WIFR

WIFR
Freeport / Rockford, Illinois United States

Branding	23 WIFR (general) 23 News (newscasts)
Slogan	The Next Generation of News
Channels	Digital: 41 (UHF) Virtual: 23 (PSIP)
Subchannels	23.1 CBS 23.2 Antenna TV 23.3 Justice Network
Affiliations	CBS
Owner	Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
First air date	September 12, 1965 (1965-09-12)
Call letters' meaning	Wisconsin/Illinois Freeport/Rockford
Sister station(s)	WMTV, WNDU, WEAU
Former callsigns	WCEE-TV (1965–1977) WIFR-TV (1977–1991)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 23 (UHF, 1965–2009)
Transmitter power	170 kW
Height	219.7 m
Facility ID	4689
Transmitter coordinates	42°17′48″N 89°10′15″W / 42.29667°N 89.17083°W / 42.29667; -89.17083
Licensing authority	FCC
Public license information:	Profile CDBS
Website	www.wifr.com

WIFR, virtual channel 23, is the CBS television affiliate based in Rockford, Illinois and licensed to nearby Freeport. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 41 from a transmitter at its studios on North Meridian Road in Rockford. though it formerly broadcast its analog signal on channel 23, which it continues to use as its virtual digital channel via PSIP. It is currently owned by Gray Television. WIFR is the only television station in the Rockford market to retain the same network affiliation since it first signed-on.

History

The station went on the air as WCEE-TV on September 12, 1965. It was originally owned by Rock River Television Corporation. The area's previous CBS affiliate, WREX-TV, switched to NBC full-time, sending CBS to WCEE. It has been with CBS ever since, and is the only station in the market to have never switched affiliations. The call letters were changed to the present WIFR in 1977 and stand for "Wisconsin-Illinois-Freeport-Rockford." General Media sold the station to Worrell Newspapers of Charlottesville, Virginia in September of that year. Worrell sold all three stations WIFR, WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg, Virginia and now-defunct WBNB-TV in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands to Benedek Broadcasting in 1986. When Benedek went bankrupt in 2002, WIFR and WHSV were acquired by current owner Gray Television.

On the morning of July 5, 2003, a severe wind storm swept through Rockford. WIFR's transmitter tower, located behind the studio and office building at 2523 North Meridian Road in Rockford, collapsed. Pieces of the tower fell onto a field behind the station's headquarters. No one was injured or killed. Nearly four months later, a new tower was erected and WIFR's signal was back to full power once again.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP Short Name	Programming^[1]
23.1	1080i	16:9	WIFR-HD	Main WIFR programming / CBS
23.2	480i		Ant TV	Antenna TV
23.3	480i		JustNet	Justice Network

Analog-to-digital conversion

WIFR shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 23, at noon on February 17, 2009, the original target date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 41.^[2]^[3] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 23.

WIFR announced on November 16, 2012 that the station will add Tribune Broadcasting's Antenna TV network to its digital subchannel lineup effective December 17, replacing the AccuWeather Channel on channel 23.2 (branded locally as 23 WeatherNow).^[4] Channel 23.2 also currently airs live sports programming, in addition, featuring the Rockford IceHogs hockey team (a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks), plus selected Chicago Bulls, Cubs, and White Sox telecasts (via WGN Sports on U). The station stated that these telecasts will continue on with its new Antenna TV affiliation, which will pre-empt selected shows.

On May 28th, 2015, WIFR launched its 2nd subchannel, simply known as "23.3" at this time and also carried by the former public access channels on Comcast and Charter in the Rockford area, with a live broadcast of the graduation ceremonies for Rockford Public School District 205 from the BMO Harris Bank Center at 10 AM and 2PM. Following the broadcast, the subchannel went to a test screen with the words "NEW NETWORK COMING TO ROCKFORD, ANNOUNCEMENT SOON" and in the top right-hand corner the new call sign for the subchannel, "23.3 WIFR-DT Freeport/Rockford". Prior to that date, the channel had intermittently aired games 23.2 wasn't able to air due to delays, other games, or prior arrangements. On June 25th, 2015, WIFR announced that 23.3 will be affiliated with the Justice Network, a channel dedicated to crime and investigation programs. The launch was later announced to take place July 27th.

References

↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WIFR
↑ DTV Switch in Rockford Still on for February 17th, WIFR, Feb 5, 2009]
↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
↑ http://www.wifr.com/news/misc/179704691.html

External links

Television stations in the greater Rockford area

Local stations	WREX (13.1 NBC, 13.2 CW, 13.3 MeTV) WTVO (17.1 ABC, 17.2 MNTV, 17.3 Laff, 17.4 Grit) WIFR (23.1 CBS, 23.2 Antenna TV, 23.3 Justice Network) WFBN-LD (35.1 H&I, 35.2 TMD from WYTU-LD Milwaukee) WQRF (39.1 Fox, 39.2 Bounce, 39.3 Escape)

Adjacent locals	WTTW (11.1 PBS, 11.2 PBS Encore, 11.3 Create/World, 11.4 V-me Chicago) WHA (21.1 PBS/WPT, 21.2 Wisconsin Channel, 21.3 Create, Madison) WQPT (24.1 PBS, 24.2 MHz Worldview Quad Cities)

Defunct	WQFL-CA 8 (Religious/Ind.) W25CL (TBN) WCFC-CA 51 (TLN)

Adjacent areas	Chicago Madison Milwaukee Quad Cities Peoria

CBS Network Affiliates in the state of Illinois

WBBM 2 (Chicago) WCIA 3 (Champaign) WHBF 4 (Rock Island) KHQA 7 (Quincy) WIFR 23 (Freeport) WMBD 31 (Peoria)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox Ion MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Illinois

Gray Television

ABC network affiliates	KCRG KGNS ¹ KJCT KNOE ¹ KOLO KOTA / KHSD KSFY / KABY / KPRY KSPR ² WBKO WHSV WJRT WTOK WTVG WVAW

CBS network affiliates	KALB ¹ KGWN / KSTF KKTV KMVT KNOE KNPL KOLN / KGIN KOSA KWCH / KBSD / KBSH / KBSL KWTX / KBTX KXII KXJB KYLX WAGM ¹ WCAV WCTV / WSWG WDBJ WECP WIBW WIFR WIYE WKYT / WYMT WRDW WSAW WSVF ¹ WTVY WVLT

The CW network affiliates ¹	KBTX KCWY KGWN / KSTF KJCT KNOE KSCW KSFY / KABY / KPRY KWTX KXJB KYCW KYLX WAGT WBKO WBXX WJHG WKYT WMTV WQCW WSWG WTOK WTVG WYMT

Fox network affiliates	KEVN KIIT KNDX / KXND KSVT KXII ¹ WAGM WAHU WBKO ¹ WLUC ¹ WOVA WSVF WZAW

MyNetworkTV affiliates ¹	KKTV KOSA KSNB KXII KYES WAHU WCTV WECP WHSV WIBW WITN WRDW WSAW WSAZ WSWG WTOK WTVY WIYE WVLT

NBC network affiliates	KALB KCWY KFYR / KQCD / KMOT / KUMV KGNS KKCO KNOP KSNB KTUU KVLY KYTV WAGT WEAU WILX WITN WJHG WLUC WMTV WNDU WOWT WRGX WSAZ WTAP

Other Stations	TEL KGNS ¹ KKCO ¹ UNI KDCU ³ Ind. K17DL-D ⁴

Acquisitions	Benedek Broadcasting Hoak Media Schurz Communications

¹ These stations (except for KSCW & WQCW) broadcast these networks on their digital subchannels. ² Owned by Schurz Communications, Gray operates KSPR through a SSA. ³ Owned by Entravision Communications, Gray operates KDCU through a JSA. ⁴ Owned by Branson Visitors TV; Gray holds a 50.1% interest in this company.

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