Founded in 1980 by Liberty Television, EAU CLAIRE'S OWN WQOW came into being to offer a dedicated local approach to the regional news scene. The idea sparked when the broadcasting company decided to create a platform that would finally bring a primary ABC network affiliate to the Chippewa Valley, realizing that Eau Claire residents lacked their own localized alternative and were heavily relying on distant station signals for daily information. The station has changed hands a few times over the decades, and the site currently operates under the ownership of Allen Media Broadcasting, a company led by media mogul Byron Allen. Today, EAU CLAIRE'S OWN WQOW is run by a dedicated team of local journalists and is mainly focused on regional community news. They cover a wide variety of topics including local and state politics, severe weather tracking, community entertainment, and major regional sports, with a heavy emphasis on high school athletics and UW-Eau Claire sporting events. They're based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and have made a name for themselves among residents looking for reliable daily updates on the happenings in the Chippewa Valley. One interesting fact: A unique fact about EAU CLAIRE'S OWN WQOW is its humble beginnings as a "satellite" station. When it first launched, the station didn't have its own full, standalone news broadcasts and instead primarily rebroadcast the news feeds from its older sister station, WXOW, located over 80 miles away in La Crosse, before eventually growing large enough to establish the completely independent Eau Claire newsroom it has today.