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KLJB
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KLJB (channel 18) is a television station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Quad Cities area. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of Rock Island, Illinois–licensed CBS affiliate WHBF-TV (channel 4) and Burlington, Iowa–licensed CW owned-and-operated station KGCW (channel 26), for the provision of certain services. The three stations share studios in the Telco Building on 18th Street in downtown Rock Island; KLJB's transmitter is located near Orion, Illinois.

Key Information

KLJB began broadcasting in 1985 as the first independent station in the Quad Cities area, owned by a group of local and out-of-area partners. The station affiliated with Fox when it launched in 1986, though it left the network in March 1988 before returning two years later because of the popularity of The Simpsons. After emerging from bankruptcy in 1990, it was purchased by Grant Communications, which owned mostly mid-market independent stations and Fox affiliates. The station began airing local news programming at the end of 1999 in a partnership with a Davenport production company that evolved into the Independent News Network, specializing in the outsourced production of local TV newscasts.

Grant expanded with the launch of The WB programming in 1999, which was spun off as a separate station (KGWB-TV, now KGCW) in 2001. Black-owned Marshall Broadcasting Group acquired the station in 2014 as part of Nexstar's acquisition of Grant; Nexstar entered into an SSA to provide services. Nexstar-owned WHBF began producing the station's newscast at the end of 2015. Mission purchased Marshall's stations in 2019 after the latter company filed for bankruptcy.

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]

Five applications were designated for comparative hearing in March 1983,[3] though community surveys and filings had begun the year prior.[4] Davenport Communications, Limited Partnership, was granted the construction permit in November after the five applicants entered into a settlement agreement;[5] partners in the station included brothers Ed and Lee Hanna of New York, former Rock Island mayor James R. Davis, and Gary Brandt, who served as general manager.[6] In June 1984, the board of supervisors in Henry County, Illinois, approved the rezoning of land at Orion for the station's transmitter; a Christmas launch was announced at that time,[7] but the timeline had slipped to midyear by November.[8] Station officials noted that the Quad Cities' comparatively high cable TV penetration and its status as one of the larger remaining markets without an existing independent station.[9]

KLJB-TV began broadcasting on July 28, 1985; it was named for the Hanna brothers' father, Lee J. Blumberg. As with other independents, its programming consisted of children's cartoons, syndicated reruns and movies, and sports.[1][10] It operated from studios on 53rd Street in Davenport.[11] In 1987, the station debuted Live on Tape, a local Saturday night sketch comedy program wrapped around a feature film.[12]

The station was a charter affiliate of Fox when it launched in October 1986, but by early 1988, Brandt was expressing serious distaste with the network's constantly shifting programming. In January, he submitted a cancellation notice to Fox—which took effect on March 20—and shunted the network's Saturday night lineup to late nights.[13][14] Meanwhile, in order to get out from expensive programming leases that had been made at the station's launch in 1985—some for titles KLJB-TV never aired—Davenport Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[15] While the station was in bankruptcy, the Fox network found its stride with shows such as The Simpsons, but Quad Cities viewers had no access to the network's programming, even on cable.[16] Even though station management said they had no desire to affiliate with Fox for the foreseeable future as late as April 1990,[16] the stronger ratings and more stable identity convinced Brandt to return the station to the Fox network beginning that September.[17] The move did result in fewer sports telecasts on the station to accommodate Fox programming.[18]

Grant Broadcasting ownership

[edit]

In December 1990, Davenport Communications emerged from bankruptcy and debtor-in-possession status, having met the terms of a repayment schedule that saw $250,000 to $350,000 in payments on what was originally a $2 million debt.[19] Two months later, the company agreed to sell KLJB-TV to Florida-based Grant Communications. Its founder, Milton Grant, had only the year before returned to television station ownership with the purchase of WZDX in Huntsville, Alabama.[20] Grant extended the station's reach in 1996 by buying and restoring to air KJMH (channel 26) in Burlington, Iowa, which began to simulcast KLJB. The Burlington station, whose signal did not reach the Quad Cities, had gone on the air in January 1988 as a Fox affiliate. However, in May 1994, it lost the network affiliation (picking up Channel America programming to fill the void[21]), and six months later, it went off the air.[22]

KLJB-TV acquired the rights to programming from The WB in the Quad Cities market in September 1999 as a result of Superstation WGN ceasing carriage of WB programming nationally. Selected WB shows aired in late night time slots on channel 18.[23] Grant then relaunched KJMH as KGWB-TV, a separately programmed The WB affiliate, in January 2001.[22] However, it was not even the only channel 26 in the market. WBQD-LP, a low-power UPN affiliate, went on the air from Moline in 2002.[24] As early as 2003, KGWB-TV's programming was added to a digital subchannel of KLJB-TV, making it available over-the-air in the Quad Cities.[25] KGWB-TV became the local affiliate of The CW upon the merger of The WB and UPN in 2006 under new KGCW-TV call letters.[26][27]

Nexstar ownership

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On November 6, 2013, Irving, Texas–based Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced that it would purchase the Grant stations, including KLJB and KGCW, for $87.5 million. Due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership regulations (as Nexstar was also in the process of acquiring WHBF-TV, the local CBS affiliate), KLJB was to then be spun off to Mission Broadcasting, with Nexstar providing operational support through a shared services agreement as with other Mission-owned stations.[28] However, on June 6, 2014, Nexstar announced that it would instead sell KLJB and two other Fox stations to Marshall Broadcasting Group—a new, minority-controlled company headed by Pluria Marshall Jr.—for $58.5 million. While this company acquired much of the station's assets, Nexstar entered into a shared services agreement to provide non-programming resources (such as master control) and advertising sales for Marshall's three stations.[29] The sale was completed on December 1, 2014.[30]

In November 2014, while Nexstar was still waiting for the completion of its sale of KLJB to Marshall Broadcasting, there was speculation by other local media that KGCW might move to a WHBF subchannel.[31] This occurred in May 2015 as a direct consequence of the sale.[32] The simulcast was then discontinued in 2020, when KGCW was relocated from a tower at Seaton, Illinois, halfway between Burlington and the Quad Cities, to Orion.[33]

Nexstar twice acquired other companies that owned Quad Cities-area television stations, selling them off to retain WHBF-TV and KGCW. In 2016, it acquired Media General, owner of NBC affiliate KWQC-TV; that station was spun off to Gray Television.[34] When Nexstar acquired Tribune Media in 2019, it spun off ABC affiliate WQAD-TV (channel 8) to Tegna Inc.[35][36]

On December 3, 2019, Marshall Broadcasting Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[37] Marshall also sued Nexstar, alleging that the company sought to "sabotage" his business so that Nexstar could reclaim his stations by way of Mission Broadcasting.[38] Mission agreed to purchase Marshall Broadcasting's stations for $49 million on March 30, 2020.[39] The transaction received FCC approval in August 2020.[38]

Newscasts

[edit]

Independent News Network

[edit]
Further information: News Hub

On December 31, 1999, KLJB-TV launched a 30-minute prime time newscast known as the Fox 18 Nine O'Clock News, airing Sunday through Friday.[40][41] In an unusual arrangement, production of the newscast was outsourced to Davenport video production house EBI Video, with Grant providing marketing and sales support. EBI provided the news presenters and facilities.[42] The station previously had only aired syndicated weather updates.[43]

For EBI, the KLJB partnership was a springboard to the remote production of TV newscasts for stations elsewhere in the United States. In April 2001, EBI began to produce a second newscast, for WVFX in Clarksburg, West Virginia.[44] EBI was supplanted by Independent News Network (INN), which specialized in the outsourced production of television newscasts for small-market local stations from its Tremont Avenue studios.[45] The company also brought weather production in house in 2003.[46] INN filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January 2009; a new company, Fusion Communications, acquired the assets and retained most of the staff, the INN name, and nearly all of the clients, including KLJB.[47]

News share agreements

[edit]

After nearly 11 years, KLJB ended its relationship with INN in September 2010 and began having the newscast produced under contract by another local TV station. The first station to do so was WQAD-TV, whose general manager successfully convinced KLJB to partner with it for its newscast. The change in producer also led to the debut of a Saturday night newscast for the first time.[48]

On December 31, 2012, newscast production changed hands again, this time to KWQC-TV.[49][50] This continued until December 30, 2015.[51] By that time, the Nexstar purchase of WHBF-TV and shared services agreement had come into effect; it had been known for months that production of the newscast would be assumed by WHBF-TV.[52]

A two-hour morning news extension to air from 7 to 9 a.m.—the only such local program in the market—was added in September 2017, by which time the late newscast had expanded to one hour.[53]

Technical information

[edit]

Subchannels

[edit]

KLJB's transmitter is located near Orion, Illinois.[2] Its signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KLJB[54]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
18.1 720p 16:9 KLJB-DT Fox
18.2 480i MeTV MeTV
18.3 Defy Defy
18.4 Bounce Bounce TV
26.1 720p 16:9 KGCW-DT The CW (KGCW)
26.4 480i CBS-SD CBS (WHBF-TV) in SD via KGCW
  Broadcast on behalf of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

[edit]

KLJB-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 18, at noon on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 49, using virtual channel 18.[55][56]

References

[edit]
[edit]
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KLJB

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
KLJB-TV, virtual channel 18 (UHF digital channel 18), is a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to , , serving the area along the Iowa– border. Owned by , Inc., the station is operated under local service agreements by , Inc., which also owns CBS affiliate (channel 4) in . The station first signed on the air on July 28, 1985, as the ' inaugural independent television station, broadcasting from studios in downtown Davenport and a transmitter in Milan, . It affiliated with the network in 1987, becoming one of the early Fox affiliates in the Midwest. Ownership has changed multiple times since inception, with significant transitions including acquisition by Grant Broadcasting in 1991 and a 2014 spin-off to Marshall Broadcasting Group before its sale to in 2020, all while maintaining operational ties to Nexstar. KLJB's programming schedule features network content, syndicated series such as , , and , as well as local news productions including a 9 p.m. newscast—launched on December 31, 1999, as the market's first evening news at that hour—and a morning show from 7 to 9 a.m. The station also serves as the Quad Cities broadcaster for preseason games and covers local events like the golf tournament. Recognized as a top-performing affiliate, KLJB reaches approximately 1.026 million people across its signal area, emphasizing sports, news, and entertainment tailored to the region's approximately 305,000 television households (as of the 2024–25 season).

History

Founding and early operations (1985–1990)

KLJB-TV signed on the air on July 28, 1985, as the ' first independent television station, licensed to , and broadcasting an analog signal on UHF channel 18. The station was initially operated by Davenport Communications , filling a significant gap in local broadcasting options in the Davenport–Rock Island–Moline market, which was previously served only by the established ABC affiliate , CBS affiliate , and NBC affiliate . Studios were located in Davenport, with the transmitter situated near Orion, , to cover the Iowa-Illinois border region. As an , KLJB-TV focused its early programming on syndicated shows, classic movies, local documentaries, and children's content to attract viewers in a competitive landscape dominated by network affiliates. To address challenges inherent to UHF broadcasting, the station distributed free antennas to households, helping to build its audience despite signal reception issues common in the era. A key early milestone was the launch of "Live on Tape," a local late-night , on July 4, 1987, which showcased original content amid the station's independent lineup. KLJB-TV affiliated with the upon its launch in October 1986, airing its programming alongside independent fare; however, low viewer tune-in for the fledgling network prompted station management to drop the affiliation in March 1988, reverting to full independent status. The station regained its Fox affiliation in 1990, marking a pivotal shift ahead of subsequent ownership changes.

Grant Communications ownership (1991–2014)

In 1991, Grant Communications, in partnership with CitiCorp Venture Capital, acquired KLJB-TV from the Davenport LTD Partnership, with the deal closing in of that year. This purchase marked Grant's entry into the market, where the station had already solidified its position as a Fox affiliate after rejoining the network in 1990, driven by the rising popularity of prime-time programming such as . Under ownership, KLJB expanded its programming lineup with syndicated daytime shows and local sports broadcasts, enhancing its appeal as a leading independent and Fox outlet in the region. The station achieved notable growth, with a industry report indicating significant ratings increases, reflecting operational improvements amid the television deregulation that relaxed ownership limits and spurred consolidation. focus on cost-effective and mid-market stations contributed to KLJB's financial stability, allowing investments in content that positioned it as a top performer in the during a period of industry transition. By the early 2010s, as industry consolidation intensified, Grant announced plans to divest its holdings, including KLJB, in a November 2013 agreement with Nexstar Broadcasting Group for $87.5 million covering seven stations, though KLJB was divested to Marshall Broadcasting Group to address regulatory concerns. This sale concluded Grant's 23-year stewardship of the station, during which it transitioned from an emerging independent to a stable affiliate with sustained market influence.

Mission Broadcasting and Nexstar era (2014–present)

In December 2014, as part of Nexstar Broadcasting Group's acquisition of Grant Broadcasting System, the assets of KLJB were sold to the minority-owned Marshall Broadcasting Group for $15.3 million in cash. Concurrently, Nexstar entered into a agreement (SSA) and local service agreements with Marshall, allowing Nexstar to manage KLJB's operations, including programming, sales, and technical services, from its co-owned affiliate in . This arrangement enabled Nexstar to maintain effective control over the station while complying with FCC ownership limits in the market. Marshall Broadcasting Group's financial difficulties culminated in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on December 3, 2019, amid disputes with Nexstar over SSA terms. On March 30, 2020, , Inc.—another entity commonly partnered with Nexstar through SSAs—agreed to acquire KLJB and two other Marshall stations for a total of $49 million, with the deal closing on September 1, 2020, following FCC approval. The SSA with Nexstar was preserved post-acquisition, ensuring continuity in operations, news production via WHBF, and advertising sales. Under Mission's ownership, KLJB has maintained operational stability through 2025, with no reported major disruptions despite industry challenges. During the , the station adapted practices in line with Nexstar's network-wide protocols, including remote reporting and virtual production to minimize on-site while continuing local news and Fox programming. Digital enhancements, such as signal maintenance upgrades in 2023 and integration with Nexstar's centralized digital platforms, have supported expanded online content delivery and viewer engagement. KLJB's operations align with Nexstar's regional strategy, benefiting from unified ad sales across Midwest markets and upgrades like enhanced digital capabilities for syndicated programming. As of November 2025, Mission retains nominal ownership of KLJB, preserving its independence on paper, though the SSA grants Nexstar substantial operational influence—a facing ongoing FCC scrutiny over potential control in shared-service arrangements.

News operations

Launch of local newscasts (1999–2010)

On December 31, 1999, KLJB launched the , marking the debut of the first prime-time local newscast in the television market. This 30-minute program aired Sunday through Friday evenings, providing coverage of local stories, weather, and sports tailored to the Davenport–Rock Island–Moline area. The newscast was produced from the outset by the Independent News Network (INN), a Davenport-based company founded in 1999 with KLJB as its inaugural client. INN's centralized production model, utilizing shared studios and resources in Davenport, enabled cost-efficient delivery of localized content for smaller-market affiliates like KLJB by minimizing on-site staffing needs and leveraging syndicated elements such as wire service reports. This approach addressed the financial challenges of launching operations at a station that had previously lacked them, allowing KLJB to compete without the overhead of a full in-house . Over the next decade, the program expanded its reach while maintaining its core 9 p.m. slot, evolving into a key alternative to traditional evening newscasts in the region. The 18 Nine O'Clock News demonstrated consistent ratings strength, establishing KLJB as a viable news provider amid limited local resources. By 2010, it had grown into a competitive offering, reflecting the success of INN's shared production strategy. A notable highlight of this era was the newscast's coverage of the 2008 Iowa floods, which affected the Quad Cities and broader eastern Iowa region, underscoring KLJB's role in delivering timely local reporting on community-impacting events.

News production partnerships (2010–present)

In 2010, KLJB ended its longstanding partnership with the Independent News Network and entered into a news share agreement with ABC affiliate WQAD-TV, which began producing the station's 9 p.m. newscast, rebranded as Fox 18 News at Nine. This half-hour program aired seven nights a week from WQAD's studios in Moline, Illinois, marking the first time KLJB's news was produced by another broadcast station in the Quad Cities market. The production arrangement shifted again on December 31, 2012, when NBC affiliate KWQC-TV took over, continuing the 9 p.m. newscast under the same branding. This partnership lasted until the end of 2015, when Nexstar Media Group-owned CBS affiliate WHBF-TV assumed production responsibilities through a shared services agreement, expanding the evening newscast to a full hour and rebranding it as OurQuadCities.com News on Fox 18. In September 2017, WHBF added a two-hour morning newscast from 7 to 9 a.m., titled Our Quad Cities News This Morning on Fox 18, along with occasional noon updates; these programs integrated digital streaming options through the OurQuadCities.com website and mobile apps for on-demand access. As of 2025, KLJB's news operations remain a joint effort with , utilizing shared resources from Nexstar's facilities in , to cover local elections, severe weather events such as the 2023 Quad Cities tornado outbreak, and community stories across eastern and northwestern . The news team consists of approximately 20 journalists, anchors, meteorologists, and production staff, contributing to a unified content pipeline for both stations. The 9 p.m. newscast has maintained its position as the market's top-rated local program in its time slot, reflecting the partnership's focus on timely, region-specific reporting.

Technical information

Subchannels and multicast programming

KLJB's primary digital subchannel, 18.1, has carried network programming since re-affiliating with the network in 1990, including its primetime lineup of scripted series and specials, national sports coverage such as NFL games featuring the and select contests, along with local advertising and promotional inserts. The station began offering digital subchannels in 2009, coinciding with the completion of the U.S. analog-to-digital transition that enabled broader over-the-air multichannel distribution. As of 2025, KLJB's subchannel lineup includes 18.2 affiliated with , which broadcasts classic television series from the mid-20th century through the 1990s, such as sitcoms and dramas. Subchannel 18.3 features Defy TV, a network dedicated to action-oriented dramas, reality competitions, and unscripted series like pawn shop and storage auction shows. On 18.4, airs content curated for African-American audiences, emphasizing comedy reruns, original films, and lifestyle programming. The subchannels deliver exclusively syndicated national programming with no local news or original content produced for them, relying instead on network schedules of archived shows and movies. Following the launch, the multicast offerings expanded after 2020 with adjustments to better align with viewer preferences, including a brief stint of on 18.3 in 2021 prior to its replacement by Defy TV.

Analog-to-digital conversion and signal details

KLJB-TV discontinued its on UHF channel 18 at noon on June 12, 2009, coinciding with the national full-power (DTV) transition mandated by the (FCC). The station had initiated earlier, launching its full-power digital signal on UHF channel 18 in 2002, ahead of the transition requirements. Following the analog sign-off, KLJB optimized its digital operations by relocating the physical channel to UHF 30 while remapping to 18 via PSIP, adhering to ATSC 1.0 standards for standard-definition and high-definition content delivery. During the FCC's 2017-2020 spectrum repack, the physical channel was reassigned to UHF 30, completed by 2020. The station's transmitter is situated near Orion, , at coordinates 41°18′44.5″N 90°22′46.2″W, operating with an () of 1,000 kW from a mounted at a () of 328.1 m (1,077 ft). This setup enables a coverage radius exceeding 100 miles, encompassing the metropolitan area across and , as well as adjacent regions in both states, with the FCC 54011 assigned to the . Signal benefits from the elevated , providing robust over-the-air reception for primary and secondary markets without significant interference in core areas. KLJB broadcasts using both ATSC 1.0 and protocols following the NextGen TV deployment in the on December 10, 2024, which introduced advanced features such as enhanced mobile reception, higher data rates, and IP integration; no major signal outages have been reported during this phase. The station's signal exhibits overlap with nearby broadcasters, including WHOI-DT in , and KWQC-DT in , facilitating shared market coverage while maintaining distinct service contours.

References

  1. https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_station&facility_id=54011
  2. https://www.nexstar.tv/stations/kljb/
  3. https://www.ourquadcities.com/station-history/
  4. https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/fcc-approves-sales-of-marshall-stations-to-mission-broadcasting
  5. https://ustvdb.com/markets/davenport-rock-island-moline/
  6. https://www.iasb.uscourts.gov/sites/iasb/files/h00116.pdf
  7. https://signons-and-signoffs.fandom.com/wiki/KLJB_Sign_Off
  8. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-BC/Broadcasting-Magazine/BC-1991/BC-1991-10-07.pdf
  9. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/milton-grant-obituary?id=5587321
  10. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-BC/Broadcasting-Magazine/BC-1992/BC-1992-06-22.pdf
  11. https://www.nexttv.com/news/nexstar-acquire-seven-grant-stations-875-million-124490
  12. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1142417/000156459015001137/nxst-10k_20141231.htm
  13. https://rbr.com/commission-approves-marshalls-mission-exit-from-tv-ownership/
  14. https://tvnewscheck.com/business-revenue/article/marshall-broadcasting-group-files-chapter-11/
  15. https://www.nexttv.com/news/fcc-oks-sale-of-marshall-stations-out-of-bankruptcy
  16. https://www.ourquadcities.com/news/local-news/whbf-kljb-kgcw-signals-affected-by-planned-maintenance-upgrade/
  17. https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-finds-apparent-tv-ownership-violations-nexstar-and-mission
  18. https://www.nexstar.tv/advertising/
  19. https://qctimes.com/business/article_fc9c9112-a1d1-11df-9226-001cc4c03286.html
  20. https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/centralizing-39local39-news
  21. https://qconline.com/business/wqad-tv-to-produce-fox-18-news-starting-sept/article_8b2b7ee2-25e2-500e-95a3-52f534d3af27.html
  22. https://www.nexttv.com/news/market-eye-river-runs-through-it-43869
  23. https://www.ourquadcities.com/meet-the-news-team/
  24. https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=54011
  25. https://www.defytvnet.com/
  26. https://bouncetv.com/
  27. https://northpine.com/2021/09/07/numerous-new-subchannels-sign-on-for-new-tv-season/
  28. https://www.rabbitears.info/repackchannels.php
  29. https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/25076ff35cef71cc015d32ab6902235e
  30. https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=KLJB
  31. https://northpine.com/2024/12/09/fcc-monitor-nextgen-tv-scheduled-for-dec-10-quad-cities-debut/
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