KHQA-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KHQA-TV
city = Hannibal, Missouri
station_
station_slogan = People You Can
Count On
station_branding = KHQA-TV 7
7 News
KHQA ABC 7.2 (on DT2)
analog = 7 (VHF)
digital = 29 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = CBS
ABC (on DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate = September 23, 1953
location = Keokuk, Iowa
Hannibal, Missouri
Quincy, Illinois
callsign_meaning = Keokuk
Hannibal
Quincy
Area
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Barrington Broadcasting
licensee = Barrington Quincy License, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = DuMont (1953-1955)
ABC (1960s)
UPN (1995-2006)
all secondary
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
56.8 kW (digital)
HAAT = 271 m (analog)
241 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 4690
coordinates = coord|39|58|25.4|N|91|19|50.1|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.khqa.com/ khqa.com]

KHQA-TV, channel 7, is the CBS-affiliated television station for western Illinois, northeastern Missouri, and southeast Iowa that is licensed to Hannibal, Missouri. Its transmitter is located northeast of Quincy, Illinois on Cannonball Road near I-172. Owned by Barrington Broadcasting, the station has studios on South 36th Street in Quincy. Syndicated programming on KHQA includes: "Wheel of Fortune", "Oprah", "Dr. Phil", "Ellen", and "Jeopardy!". The station operates the area's ABC affiliate on its second digital subchannel. Currently, KHQA-DT2 is not carried on Comcast, Mediacom, or US Cable systems. The station broadcasts in standard definition and simulcasts all of the main channel's newscasts and most of its syndicated programming.

History

KHQA went on the air on September 23, 1953. Although licensed to Hannibal, its studios have long been located across the Mississippi River in Quincy. It has always been a CBS affiliate though it had a secondary affiliation with DuMont between 1953 and 1956. The station shared secondary ABC affiliation with WGEM-TV in the 1960s. Between 1969 and 1971, WJJY-TV in Jacksonville, Illinois served as the area's sole ABC affiliate before going bankrupt and off the air. KHQA also aired a number of UPN programs during late-night hours between 1995 and 2006. The station was originally owned by Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa. In December of 1986, Lee Enterprises sold the station to A. Richard Benedek whose television holdings eventually became Benedek Broadcasting.

Benedek merged with Gray Television in 2002 (following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy), but KHQA was not part of the merger. It was sold to Chelsey Broadcasting. KHQA and WHOI in Peoria became the first two stations owned by the newly-formed Barrington Broadcasting in April of 2004. In early-1998, KHQA left its longtime home in the Western Catholic Union building in downtown Quincy. The station moved into a new state-of-the-art facility located on South 36th Street. On August 28, 2007, KHQA announced that its second digital subchannel would begin carry ABC network programming for the Tri-States. The new subchannel officially launched on September 30.

News operation

In 1991, the station's weekday morning newscast, "Good Morning Tri-States", debuted. It was the Tri-States' first weekday morning newscast in the Quincy / Hannibal market. At some point in time, the broadcast was renamed "Tri-States This Morning". The station underwent somewhat of a metamorphasis in the mid-1990s with a new set and several talent shifts. The early-1998 move improved the quality of KHQA's newscasts.

Despite its long status as a runner-up, KHQA has a rich history of developing very successful news talent. Former KHQA on-air personalities and behind-the-scenes personnel have gone on to successful careers in St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Salt Lake City, and Sacramento. Some of those personalities were profiled in two series entitled "Where are They Now?" airing on KHQA newscasts in July of 2003 and a year later. Former on-air personalities include Brian Bolter, Kelly Jackson, Matt Lorch, and Elissa Lynn. Unlike most CBS affiliates, KHQA does not air a midday newscast during the week.

News team

Anchors
*Sarah Deien - weekday mornings
*Stephen Johnson - weekday mornings and reporter
*Carol Sowers - News Director seen on weeknights at 5
*Rajah Maples - weeknights at 6 and 10
**reporter
*Chad Douglas - weeknights andreporter
*Alexis Hunt - weekends and reporter

"7 Storm Team"
*Landon Mitchell - Chief seen on weeknights
*Tegan Orpet - weekday mornings and reporter
*Justen Arnold - weekends and reporter

Sports
*Chris Duerr - Director seen on weeknights at 6 and 10
*Tyler Fulghum - weekends and reporter

Reporters
*Jim Whitfield - Assignment Editor and "CrimeWatch 7" segment producer
*Jim Robesky - webcast and producer
*Amelia Waters - website
*Melissa Shriver

External links

* [http://www.khqa.com/ KHQA-TV/DT]
* [http://www.cbs.com CBS]
* [http://www.abc.com ABC]
*TVQ|KHQA