WGEM-TV

WGEM-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Tri-States area of Western Illinois, Northeastern Missouri, and extreme SoutheasternIowa that is licensed to Quincy, Illinois. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter east of the city on Cannonball Road near I-172. The station is the flagship of Quincy Newspapers and has studios in the Hotel Quincy on Hampshire Street in Downtown Quincy. Syndicated programming on WGEM includes: Entertainment Tonight, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, and Inside Edition. WGEM clears all NBC programming, although the station airs Days of Our Lives weekdays at 4PM instead of NBC's recommended timeslot of 1PM local time.

Digital programming
WGEM's signal is multiplexed. On WGEM-DT2, Comcast channel 6, US Cable channel 16, and Mediacom channel 18 is the area's CWaffiliate. This station gets all of its programming from The CW Plus. On WGEM-DT3, Mediacom channel 2, US Cable channel 12, and Comcast channel 18 is the area's Fox affiliate. This can also be seen in high definition on Comcast digital channel 383 and Mediacom digital channel 802. Syndicated programming on WGEM-DT3 includes: The Insider, Family Guy, Friends, and Everybody Loves Raymond.

History
The station signed on for the first time on July 5, 1953. WGEM has always been an NBC affiliate, but maintained a secondary ABC affiliation between 1953 and 1969 as well as from 1971 until the mid-1990s, shared with CBS affiliate KHQA-TV during the 1960s. WJJY-TV inJacksonville, Illinois was the primary ABC affiliate for Quincy between 1969 and 1971; when WJJY went bankrupt and shut down, WGEM resumed carrying a few ABC shows. The station also had a secondary affiliation with Fox between 1990 and 1994. It is one of the few and longest operating television stations in the country, outside of network owned-and-operated stations that has had the same call letters, owner, channel number, and primary network affiliation throughout its history.

Since the mid to late-1990s, WGEM has not mentioned its channel number on-air, instead choosing to be identified by its call letters. WGEM's broadcasts have been digital-only since February 17, 2009.[1]

News operation
WGEM once produced a weeknight 9 o'clock newscast for the Fox channel called CGEM News at 9. It debuted in April 2006 but was canceled in March 2007. The broadcast was anchored by Jake Miller with Chief Meteorologist Rich Cain and Sports Director Ben Marth. At one point in time, WGEM-DT2 simulcast WGEM-FM's weekday morning show, WGEM Sunrise: Radio Edition, from 7 to 9. Today it re-airs two WGEM-produced weekly public affair shows, City Desk and WGEM News This Week, along with two other locally-produced programs:Northland Adventures and WGEM Academic Challenge. In addition to its main studios, the station operates a bureau on South Randolph Street in Macomb, Illinois. The main channel does not air early evening news on weekends. Like all CW Plus affiliates in the Central Time Zone, WGEM-DT2 airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz on weekdays from 5 to 8.

Newscast titles

 * 3-Star Edition (1950s)
 * WGEM News (? & 1998–present)
 * NewsWatch 10 (1980s–1990s)
 * NewsChannel 10 (1990s–1998)

Station slogans

 * "NewsCenter 10: The Tri-State Area's #1 News Team" (late 1970s)
 * "WGEM, Proud as a Peacock!" (1979–1981, local version of NBC campaign)
 * "WGEM, Our Pride is Showing" (1981–1982, local version of NBC campaign)
 * "The News Leader in the Tri-State Area" (1982–1986)
 * "We're WGEM, Just Watch Us Now!" (1982-1983; local version of NBC campaign)
 * "WGEM There, Be There!" (1983-1984; local version of NBC campaign)
 * "WGEM, Let's All Be There" (1984-1986; local version of NBC campaign)
 * "Come Home to Channel 10" (1986–1987, local version of NBC campaign)
 * "Come on Home to Channel 10" (1987–1988, local version of NBC campaign)
 * "Come Home to the Best, WGEM" (1988–1990, local version of NBC campaign)
 * "WGEM, The Place to Be!" (1990–1992, local version of NBC campaign)
 * "It's A Whole New Channel 10" (1992-1993; local version of NBC campaign)
 * "The Stars Are Back on Channel 10" (1993-1994; local version of NBC campaign)
 * "The Tri-States' Best News Station" (1995–2005)
 * "The Tri-States' News Leader" (2005–present)

Newscast music

 * WWL-TV by Tuesday Productions (1982–1986)
 * The Great News Package by Gari Media Group (19??-19??)
 * WGEM 1994 News Theme by unknow composer (19??-19??)
 * WGEM 1995 News Theme by unknown composer (19??-1995)
 * WGEM News Package by NewsTracks (1995–2007)
 * Connection by 360 Music (2006-2007)
 * Horizon by Stephen Arnold Music (2006-2007)
 * Impact by 615 Music (2007–2009)
 * The Tower by 615 Music (2009–present)

News team
Anchors


 * Natalie Will - weekday mornings and Noon
 * producer
 * Lesley Swick - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10
 * Matt Schmidt - weeknights at 5 and 10
 * producer weeknights at 10
 * Les Sachs - News Director, Director of Public Affairs, and Senior Editor seen weeknights at 6
 * heard on WGEM-FM 105.1
 * Kaitlyn Rowney-weekends at 10

WGEM News StormTrak Meteorologists


 * Rich Cain - weekday mornings/noon and heard on WGEM-FM
 * Brian Inman - weeknights
 * Whitney Williams- weekend evenings/weather reporter

Sports


 * Ben Marth - Director seen weeknights at 6 and 10
 * heard on WGEM-AM 1440
 * Matt Krocheski - weekends

Reporters


 * Kaitlyn Rowney - multimedia journalist
 * Chris Pavlish - multimedia journalist
 * Deandra Corinthios- multimedia journalist
 * Brenda Martens- multimedia journalist