|
|
Wausau/Rhinelander, Wisconsin United States |
|
---|---|
Branding | WAOW 9 (general) Newsline 9 (newscasts) Central Wisconsin CW (DT2) |
Slogan |
Your Trusted Resource TV Now (DT2) |
Channels | Digital: 9 (VHF/PSIP) |
Subchannels | (see article) |
Affiliations | ABC |
Owner |
Quincy Media (WAOW-WYOW License, LLC) |
Founded | June 12, 1965 |
Call letters' meaning | WAusau and WKOW |
Sister station(s) |
WXOW/WQOW, WKOW, KTTC, KXLT-TV, WREX |
Former channel number(s) | 9 (VHF analog, 1965–2009) 29 (UHF digital, 1999–2009) |
Former affiliations |
NFL on Fox (1994–1999) RTV (2008–February 2009, on DT3) |
Transmitter power | 63.2 kW |
Height | 368 m |
Class | DT |
Facility ID | 64546 |
Transmitter coordinates | 44°55′14.2″N 89°41′28.7″W / 44.920611°N 89.691306°W |
Website | waow.com |
WAOW is the ABC-affiliated television station for North-Central Wisconsin's Northern Highland. Licensed to Wausau, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter on Rib Mountain. Owned by Quincy Media, WAOW has studios on Grand Avenue/U.S. 51 in Wausau.
WAOW signed on the air June 12, 1965. It was owned by Mid-Continent Broadcasting. It served as a satellite station of Madison's WKOW as part of the Wisconsin Television Network which would later include WXOW in La Crosse and WQOW in Eau Claire. Midcontinent Broadcasting sold the stations to Horizon Communications in 1970. Liberty Television bought the stations in 1978. This station gradually increased its local programming and content finally severing the electronic umbilical cord with WKOW in the 1980s.
In 1985, Liberty Television sold the Wisconsin stations to Tak Communications. Tak filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991 and was later taken over by a group of creditors. In 1995, as part of Tak Communications went bankrupt, Shockley Communications purchased WAOW along with three sister stations (WKOW, WXOW and WQOW). Quincy Newspapers purchased most of the Shockley stations, including its Wisconsin sister stations in June 2001.