at half of its assigned effective radiated power (ERP) since 12:45 PM on December 16, 2008, due to the need to convert one of the Power Amplifier Cabinets from channel 56 to channel 36.[6] At 12:02 AM on Friday June 12, 2009, the digital over-the-air signal on channel 56 was turned off and this lasted for about an hour or so in order to change the transmitter-to-antenna connections from the remaining DT 56 cabinet to the newly converted DT 36 cabinet. KWQC returned to the air an hour later on KWQC-DT 36, and continued to operate at half-power on channel 36 for about a week or so while the other cabinet was converted from channel 56 to channel 36. KWQC estimated that the other power cabinet would be fully converted and that its new digital signal on channel 36 would be operating at its fully licensed ERP of 1 million watts around June 19, 2009, one week after the DTV transition was complete.[7] It is not known when exactly the station returned to full power on digital channel 36. Cable viewers, particularly Mediacom subscribers in the Quad Cities, did not notice any interruption to the KWQC analog or digital/HDTV signals on the cable systems as KWQC's signals have been sent to the cable companies via a direct fiber optic link instead of the older and more traditional method of being picked up by the cable companies' over-the-air antennas[8] ever since well before the 2009 digital TV transition.
Also, KWQC no longer transmits a signal from Bettendorf, as Orion is now its new permanent home for transmission facilities, as of June 12. KWQC's analog transmitter in Bettendorf was broadcasting the Quad City Market's "Nightlight" service around the clock until June 26, 2009, and during the two week 'nightlight period, none of the station's regular programming was broadcast on the analog signal. As of June 26, 2009, the analog signal is now permanently gone. The aforementioned radio stations in the top paragraph of this section, as well as WHBF-TV, are continuing to transmit from Bettendorf. WHBF is the only Quad Cities television station to transmit from Bettendorf, while KWQC and everybody else are transmitting from Orion,[9] with the exception of KGCW. This means many viewers in and around the Quad Cities market need either a rotor or two separate antennas to receive all their local TV stations.
KWQC-TV's signal is multiplexed:
Digital channels
| Virtual Channel |
Physical RF Channel |
Video | Aspect | Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 36.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KWQC-TV | Main KWQC Programming/NBC HD |
| 6.2 | 36.2 | 480i | 16:9 | KWQC-WX | KWQC 24-7 Weather Channel |
After the shutdown of the KWQC-TV analog nightlight signal on June 26, 2009, the "KWQC-TV" callsign was legally transferred from the now-defunct analog channel 6 to the new digital channel 36 and the "KWQC-DT" callsign was officially discontinued. However, up until mid-November 2009, the PSIP identifier continued to identify the main channel 6.1 as "KWQC-DT." This finally changed right before Thanksgiving Day in late November and the PSIP now identifies the main channel on 6.1 as the station's legal callsign, "KWQC-TV."
At 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2009, KWQC-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal on channel 6. KWQC-DT shut off its pre-transition digital signal on channel 56 just after midnight on June 11–12. KWQC-DT returned to the air on channel 36 around 1 am on Friday June 12 [10] using PSIP to be displayed on digital television receivers and converter boxes as virtual channel 6. Most of the station's programming on the broadcast day of June 12, 2009 was actually broadcast both on analog channel 6 and the new digital channel 36, up until 11:59 p.m. when KWQC used analog channel 6 to provide a Nightlight service to those remaining analog-only television viewers without a digital TV set or digital converter box for the two weeks following the digital transition.
KWQC's audio signal transmitted on a frequency of 87.76 MHz (+10 kHz shift) and was picked up on the lower end of the dial on most FM radios in most of the Quad Cities until 11:59 PM on June 12, 2009. As of 11:59 p.m. on June 12, 2009, the station's main programming is no longer heard on 87.75 MHz on FM radios.
After June 12, KWQC continued using its analog channel 6 for the next two weeks strictly for the purpose of informing the public about the need to switch over to digital. This included the purchasing and installation of DTV converter boxes and television sets, as well as how digital TV works, and the need for those consumers who are still unprepared to switch over to digital. This service is known as "Nightlighting."[11] The national PSAs, produced by the National Association of Broadcasters, as well as a locally produced version by the station itself, was a joint effort between KWQC and the other broadcasters in the Quad Cities, including WHBF, WQAD, WQPT, and KLJB, to inform the remaining unprepared TV viewers about the need to take action in order to continue receiving over the air television broadcasting. The transmitter for KWQC analog channel 6 was shut down permanently at 11:59 pm on Friday June 26, 2009. Being broadcast as it was in analog on VHF channel 6, the KWQC "Nightlight Service" was being heard on FM 87.76 MHz on FM radios during the two week nightlight period instead of the KWQC main programming. Today, there is nothing but static on 87.7 FM on radios as well as snow on VHF channel 6 on analog TV sets.
On Monday August 13, 2007, KWQC started up a local digital weather service called 24/7 Weather. This new weather service is available to viewers via KWQC's digital subchannel 6.2 over the air and on Mediacom Digital Cable channel 108 in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas, and is, similar to Young Broadcasting's other digital weather subchannel offerings on sister stations WBAY and WTEN. The weather conditions and radar displayed on the channel are fed direct from the station's computers; KWQC never affiliated with the defunct NBC Weather Plus service or branded with Weather Plus.
The channel features local weather conditions on the right side of the screen, with a seven-day forecast below the video window, and a news ticker on the bottom of the screen. Forecasts and weather maps are played on a 10-minute loop, with public service announcements and some local advertising a part of the station. The E/I programs Critter Gitters and My Bedbugs air Monday-Saturday at 5 p.m. to suffice the E/I guidelines requiring three hours of E/I programming per week per subchannel.
As of Fall 2011, the KWQC 24-7 Weather Channel is now broadcast in widescreen standard definition, still being broadcast at a resolution of 480i but with the 16:9 screen size that matches the aspect ratio of widescreen television receivers rather than the 4:3 screen size of traditional television receivers. Previously, the KWQC 24-7 Weather Channel had been broadcast in the 4:3 aspect ratio. Also, Paula Sands Live is now rebroadcast every weeknight at 7 pm in widescreen standard definition on the KWQC 24-7 Weather Channel.
Syndicated programs on KWQC's schedule include Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Rachael Ray, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Kim Possible. Reruns of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation air during the weekends; the station also airs Cheers, often on weekends or during telethons as part of a special marathon.
As of January 2008, in addition to airing NBC network HDTV programs produced in high-definition, KWQC also airs two Syndicated programs in HD. Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are recorded and broadcast in high-definition every weekday and the Saturday evening reruns of Wheel of Fortune are also broadcast in high-definition as well. KWQC's local programs soon followed, converting their broadcasts into HD on October 27, 2010.
Paula Sands Live is a weekday show that airs on KWQC-TV. It stars Paula Sands, a lead news anchor. She talks about current events in the Quad Cities area and a variety of other segments.
KWQC is well-known by locals for the "Highlight Zone," an Emmy award-winning Friday night feature showcasing area high school football and basketball. The "Highlight Zone" airs during the 10 p.m. newscast from roughly late August through early March, with a break in December. Each member of the news anchor staff, along with whomever is giving the weather that night, take turns recapping a featured game.
The camera crews invite fans from each of the games they cover to participate in a skit related to the night's theme. The theme usually centers on a holiday (e.g., Valentine's Day) or local promotion (e.g., The Student Food Drive, an initiative by area high schools to collect food for the needy). The "Highlight Zone" started in the 1989-1990 season, and the format has since been copied by many TV stations.
On July 31, 2007, KWQC debuted a drastic change to its graphics and music, dumping the original "Hello News" music package that had been in use since 1990. KWQC added a "cube" (similar to that used by Fox News Channel for its on-screen logo bug) which stirred up a lot of controversy. Eventually, KWQC slowed the cube down as a result of a vote by nearly 2000 people on its website. KWQC began using "U-Phonix", a syndicated music package produced by Stephen Arnold Music. Just eight weeks later on September 24, KWQC switched back to the "Hello News" package, making KWQC the first station to use a syndicated music package for the least amount of time. KWQC remains the only station that continues to use the original "Hello News" package.
On September 25, 2008, KWQC introduced a new graphics package during its 5 p.m. broadcast. The new package brought major changes to all the news graphics as well as significant changes to the weather forecasts. The "First Alert Weather" team was able to interact more with technology, through by animation, finger-pointing, and with their wireless clicker, they can change and bring up graphics as well as information making for a much more interactive and flowing forecast for the viewers. KWQC also introduced a revised station logo, the first time it has done so since the early 1990s. While it was similar to the one previously used, the word "TV" was taken out and replaced with "DT" (an abbreviation for "Digital Television"). However, the station's official calls are still "KWQC-TV".
In mid-October 2010, the news set was reconstructed to be high definition-compatible. During its time, a compact newsdesk was temporarily placed in the newsroom, where only three people can be placed at the time (i.e. Metivier, Chornelis, Burchett). On October 27, 2010, the station became the first in the Quad Cities market and the first station owned by Young Broadcasting to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition, beginning with 5 p.m. newscast. The newscasts began broadcasting from its new set with the upgrade and logos, callsigns and on-air graphics were changed as well. The station is now referred to as "KWQC-HD News", but the legal callsign "KWQC-TV" can be seen in the new set.
KWQC has been the ratings leader in the Quad Cities for most of its history. It briefly lost the lead to WHBF in the mid-1970s, but regained it in 1980 and has held the lead ever since. According to the Des Moines Register in the November 2007 books, KWQC had the third highest, top 100 market newscast rating. A look at the latest 2011 ratings shows KWQC remains number one for total viewers in every time slot.
Anchors
First Alert Weather
Sports team
Reporters
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