WQRF-TV

WQRF-TV (canal 39) es una estación de televisión en Rockford, Illinois , Estados Unidos, afiliada a la cadena Fox . Es propiedad de Nexstar Media Group , que presta ciertos servicios a WTVO (canal 17), afiliada a ABC / MyNetworkTV, mediante acuerdos conjuntos de venta y servicios compartidos (JSA/SSA) con Mission Broadcasting . Ambas estaciones comparten estudios en North Meridian Road en Rockford, donde también se encuentra el transmisor de WQRF-TV.

La estación comenzó a transmitir el 27 de noviembre de 1978, convirtiéndose en la cuarta emisora ​​de televisión del mercado . Inicialmente, transmitió desde estudios ubicados en la calle Kishwaukee, entre las calles State y 1st, en el centro de Rockford. Era propiedad de Marvin Palmquist, un empresario local que fundó varias empresas, incluyendo una compañía de audífonos que fue la licenciataria original de WQRF. Fue la última estación de televisión analógica de alta potencia en comenzar a transmitir en Rockford, mientras que otras estaciones en el área desde entonces han sido de baja potencia , solo por cable o en subcanales digitales , y reutilizaron la antigua asignación del canal 39 de WTVO, utilizada desde su inicio hasta su traslado al canal 17 en 1967. Se promocionó como una alternativa independiente y "familiar" a las tres principales cadenas afiliadas del área, además de servir como una alternativa local a WGN-TV y WFLD de Chicago , ambas ampliamente disponibles en la televisión por cable del área en ese momento. Palmquist vendió la estación a Orion Broadcasting en 1984.

Tras una espera de cuatro meses para finalmente salir al aire, el primer programa de WQRF fue un episodio de la clásica comedia Gomer Pyle, USMC . Entre algunos de los primeros programas que también se emitieron en la estación se encontraban I Love Lucy , The Bob Newhart Show , The Jeffersons , The Dick Van Dyke Show y estrenos como Entertainment Tonight , la edición nocturna original de Family Feud , The PTL Club y The 700 Club .

As it was the only independent station in the market, WQRF stocked up much of its programming schedule with live sports including Major League Baseball (Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers), the NBA (Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks), NFL preseason action (Chicago Bears) and college sports (specifically Big Ten Conferencefootball and basketball). Orion Broadcasting sold WQRF to Family Group Broadcasting in May 1986, sharing ownership and graphical imaging with WGBA-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin, WVFT-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, WPGX in Panama City, Florida, WFGX in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, WLAX in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and WLKT in Lexington, Kentucky. The station later relocated its operations to a new building located on South Main Street/IL 2 in Rockford.

The station joined Fox in August 1989. For the network's first three years of existence, cable subscribers watched Fox through O&O WFLD, along with Madison's WMSN-TV and Milwaukee's WCGV-TV, on the market's edges. Within four years of joining Fox, WQRF ranked as one of the network's highest-rated stations. On September 12 of that year, Family Group sold the station to Petracom Broadcasting. Petracom in turn sold it to Quorum Broadcasting in 1998.

With the expansion of Fox's prime time programming and the move of Big Ten Conference sports rights to Fox, WQRF has become more competitive over the years. The station joined Nexstar as part of the company's acquisition of Quorum Broadcasting in late 2003. On November 22, 2004, Mission Broadcasting bought WTVO from Young Broadcasting for $21 million, entered into a shared services agreement with WQRF, with WQRF moving into WTVO's studio, though WQRF is technically the senior partner.

In March 2006, WTVO began producing the market's second prime time newscast on WQRF known as Fox 39 News at 9. The broadcast only aired on weeknights unlike the area's original prime time show that was seen every night on cable-onlyWB affiliate "WBR" (produced by WREX). This distinction made WQRF's news Rockford's first over-the-air newscast at 9 p.m. Competition between "WBR" and WQRF was short-lived because, in late 2007, the former had its news canceled by WREX for an unknown reason. The time slot was used to replay the NBC outlet's weeknight 6 p.m. newscast on what was then CW affiliate WREX-DT2.

Another addition to local newscasts on WQRF occurred January 14, 2008, when WTVO launched Fox 39 Evening News at 6:30. Eventually, WQRF expanded Fox 39 News at 9 to a seven-night operation and lengthened the weeknight version to a full hour. This station would eventually drop the 6:30 show for an unknown reason. WQRF's weeknight prime time newscast at 9 p.m. maintains a separate news anchor but features the same meteorologist and sports anchor as WTVO.

On March 5, 2012, WTVO launched a two-hour-long extension of its weekday morning show on WQRF. Known as Fox 39 News in the Morning, this can be seen from 7 to 9 a.m. offering a local alternative to the national morning programs that air on the area's big three outlets. WIFR was the first television station in Rockford to upgrade its newscasts to high definition followed by WREX on December 12, 2010. On December 18, 2012, WTVO and WQRF debuted a brand new set, news music package, and graphics scheme that is based on the Eyewitness News branding seen on other Nexstar/Mission television stations. On April 24, 2013, WQRF began broadcasting local news content in high definition.

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