KQEG-CA

KQEG-CA
La Crosse, Wisconsin
United States
City La Crescent, Minnesota
Branding KQEG TV
23-51, Cable 5
Channels Digital: 23 (UHF)
Virtual: 23 (PSIP)
Translators 51 (UHF) WEZY-LP
Affiliations Ion, AMGTV
Owner Magnum Radio, Inc.
Founded July 15, 1992
First air date 1994
Call letters' meaning White Eagle Partnership (former owner)
Former callsigns K50DK (1992-1996)
KQEG-LP (1996-2001)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
50 (1994-2001)
23 (2001-2015)
Former affiliations UPN (until 2006)
FamilyNet (until 2013)
Class Class A
Website www.kqegtv.com

KQEG-CA, channel 23, is a Class A station licensed in La Crescent, Minnesota, with studios and offices in La Crosse, Wisconsin. WEZY-LP, channel 51, is a low power station located in Tomah, Wisconsin that simulcasts the programming of KQEG-CA. The two stations are owned by Magnum Radio, Inc.

Programming

KQEG currently features much of the main programming schedule (non paid programming) of the Ion network. This generally includes Mondays through Saturdays from 2 PM to 11 PM and Sundays from 2 PM to 5 PM.

The station maintains a secondary network affiliation with AMGTV. Times when AMG programming is seen generally include weekdays from 1 AM to 6 AM and from 10 AM to 11:30 AM, Saturday mornings from 1 AM to 10 AM, and Sunday mornings from 1 AM to 8 AM. This time was formerly filled by an affiliation with FamilyNet before that network's sale and programming direction was changed at the start of 2013.

The above network programming blocks are regularly preempted with syndicated Home Shopping or KQEG original programs.

Regular programming is periodically preempted for college sports (primarily Big East football, Big East men's college basketball, and Big 12 basketball) as syndicated by ESPN Regional Television.

Original, local programming produced by KQEG includes: local high school sports, Knights of Thunder (LaCrosse Speedway coverage), Bargain House (shopping), La Crosse County board meetings, selected parades, and, in conjunction with UW-La Crosse, the annual Coulee Region Humane Society Telethon.

History

KQEG was started by White Eagle Partnership (Eleanor St. John, Perry St. John, and Richard Wilson) in 1994 as K50DK channel 50. The original construction permit was dated July 15, 1992.[1]

The call letters K50DK were changed to KQEG-LP on February 5, 1996. The channel was changed from 50 to 23 in February, 2001.[2] The station's license changed from Low Power (KQEG-LP) to Class A (KQEG-CA) on August 28, 2001.[3]

In June 2002, White Eagle Partnership purchased the construction permit for W45CF channel 45 of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin from Inspiration Television.[4] (The construction permit had been granted to Inspiration Television in October 2001.[5]) W45CF would operate as a translator station of KQEG-CA.

In September 2004, the community of license for W45CF was changed from Chippewa Falls to Elk Mound, Wisconsin.[6]

For some years, KQEG's primary network affiliation had been with UPN, and the station maintained a secondary affiliation with FamilyNet. Following the January 24, 2006 announcement that UPN and The WB would merge into a new network called The CW to launch fall 2006, KQEG gained a bit of national notoriety when it was apparently the first station to drop UPN network affiliation due to the merger, as of January 27, 2006.[7][8] (Competing local station WKBT launched UPN La Crosse/Eau Claire on digital subchannel 8.2 on January 30, 2006, swiftly filling the void left by KQEG.[9])

Also beginning January 30, 2006, KQEG began airing a rebroadcast of WXOW's 6 p.m. newscast at 7 p.m. weekday evenings.[10]

KQEG-CA and W45CF were purchased by Magnum Radio Inc. (David R. Magnum et al.) from White Eagle Partnership (Eleanor St. John) on January 19, 2009.[11][12] Magnum Radio Inc. already owned WIBU-LP channel 51 of Tomah, Wisconsin.

In May 2009, KQEG's programming was revamped as the station began an affiliation with the Ion television network; this included the discontinuation of the 7 p.m. airing of WXOW's 6 p.m. newscast. Also, WIBU-LP began broadcasting as a translator station of KQEG-CA. On January 13, 2015, WIBU-LP changed its call letters to WEZY-LP;[13] the WEZY call letters were previously used by WVTY in Racine, a radio station also owned by Magnum.

Digital transition

On September 25, 2009, Magnum Radio was granted construction permits by the FCC for digital flash cuts of KQEG-CA channel 23 (UHF analog) and WIBU-LP channel 51 (UHF analog) to KQEG-CD channel 23 (UHF digital) and WIBU-LD channel 51 (UHF digital), respectively.[14][15] KQEG-CA was licensed for digital operation on May 28, 2015, but did not change its call sign.

On June 8, 2010, Magnum Radio was granted a construction permit for W18DV-D channel 18 (UHF digital), licensed to Eau Claire.[16] W18DV-D would replace W45CF of Elk Mound, which was never built.

References

External links

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