City La Crescent, Minnesota Affiliations AMGTV (part-time) | Branding KQEG TV
23-51-Cable 5 Owner Magnum Radio, Inc. | |
Channels Digital: 23 (UHF)
Virtual: 23 (PSIP) Translators 51 (UHF) WEZY-LP
45 (UHF) WMKQ-LP | ||
KQEG-CD, channel 23, is a Digital Class A television station licensed in La Crescent, Minnesota, with studios and offices in La Crosse, Wisconsin. WEZY-LP, channel 51, is a translator station located in Tomah, Wisconsin; WMKQ-LP, channel 45, is a translator station located in Elk Mound, Wisconsin. The three stations are owned by Magnum Radio, Inc.
Contents
Early Years
KQEG was started by White Eagle Partnership (Eleanor St. John, Perry St. John, and Richard Wilson) in 1994 as K50DK channel 50. The original construction permit was dated July 15, 1992.
The call letters K50DK were changed to KQEG-LP on February 5, 1996. The channel was changed from 50 to 23 in February, 2001. The station's license changed from Low Power (KQEG-LP) to Class A (KQEG-CA) on August 28, 2001.
In June 2002, White Eagle Partnership purchased the construction permit for W45CF channel 45 of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin from Inspiration Television. (The construction permit had been granted to Inspiration Television in October 2001.) W45CF would operate as a translator station of KQEG-CA.
In September 2004, the community of license for W45CF was changed from Chippewa Falls to Elk Mound, Wisconsin.
FamilyNet Era
For some years, KQEG's primary network affiliation had been with UPN, and the station maintained a secondary affiliation with FamilyNet. Following the January 24, 2006 announcement that UPN and The WB would merge into a new network called The CW to launch fall 2006, KQEG gained a bit of national notoriety when it was apparently the first station to drop UPN network affiliation due to the merger, as of January 27, 2006. (Competing local station WKBT launched UPN La Crosse/Eau Claire on digital subchannel 8.2 on January 30, 2006, swiftly filling the void left by KQEG.)
Also beginning January 30, 2006, KQEG began airing a rebroadcast of WXOW's 6 p.m. newscast at 7 p.m. weekday evenings.
KQEG-CA and W45CF were purchased by Magnum Radio Inc. (David R. Magnum et al.) from White Eagle Partnership (Eleanor St. John) on January 19, 2009. Magnum Radio Inc. already owned WIBU-LP channel 51 of Tomah, Wisconsin.
In May 2009, KQEG's programming was revamped as the station began a part-time affiliation with the Ion television network; this included the discontinuation of the 7 p.m. airing of WXOW's 6 p.m. newscast. Also, WIBU-LP began broadcasting as a translator station of KQEG-CA.
On September 16, 2010, the call letters for W45CF were changed to WROE-LP.
Since 2013
In 2013 KQEG dropped its part-time affiliation with FamilyNet; it would maintain a part-time affiliation with AMGTV.
On July 18, 2014, the call letters for WROE-LP were changed to WMBZ-LP.
On January 13, 2015, WIBU-LP changed its call letters to WEZY-LP; the WEZY call letters were previously used by WVTY in Racine, a radio station also owned by Magnum.
On February 18, 2015, the call letters for WMBZ-LP were changed to WBWI-LP.
On June 12, 2015, the call letters for WBWI-LP were changed to WMKQ-LP.
By fall of 2015, KQEG TV dropped its part-time affiliation with Ion; part-time affiliation with AMGTV continued.
Digital transition
On September 25, 2009, Magnum Radio was granted a construction permit by the FCC for a digital flash cut of KQEG-CA channel 23 (UHF analog) to KQEG-CD channel 23 (UHF digital). The station carried out its digital flash cut over a period of several weeks beginning in May, 2015.
Programming
KQEG TV currently features much of the main programming schedule (non paid programming) of AMGTV. Times when AMG programming is seen generally include weekdays from 1 AM to 6 AM and from 10 AM to 11:30 AM, Saturday mornings from 1 AM to 10 AM, and Sunday mornings from 1 AM to 8 AM. The above network programming blocks are regularly preempted with syndicated Home Shopping or KQEG original programs.
Original, local programming produced by KQEG currently includes: high school football/basketball/baseball, Knights of Thunder (La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway coverage), Seven Rivers Sports, Seven Rivers Racing, Seven Rivers Health, Seven Rivers Spotlight, selected parades, Little Britches Rodeo, La Crosse County Board meetings, and, in conjunction with UW-La Crosse, the annual Coulee Region Humane Society Telethon.