| KWWL | |
|---|---|
| Waterloo, Iowa | |
| Branding | KWWL Iowa’s NewsChannel 7 |
| Channels |
Digital: 7 (VHF) |
| Subchannels | 7.1 NBC-HD 7.2 This TV 7.3 RTN |
| Owner | Quincy Newspapers, Inc. |
| Licensee | KWWL Television, Inc. |
| First air date | November 29, 1953 |
| Call letters' meaning | Keep Watching WaterLoo |
| Former callsigns | KWWL-TV (1953-1983) |
| Former channel number(s) | 7 Analog (1953-2009) 55 Digital (2003-2009) |
| Former Affiliations | DuMont (1953-1955/6) |
| Transmitter Power | 21.8 kW |
| Height | 527 m |
| Facility ID | 593 |
| Website | KWWL's Website |
KWWL is a TV station operating out of Waterloo, Iowa. The station operates on VHF ch. 7. KWWL is owned by Quincy Newspapers. It's transmitter is located @ the AFLAC Tower north of Rowley, Iowa.
KWWL is an affiliate of NBC. The station is the primary NBC affiliate for the northeastern third of the state of Iowa, including 21 counties & the larger cities of Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque & Iowa City. The station's headquarters is in Waterloo, Iowa. KWWL also operates newsrooms & sales offices in Cedar Rapids & Dubuque.
In addition to it's primary DT channel, KWWL operates KWWL StormTrack 7 on DT2. Due to NBC buying The Weather Channel, NBC Wx+ network feeds ended in December 2008. KWWL is broadcasting This TV on their second DT subchannel. KWWL also transmitted "The Tube" DT music video channel until The Tube ceased operations on October 1, 2007. It now carries classic programming from the Retro TV Network on DT3
History[]
KWWL came into existence @ about the same time that the other TV stations - most notably KCRG & KGAN of Cedar Rapids, Iowa - began operating. (KGAN was WMT-TV @ the time) KWWL was founded by R.J. McElroy & the Black Hawk Broadcasting Company after a legal battle with a rival group KXEL in Waterloo. McElroy & Black Hawk Broadcasting won a lawsuit which allowed them to be granted a FCC license. The station was originally affiliated with NBC & the DuMont TV Network. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.
Black Hawk Broadcasting sold the station to the American Family Life Insurance Company or AFLAC's broadcast division in 1980. Alabama-based Raycom Media later bought KWWL & 6 other stations from AFLAC. In 2006, Raycom sold KWWL & a handful of other stations following it's purchase of The Liberty Corporation in late 2005. Quincy Newspapers, Inc. became owner of KWWL on July 1, 2006. QNI owns about a dozen TV stations, primarily in the Midwest. Other QNI stations serving parts of Iowa include KTIV in Sioux City & KTTC in Rochester, Minnesota. QNI's flagship station, WGEM also serves far southeastern Iowa.
Personalities & programming[]
Current news personalities (as of August 2009) include:
- Ron Steele, Weekday Evening Anchor & Reporter
- Tara Thomas, Weekday Evening Anchor & Reporter
- Chris Carter, Weekday Morning, Noon Anchor & Reporter
- Sunny Layne, Weekday Morning, Noon Anchor & Reporter
- Rick Coleman, Sports Director & Weekday Sports Anchor
- Mark Woodley, Weekend Sports Anchor
- Sid Jacob, Sports Reporter
- Jeff Kennedy, Weekend Evening Meteorologist
- Mark Schnackenberg, Weekday Evening Meteorologist
- Eileen Loan, Weekday Morning & Midday Meteorologist
- Jennifer Hildreath, Weekend Morning Meteorologist
- Danielle Wagner, Weekend Morning Anchor & Reporter
- Bob Waters, Weekend Evening Anchor & Reporter
- Bryan Goettel, Sports Reporter
- Jamie Grey, Tri-State Reporter
- John Wilmer, Reporter
- Lauren Squires, Tri-State Reporter
- Brady Smith, Iowa City Reporter
Syndicated programs aired on KWWL include Dr. Phil, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, The Doctors & Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
DTV[]
- KWWL shut off it's analog signal @ 1 PM on February 17, 2009 & moved it's DT broadcasts back to ch. 7
Affiliated Networks[]
- This TV @ 7.2
- The Retro TV Network @ 7.3