WREX
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WREX-TV (Channel 13) is the NBC television affiliate serving the Rockford, Illinois area. It is the market's only full-powered VHF station and is Rockford's second oldest television station. Its studios and transmitter are located at 10322 Auburn Road, just west of downtown Rockford. Owned by Quincy Newspapers, Inc. of Quincy, Illinois, the station's call letters were selected in honor of Rex N. Caster, the son of the station's founding shareholder and president L.E. Caster. Rex Caster was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army who was killed in France during World War II.
WREX-TV provides 3 1/2 hours of newscasts per day. WREX also operates WBR, a cable-only WB affiliate, in conjuction with The WB 100+ Station Group, a local cable-delivered station group representing markets ranked 100-211. WBR is seen on Channel 14 on most Rockford area cable systems, and carries a nightly 9pm newscast produced by WREX.
Beginning in September 2006, WREX's digital subcarrier will add programming from The CW Television Network. The move will also affect WBR's programming, since WREX is expected to also use the cable-only channel to air the same CW programming as its DT2 channel.
History
WREX began its operations on October 1, 1953, as an affiliate of CBS (primary affiliation), ABC, and the DuMont networks. Besides serving its own immediate area, WREX attracted viewers early on in its history from parts of the neighboring Madison, Wisconsin area. In fact, to this day, the two areas still share overlapping coverage among their television stations, especially in Rock County, Wisconsin (technically in the Madison television market). Until WISC-TV (Channel 3) in Madison signed on in 1956, WREX was the only VHF station for the Rockford and Madison areas. WREX took the ABC affiliation full-time in 1965 when WCEE-TV Channel 23 (now WIFR) signed on the air. Channel 13 remained an ABC station until it switched network affiliations with WTVO Channel 17 in August 1995, and thereafter became Rockford's NBC station.
In 1963, the station was sold to the Gannett Group. In 1966, WREX became the first television station in the area to be equipped with color broadcasting technology. The station was sold to the Gilmore Broadcasting Corporation of Indiana (owner of Evansville TV station WEHT) in 1969. Gillmore served as WREX's longest-standing owner, lasting 18 years. However, in 1987, Gilmore sold the station to a partnership called MP Media Partners. It was under their ownership that WREX created its own Eyewitness News format, as well as finally adding the ABC soap opera All My Children to its daytime schedule. In August 1995, Quincy Newspapers purchased WREX and switched its network affiliation the same year.
On-air staff
As of 2006, the on-air staff included:
News anchors
- Eric Wilson
- Dani Maxwell
- Katie Nilsson
- Troy Kehoe
Meteorologists
- Eric Sorensen
- Candice King
Sports
- Jesse Abdenour
- Chris Frye
Reporters
- Sarah O'Brien
- Rebecca Klopf
- Lindsay Kus
WB News at 9
- Ryan Cummings
- Marissa Alter
External link
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