Quincy Media

Quincy Media, Inc. was an American family-owned media company whose roots extended to nineteenth-century newspapers in Quincy, Illinois. The corporate entity was formed on June 1, 1926, when the Quincy Herald and the Quincy Whig-Journal were combined under the name Quincy Newspapers. Their consolidation created the Quincy Herald-Whig, the company's principal newspaper and a long-standing local institution. The Herald traced its lineage to the Illinois Bounty Land Register, first published in Quincy in 1835, while the Whig descended from the Quincy Whig, founded in 1838. Ownership and management became associated with two Illinois newspaper families: the Oakleys and the Lindsays. The company diversified beyond print during the postwar expansion of American broadcasting. It entered radio in 1947 with WQDI, Quincy's first commercial FM station, and acquired the WGEM AM operation the following year. WGEM-FM adopted that call sign in 1953, the same year Quincy Broadcasting launched WGEM-TV, the region's first television station and an NBC affiliate. Broadcasting eventually became the company's dominant business. Beginning in the 1970s, Quincy acquired stations in Indiana, Minnesota, West Virginia, Iowa, and Illinois, generally concentrating on small and mid-sized markets and maintaining strong local-news operations. Quincy's television portfolio expanded substantially in the 2000s. In 2001, the company bought five ABC affiliates in Wisconsin—WKOW, WAOW, WYOW, WXOW, and WQOW—along with Wisconsin production and online-media assets. It later added KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa, and WBIJ in Wisconsin, which was renamed WMOW and operated as a satellite of WAOW. Quincy also used shared-services arrangements to provide operational support to independently owned stations, including KXLT-TV in Rochester, Minnesota. A major 2014–2015 transaction with Granite Broadcasting added WEEK-TV in Peoria, KBJR-TV and KRII in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, and WBNG-TV in Binghamton, New York. The transaction was repeatedly restructured to address ownership and shared-services issues in Fort Wayne, Peoria, and Duluth before receiving Federal Communications Commission approval in September 2015. In 2016, Quincy Newspapers adopted the Quincy Media name, reflecting a business that had become broader than its original newspaper identity. Around the same period, the flagship newspaper shortened its masthead from Quincy Herald-Whig to Herald-Whig. The company continued to buy and sell assets during the late 2010s. It acquired KDLH and WISE-TV in 2018, reached a retransmission-consent agreement with Dish Network after a temporary carriage interruption, and announced purchases of KVOA in Tucson and WSIL-TV and KPOB in southern Illinois and Missouri. In 2019, it bought the Hannibal Courier-Post, its first daily-newspaper expansion since 1969, while selling the New Jersey Herald after approximately five decades of ownership. In 2021, Quincy Media began a sale process. Gray Television agreed to acquire the company's television properties and WGEM radio assets for $925 million, while Allen Media Group agreed to acquire ten stations that were not part of Gray's transaction for $380 million. Quincy's newspapers were sold separately to Phillips Media Group. The transactions closed on August 2, 2021, ending Quincy Media as an independent operating company. Subsequent ownership of individual newspapers and stations changed again, but the Quincy name remains associated with the company's historic newspaper and broadcasting legacy.

Quincy Media developed from the consolidation of two historic Quincy, Illinois, newspapers. The Illinois Bounty Land Register began publication in Quincy in 1835 and later evolved into the Quincy Herald. The Quincy Whig was founded in 1838, while the Quincy Journal appeared in 1883. The Herald was acquired in 1891 by Charles L. Miller, Hedley John Eaton, and Edmund Botsford; Miller subsequently brought Aaron Burr Oakley and Ray M. Oakley into the Quincy newspaper operation. The Lindsay family acquired the Quincy Whig in 1915, and the Whig and Journal were consolidated in 1920. On June 1, 1926, the Herald and Whig-Journal were merged into the Quincy Herald-Whig, and the corporate company was organized as Quincy Newspapers. The Oakley and Lindsay families remained central to ownership. The company expanded its publishing interests in 1969 when it joined six other newspaper organizations in creating American Newspapers, Inc. That group acquired the New Jersey Herald, which was converted from a semiweekly into a daily and Sunday newspaper. Quincy Newspapers obtained a controlling interest in American Newspapers in 1980 and became its sole owner in 1986. The company also purchased The Merchant, a Quincy-area weekly shopper, in 1995. Broadcasting became a second major pillar. Quincy started commercial FM broadcasting in 1947 with WQDI and acquired Quincy Broadcasting Company and WGEM the following year. WQDI became WGEM-FM in 1953, when WGEM-TV began broadcasting as the area's NBC affiliate. Starting in 1974, Quincy built a multi-state television group through purchases of WSJV in Elkhart, KROC-TV in Rochester, WHIS-TV in Bluefield, KTIV in Sioux City, and WREX-TV in Rockford. The acquired stations carried a mixture of NBC, ABC, and later Fox affiliations. The 2001 acquisition of five Wisconsin ABC affiliates—WKOW, WAOW, WYOW, WXOW, and WQOW—marked a substantial expansion. Quincy also obtained ProVideo of Wisconsin, including digital and nonlinear online production facilities. In 2006, it added KWWL in Waterloo. In 2009, it acquired WBIJ in Crandon, Wisconsin, renamed it WMOW, and operated it as a satellite of WAOW. The company also entered shared-services arrangements, including an agreement under which KTTC supplied most services for Rochester Fox affiliate KXLT-TV. Quincy's 2014 agreement to acquire stations from Granite Broadcasting became a complex regulatory transaction. The proposed portfolio included WEEK-TV, KBJR-TV, KRII, and WBNG-TV, while planned arrangements involving WPTA, WISE-TV, WHOI, WAOE, and KDLH were revised several times. Quincy ultimately acquired WPTA rather than WISE, and related stations were assigned to other owners. The Federal Communications Commission approved the transaction in September 2015. In 2015, the flagship newspaper simplified its name to Herald-Whig, and in January 2016 the corporation changed its name from Quincy Newspapers to Quincy Media. The late 2010s brought further portfolio changes. Quincy acquired KDLH and WISE-TV in 2018 after presenting market-rank evidence to address FCC ownership limits. Its stations briefly stopped airing on Dish Network during a retransmission-fee dispute before a new agreement was reached. Quincy then announced the acquisition of KVOA from Cordillera Communications and WSIL-TV and KPOB from Mel Wheeler. In 2019, it bought the Hannibal Courier-Post from GateHouse Media and sold the New Jersey Herald to GateHouse, ending its ownership of that newspaper. In January 2021, Quincy disclosed that it was exploring a sale. Gray Television announced a $925 million purchase of the television portfolio and WGEM radio stations in February. To satisfy ownership requirements, Allen Media Group agreed in April to purchase ten stations excluded from Gray's transaction. The newspapers were sold separately to Phillips Media Group. All transactions closed on August 2, 2021, ending Quincy Media's independent corporate existence.

• 2021

  Company is sold and dissolved as an independent owner

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Gray, Allen Media Group, and Phillips Media Group acquire different portions of the business, with the transactions closing on August 2.

• 2016

  Corporate rebranding

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Quincy Newspapers adopts the Quincy Media name.

• 2015

  Granite station transaction receives FCC approval

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  After several revisions, regulators approve Quincy's acquisition and related station arrangements.

• 2001

  Wisconsin television expansion

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Quincy acquires five Wisconsin ABC affiliates and ProVideo of Wisconsin.

• 1969

  American Newspapers is established

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Quincy Newspapers joins six other newspaper organizations to form American Newspapers, Inc.

• 1953

  WGEM-TV launches

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  WGEM-TV begins broadcasting as an NBC affiliate and becomes the first television station serving the Quincy region.

• 1947

  Entry into radio

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  The company begins broadcasting with commercial FM station WQDI.

• 1926

  Quincy Newspapers is formed

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  The Quincy Herald and Quincy Whig-Journal merge, creating the Quincy Herald-Whig and the Quincy Newspapers corporate entity.

• 1835

  Illinois Bounty Land Register begins publication

  [1]Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  The Quincy newspaper lineage later associated with the Herald-Whig begins with the Illinois Bounty Land Register.

A regional, community-focused media owner combining local newspapers with network-affiliated television, radio, and digital services in small and mid-sized American markets.

• Daily newspaper · 1926

  Herald-Whig

  Quincy's flagship daily newspaper, created through the 1926 consolidation of the Quincy Herald and Quincy Whig-Journal. Its roots reach back to newspapers founded in the nineteenth century. The title later dropped Quincy from its masthead and operated simply as the Herald-Whig. It was sold separately from the television assets in 2021.

• Television, radio, and local-news operation · 1953

  WGEM

  The WGEM operation comprised Quincy's principal broadcast properties, including WGEM-TV and WGEM radio stations. WGEM-TV launched in 1953 as an NBC affiliate and served as a central local-news and advertising platform in the Quincy market.

• Broadcast television · 1953

  Local television station portfolio

  Quincy owned and operated network-affiliated stations across small and mid-sized U.S. markets. The portfolio included NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and other network relationships, with local news, sales, production, and digital services forming the principal operating model.

• Weekly shopper · 1995

  The Merchant

  A Quincy-area weekly shopper publication acquired by the company in 1995, extending its local advertising and print-distribution business beyond the Herald-Whig.

• 2021

  Sale of Quincy MediaM&A

  Background

  After decades of family ownership, Quincy Media initiated a sale process covering its television, radio, and newspaper assets.

  Action taken

  Gray Television agreed to acquire the television and WGEM radio properties; Allen Media Group agreed to acquire ten stations required to be separated from Gray's portfolio; and Phillips Media Group acquired the newspapers.

  Aftermath

  The transactions closed on August 2, 2021, ending Quincy Media as an independent company.

  Announced transaction values. $925 million for Gray Television's transaction; $380 million for Allen Media Group's station transaction (2021)

  Source

• 2016

  Rebrand from Quincy Newspapers to Quincy MediaStrategy

  Background

  The company had developed from a newspaper publisher into a multi-state owner of newspapers, television stations, radio stations, and digital-media capabilities.

  Action taken

  Quincy Newspapers changed its corporate name to Quincy Media.

  Aftermath

  The new name better represented the breadth of the company's media operations until its assets were sold in 2021.

  Source

1. 1Quincy Mediaen.wikipedia.org