Quincy Newspapers
Encyclopedia
Quincy Newspapers, Inc. is a family-owned media company that originated in the newspaper
s 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. In 1935, the Quincy Herald-Whig emerged, and it still operates under that name today. The company moved into radio
in 1947 and began television
broadcasts in 1953.
Ralph M. Oakley is Vice President, director, and assistant secretary of QNI, and Chief Operating Officer of the Broadcast Division of QNI.
The corporation was formed in Quincy on July 1, 1926, as a publishing company upon the consolidation of Quincy Herald, direct descendant of the Illinois Bounty Land Register first published in Quincy in 1835, and the Quincy Whig-Journal, descendant of the Quincy Whig founded in 1838. The Herald-Whig publishes 7 days a week.
The Herald was purchased in 1891 by three men from Rockford, IL, one of whom, Charles L. Miller, had earlier founded the Rockford Daily Register, the first newspaper to achieve a permanent existence there. Miller brought to The Herald his brother-in-law and nephew, respectively, Aaron Burr Oakley and Ray M. Oakley, the first two generations of the Oakleys in the newspaper business in Quincy. Miller spent four years in Quincy, returning to Rockford in 1896 to join Harry M. Johnson in ownership of the Rockford Republic. He retired as editor of the Republic in 1913 and died in 1921.
Two brothers from Decatur
, Frank M. Lindsay, Sr. and Arthur O. Lindsay, Sr. bought The Quincy Whig in 1915, with Arthur Lindsay taking up residence in Quincy as president and manager. Frank Lindsay remained in Decatur with the Decatur Herald and formed an association with another Illinois newspaper family, the Schaubs. In 1920, the Lindsays consolidated The Whig and The Quincy Journal, founded in 1883.
With the consolidation of The Herald and The Whig-Journal in 1928, two Illinois newspaper families, Oakley and Lindsay, were joined in a business association that continues today through succeeding generations.
QNI entered broadcasting in 1947, the year it started Quincy's first commercial FM station, WQDI. The following year QNI purchased Quincy Broadcasting Co. to operate WGEM
, the city's second AM station. WQDI then became WGEM-FM.
Quincy Broadcasting produced the Quincy region's first television broadcast on Sept. 4, 1953, on WGEM-TV (NBC). Quincy Broadcasting also operates the Hotel Quincy, which houses all WGEM AM FM TV studios, as a residential/transient hotel.
In 1969, QNI and six other newspaper entities formed American Newspapers Inc., which bought The New Jersey Herald in Newton, NJ, converting the semi-weekly to a daily and Sunday publication in 1970. QNI acquired controlling interest in American Newspapers in 1980 and became sole owner in 1986.
Beginning in the 1970s, QNI began a major expansion into television. WSJV-TV (ABC, now FOX), in South Bend-Elkhart, IN, was acquired in 1974, KROC-TV (now KTTC-TV/NBC) in Rochester, MN, in 1976, WHIS-TV (now WVVA-TV/NBC) in Bluefield, WV, in 1979, KTIV-TV (NBC) in Sioux City, IA, in 1989, and WREX-TV (NBC) in 1995. The Merchant, a weekly shopper in Quincy was also purchased in 1995.
In June 2001, QNI purchased from Shockley Communications Corporation
the five Wisconsin ABC stations: WKOW - Madison; WAOW - Wausau; WQOW - Eau Claire; WYOW - Eagle River; and WXOW - La Crosse. Also purchased from SCC at the time was ProVideo of Wisconsin, Inc. consisting of a component digital online suite and a fully integrated non-linear online suite in Madison, Wisconsin.
As a part of the Shockley Communications Corporation purchase, KTTC Television, Inc. has a shared services agreement with KXLT-TV, the FOX affiliate in Rochester, MN. KTTC provides all services for KXLT excluding sales, traffic, and programming.
On July 1, 2006 QNI purchased KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa from Raycom Media. KWWL is an affiliate of NBC. The station is the primary NBC affiliate for the northeast quarter of the state of Iowa. The station's headquarters are in Waterloo, Iowa, and they also operate newsrooms in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque.
In February 2009, QNI purchased Crandon, Wisconsin
's WBIJ (Channel 4) from the widow of the station's founder, with the intention to operate the station as a satellite station of WAOW. QNI subsequently renamed the station WMOW to conform with its other Wisconsin properties.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s of Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
. 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
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Over the next century
Century
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
, a number of mergers followed. In 1935, the Quincy Herald-Whig emerged, and it still operates under that name today. The company moved into radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
in 1947 and began television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcasts in 1953.
History
Thomas A. Oakley is President, treasurer, director, and Chief Executive Officer of QNI.Ralph M. Oakley is Vice President, director, and assistant secretary of QNI, and Chief Operating Officer of the Broadcast Division of QNI.
The corporation was formed in Quincy on July 1, 1926, as a publishing company upon the consolidation of Quincy Herald, direct descendant of the Illinois Bounty Land Register first published in Quincy in 1835, and the Quincy Whig-Journal, descendant of the Quincy Whig founded in 1838. The Herald-Whig publishes 7 days a week.
The Herald was purchased in 1891 by three men from Rockford, IL, one of whom, Charles L. Miller, had earlier founded the Rockford Daily Register, the first newspaper to achieve a permanent existence there. Miller brought to The Herald his brother-in-law and nephew, respectively, Aaron Burr Oakley and Ray M. Oakley, the first two generations of the Oakleys in the newspaper business in Quincy. Miller spent four years in Quincy, returning to Rockford in 1896 to join Harry M. Johnson in ownership of the Rockford Republic. He retired as editor of the Republic in 1913 and died in 1921.
Two brothers from Decatur
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
, Frank M. Lindsay, Sr. and Arthur O. Lindsay, Sr. bought The Quincy Whig in 1915, with Arthur Lindsay taking up residence in Quincy as president and manager. Frank Lindsay remained in Decatur with the Decatur Herald and formed an association with another Illinois newspaper family, the Schaubs. In 1920, the Lindsays consolidated The Whig and The Quincy Journal, founded in 1883.
With the consolidation of The Herald and The Whig-Journal in 1928, two Illinois newspaper families, Oakley and Lindsay, were joined in a business association that continues today through succeeding generations.
QNI entered broadcasting in 1947, the year it started Quincy's first commercial FM station, WQDI. The following year QNI purchased Quincy Broadcasting Co. to operate WGEM
WGEM (AM)
WGEM-AM WGEM-AM WGEM-AM (1440 AM is a radio station in Quincy, Illinois broadcasting a Sports format. The station is owned by Quincy Newspapers.-Programming:...
, the city's second AM station. WQDI then became WGEM-FM.
In 1969, QNI and six other newspaper entities formed American Newspapers Inc., which bought The New Jersey Herald in Newton, NJ, converting the semi-weekly to a daily and Sunday publication in 1970. QNI acquired controlling interest in American Newspapers in 1980 and became sole owner in 1986.
Beginning in the 1970s, QNI began a major expansion into television. WSJV-TV (ABC, now FOX), in South Bend-Elkhart, IN, was acquired in 1974, KROC-TV (now KTTC-TV/NBC) in Rochester, MN, in 1976, WHIS-TV (now WVVA-TV/NBC) in Bluefield, WV, in 1979, KTIV-TV (NBC) in Sioux City, IA, in 1989, and WREX-TV (NBC) in 1995. The Merchant, a weekly shopper in Quincy was also purchased in 1995.
In June 2001, QNI purchased from Shockley Communications Corporation
Shockley Communications Corporation
Shockley Communications Corporation is a media outlet that held several television stations in Wisconsin underneath its ownership. The company was reportedly bought-out by Quincy Newspapers in June 2001....
the five Wisconsin ABC stations: WKOW - Madison; WAOW - Wausau; WQOW - Eau Claire; WYOW - Eagle River; and WXOW - La Crosse. Also purchased from SCC at the time was ProVideo of Wisconsin, Inc. consisting of a component digital online suite and a fully integrated non-linear online suite in Madison, Wisconsin.
As a part of the Shockley Communications Corporation purchase, KTTC Television, Inc. has a shared services agreement with KXLT-TV, the FOX affiliate in Rochester, MN. KTTC provides all services for KXLT excluding sales, traffic, and programming.
On July 1, 2006 QNI purchased KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa from Raycom Media. KWWL is an affiliate of NBC. The station is the primary NBC affiliate for the northeast quarter of the state of Iowa. The station's headquarters are in Waterloo, Iowa, and they also operate newsrooms in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque.
In February 2009, QNI purchased Crandon, Wisconsin
Crandon, Wisconsin
Crandon is a city in Forest County, Wisconsin, United States; it is in the northeastern part of the state, about north of Green Bay. The population was 1,920 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Forest County and is the only incorporated community in the county...
's WBIJ (Channel 4) from the widow of the station's founder, with the intention to operate the station as a satellite station of WAOW. QNI subsequently renamed the station WMOW to conform with its other Wisconsin properties.
Television stations
| State | City | Call sign | Channel | Network | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSIP | RF | DT-1 | DT-2 | DT-3 | |||
| Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... |
Quincy Quincy, Illinois Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a... |
WGEM-TV WGEM-TV 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... |
10 | 10 | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
CW The CW Plus The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, 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.... |
Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
| Rockford Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated... |
WREX Wrex Wrex may refer to:* Television station WREX-TV in Rockford, Illinois* The character Urdnot Wrex from video game Mass Effect* The nightclub in Seattle mentioned in Music of Seattle... |
13 | 13 | NBC | CW | ||
| Indiana Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... |
Elkhart Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis... |
WSJV WSJV WSJV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Michiana area of Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Elkhart. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter in Mishawaka, Indiana. Owned by Quincy Newspapers, the station has... |
28 | 28 | Fox | ||
| Iowa Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... |
Sioux City Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state.... |
KTIV KTIV KTIV is an NBC television station in Sioux City, Iowa, broadcasting on digital channel 41.KTIV also carries The CW Television Network, which replaced The WB network in September 2006, on its 4.2 digital subchannel.-History:... |
4 | 41 | NBC | CW | |
| Waterloo Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two... |
KWWL | 7 | 7 | NBC | This | Me-TV | |
| Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state... |
Rochester Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the... |
KTTC KTTC KTTC is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southeastern Minnesota and Northeastern Iowa. Licensed to Rochester, Minnesota, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Ostrander, Minnesota near the Fillmore and Mower County line... |
10 | 10 | NBC | CW | |
| KXLT-TV KXLT-TV KXLT-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Southeastern Minnesota and Northeastern Iowa. Licensed to Rochester, Minnesota, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 46 from a transmitter in Frankford Township, Minnesota. The station can also be seen on Mediacom and... |
47 | 46 | Fox | Me-TV | |||
| West Virginia West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east... |
Bluefield Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:... |
WVVA WVVA WVVA, virtual channel 6, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Bluefield, West Virginia, USA, owned by the Quincy Newspapers media chain. The station's studios are located in Bluefield, and its transmitter is based at East River Mountain, near the West Virginia-Virginia border.-History:The... |
6 | 46 | NBC | CW | |
| Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... |
Crandon Crandon, Wisconsin Crandon is a city in Forest County, Wisconsin, United States; it is in the northeastern part of the state, about north of Green Bay. The population was 1,920 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Forest County and is the only incorporated community in the county... |
WMOW | 4 | 12 | CW | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
This |
| Eagle River Eagle River, Wisconsin Eagle River is a city in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,443 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Vilas County. The city is known for being a popular "Northwoods" vacation town... |
WYOW | 34 | 28 | ABC | CW | This | |
| Eau Claire Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,... |
WQOW | 18 | 15 | ABC | CW | This | |
| La Crosse La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485... |
WXOW | 19 | 48 | ABC | CW | This | |
| Madison Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.... |
WKOW | 27 | 26 | ABC | Me-TV | This | |
| Wausau Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people... |
WAOW | 9 | 9 | ABC | CW | This |
- Owned by SagamoreHill BroadcastingSagamoreHill BroadcastingSagamoreHill Broadcasting is a privately held American holding company that owns eleven television stations largely based in the southern United States...
and operated by Quincy Newspapers - Satellite stationBroadcast relay stationA broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
of WAOW
Location
Corporate offices are housed at The Quincy Herald-Whig, 130 South Fifth Street, Quincy, IL 62306-0906.Newspapers
- Quincy Herald-Whig, Quincy, IllinoisQuincy, IllinoisQuincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
- New Jersey HeraldNew Jersey HeraldThe New Jersey Herald is a newspaper published six days every week. Its headquarters are in Newton, New Jersey. It is the only daily newspaper published in Sussex County, New Jersey and one of the oldest in the state...
, Newton, New JerseyNewton, New JerseyNewton is a town in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 8,244. It is the county seat of Sussex County....