WQOW
WQOW is an ABC-affiliated television station serving Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley in Wisconsin, with programming and technical ties to WXOW.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WQOW is a television station licensed to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and serving the northern portion of the La Crosse–Eau Claire media market. It operates as the market’s ABC affiliate and is identified on channel 18. The station is owned by Allen Media Group through Allen Media Broadcasting. Its studios are located on Friedeck Road along Wisconsin Highway 93 in Eau Claire, while its transmitter operates from facilities in nearby Altoona that are associated with WEAU. WQOW was established to address the weak over-the-air reach of WXOW, the ABC affiliate based in La Crescent, Minnesota. WXOW’s transmitter and studios were located south of Eau Claire, leaving much of the Chippewa Valley dependent on cable reception for ABC programming. WQOW signed on September 22, 1980, initially functioning largely as a semi-satellite of WXOW. It carried the parent station’s network, syndicated, and regional programming while inserting its own station identifications and advertising. Beginning in 1982, it developed a more localized presence, including local news and other programming aimed at Eau Claire-area viewers. The station’s relationship with WXOW remains central to its operating model. WQOW maintains its own local identity, website, social-media channels, commercials, local newscasts, severe-weather cut-ins, and Sunday religious programming, but it carries much of WXOW’s syndicated schedule. Master control and some technical functions have been shared with WXOW, and the stations have historically been treated as one operation for ratings purposes. This structure allows WQOW to provide geographically targeted coverage without duplicating every function of a fully independent television station. WQOW has changed ownership several times. Liberty Television, which had acquired WXOW in 1978, launched the station. Tak Communications purchased it in 1985, but Tak later entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Creditors took control of Tak’s assets in 1994, and Shockley Communications acquired its Wisconsin stations in 1995. Quincy Media, then operating as Quincy Newspapers, acquired WQOW and WXOW in 2001. In 2021, Gray Television agreed to acquire Quincy Media, but regulatory requirements arising from Gray’s ownership of WEAU led to the divestiture of WQOW and WXOW to Allen Media Broadcasting. That transaction closed on August 1, 2021. The station’s programming footprint has included ABC network content, syndicated shows, local journalism, weather coverage, sports programming, and digital subchannels. WQOW participates in the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sports networks and promotes itself in the Eau Claire market as an official Packers station. Its local news operation has been launched, discontinued, and relaunched over time, reflecting the economics and shared-service structure of the market. The current brand remains an active local broadcast and digital-news service, although Allen Media Group announced in 2025 that it was considering strategic options for its television-station portfolio amid financial pressure and rising debt.
History
WQOW began broadcasting on September 22, 1980, as a station created to improve ABC service in Eau Claire and the surrounding Chippewa Valley. Its affiliated station, WXOW in La Crescent, Minnesota, had an inadequate signal in the northern part of the combined La Crosse–Eau Claire market. Before WQOW signed on, many Eau Claire-area cable systems carried ABC programming from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul market instead. WQOW’s launch therefore gave the northern part of the market a local over-the-air ABC outlet. The station was originally owned by Liberty Television, which had acquired WXOW two years earlier. At first, WQOW was essentially a simulcast of WXOW, with differences limited mainly to station identifications and advertising. In 1982, it began building a more distinct local operation. It produced Eau Claire-oriented news content and cut-ins, although weather material was supplied from WXOW and was sometimes delivered through tape-delay arrangements. The first local-news operation ended in March 1990 during a cost-reduction program, returning WQOW to broader simulcasts of WXOW newscasts. Tak Communications acquired WQOW in 1985. Tak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991, and creditors subsequently took control of its assets. In 1995, Shockley Communications purchased Tak’s Wisconsin stations. Under Shockley, WQOW relaunched a separate local news operation on October 14, 1996. This second news operation included local reporting and a weather department distinct from WXOW, although meteorologists and severe-weather resources continued to be shared when coverage moved between the two stations’ service areas. WQOW originally operated from a facility on Business U.S. 53, near the London Square Mall and the former Wisconsin Highway 93 interchange. Because the planned U.S. 53 bypass would occupy the station’s original site, WQOW moved to a new facility on Highway 93 south of Interstate 94 in Eau Claire in January 2001. The relocation occurred roughly six months before Quincy Newspapers acquired the station. Quincy later became known as Quincy Media and operated WQOW alongside WXOW. The stations expanded their multichannel and network offerings during the late 1990s and 2000s. In 1998, WQOW and WXOW operated a cable-only WB affiliate known as WBCZ. That service was replaced by digital subchannels affiliated with The CW when the network launched in 2006. The CW Plus service later became available in high definition. In February 2009, WQOW completed the transition to digital broadcasting; its analog signal continued temporarily with local news and digital-transition information. WQOW and WXOW also carried This TV on digital subchannels beginning around 2010. After the collapse of WEAU’s transmission tower on March 22, 2011, WQOW temporarily used one of its subchannels to carry WEAU programming, displacing This TV. This TV returned to the stations in 2021. In July 2009, Dish Network announced that it would add WQOW to its local channel lineup in the Eau Claire area, expanding satellite access to the station. In September 2011, WQOW and WXOW upgraded their local-news production to high definition. The change included a new studio and updated graphics. WQOW continued to operate as a semi-satellite: it retained distinct commercials, identifications, local news, weather interruptions, and some local programming, while sharing much of the broader schedule and technical infrastructure with WXOW. The stations have generally been counted together for ratings purposes. Gray Television announced in January 2021 that it intended to acquire Quincy Media for $925 million. Since Gray already owned WEAU in the same market, it planned to divest WQOW and WXOW. On April 29, 2021, Gray announced that Allen Media Broadcasting would acquire the two stations, and the transaction closed on August 1. On the same date, WEAU took over the CW and MeTV affiliations previously associated with WQOW and WXOW. WQOW remains an ABC affiliate serving Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley. Its programming includes ABC network content, syndicated programming, local journalism, weather coverage, Packers programming, WIAA sports, and digital content. On June 1, 2025, Allen Media Group said it was exploring strategic alternatives for its television stations, including a possible sale, citing financial pressures and rising debt. That announcement did not itself establish that WQOW had been sold or closed.
- 2025
Owner reviews strategic options
[1]Allen Media Group announces that it is considering strategic options for its television portfolio, potentially including station sales.
- 2021
Allen Media Broadcasting becomes owner
[1]Allen Media Broadcasting completes its acquisition of WQOW and WXOW on August 1 following the Gray Television–Quincy Media transaction.
- 2011
Temporary WEAU subchannel service
[1]Following WEAU’s tower collapse, WQOW temporarily uses a digital subchannel to carry WEAU programming.
- 2011
High-definition news production
[1]WQOW and WXOW introduce high-definition local-news production, including a new studio and graphics package.
- 2009
Digital transition and satellite carriage
[1]WQOW completes its transition to digital broadcasting, and Dish Network announces local carriage of the station in the Eau Claire area.
- 2006
CW digital-subchannel service launches
[1]The former WB service is replaced by digital subchannels carrying The CW.
- 2001
Move to current Eau Claire facility
[1]WQOW moves to a new studio on Wisconsin Highway 93 because the U.S. 53 bypass would be built across the former site.
- 1998
WBCZ WB service begins
[1]WQOW and WXOW begin operating the cable-only WB affiliate WBCZ.
- 1996
Local news operation relaunched
[1]WQOW restarts its own local-news operation on October 14, with Eau Claire-focused reporting and a separate weather function.
- 1995
Shockley Communications acquisition
[1]Shockley Communications acquires WQOW as part of the liquidation of Tak Communications’ Wisconsin assets.
Products and positioning
Local broadcast television station combining ABC network service with Eau Claire-focused news, weather, advertising, sports, and digital coverage; it operates as a semi-satellite of WXOW while maintaining a distinct local identity.
Broadcast television · 1980
ABC affiliate television service
WQOW carries ABC network programming for Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley. Its local signal was created to provide stronger ABC availability in the northern part of the La Crosse–Eau Claire market than WXOW could provide from its La Crescent transmitter.
Local news · 1982
WQOW News
WQOW’s local-news service focuses on Eau Claire, western Wisconsin, and the surrounding Chippewa Valley. The operation has historically shared selected resources and technical functions with WXOW while maintaining local reporters, newscasts, weather cut-ins, and severe-weather coverage.
Digital television · 2006
Digital multicast programming
WQOW has used digital subchannels for services including The CW and This TV, as well as temporary emergency programming support for WEAU after that station’s transmission tower collapsed in 2011.
Sports broadcasting
Packers and WIAA sports programming
Through participation in the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sports networks, WQOW carries selected sports programming and Packers preseason or official team content for viewers in its market.
Brand decisions
2025
Strategic review of television stationsStrategyBackground
Allen Media Group cited financial challenges and rising debt while reviewing options for its television-station portfolio.
Action taken
The company announced that it would explore strategic alternatives, including the possible sale of stations such as WQOW and WXOW.
Aftermath
No completed sale or closure of WQOW is established by the available reference material.
2021
Divestiture to Allen Media BroadcastingM&ABackground
Gray Television’s planned acquisition of Quincy Media would have left Gray with multiple stations in the same market because it already owned WEAU.
Action taken
WQOW and WXOW were sold to Allen Media Broadcasting, with the transaction closing on August 1, 2021.
Aftermath
WQOW remained an ABC affiliate under Allen ownership, while WEAU assumed the CW and MeTV affiliations formerly associated with WQOW and WXOW.
Recent events
- 2025
Allen Media Group explores strategic options for television-station portfolio[1]
M&A
Allen Media Group announced that it was evaluating strategic options, potentially including a sale of television stations such as WQOW and WXOW, amid financial difficulties and increasing debt.
- 2021
WQOW and WXOW sold to Allen Media Broadcasting after Gray-Quincy transaction[1]
M&A
Gray Television announced that WQOW and WXOW would be divested to Allen Media Broadcasting to address regulatory ownership requirements connected with Gray’s acquisition of Quincy Media. The sale closed on August 1, 2021.
Sources2 sources
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