Quincy Newspapers completes TV station acquisition

Sunday, July 2, 2006

Quincy Newspapers Inc., operators of The Quincy Herald-Whig and Quincy Broadcasting Co. (WGEM AM/FM/TV), has completed the acquisition of KWWL-TV (Channel 7/NBC), which serves the Waterloo/Cedar Rapids/Dubuque/Iowa City television market.

The sale was completed on July 1 following approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

"KWWL is a perfect fit for our company," said Thomas A. Oakley, president and chief executive officer of QNI. "This station is a market leader, dramatically increasing our Iowa presence and is in the middle of our company's Midwest footprint."

The station acquisition will add responsibilities to QNI's Operations Center, located on the northeast corner of Fifth and Hampshire.

"Many of the back-office functions that were done at the station previously will be performed in the Operations Center," said Ralph M. Oakley, vice president and chief operating officer. "There are now approximately 30 people in the Operations Center and nearly 1,100 full and part-time employees in the company."

KWWL becomes the 12th television station owned by QNI. In addition to WGEM in Quincy, the company also operates NBC affiliates in Rockford, Rochester, Minn., Sioux City, Iowa, and Bluefield, W.Va. Its ABC affiliates are in Madison, La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau and Eagle River, Wis., and QNI operates a FOX affiliate in South Bend, Ind.

Additionally, QNI owns The New Jersey Herald in Newton, N.J., and a video production company in Madison, Wis.