WQAD-TV
WQAD-TV is a TEGNA-owned local broadcast television station serving the Quad Cities region (Iowa/Illinois border), delivering news, weather, sports, and community content via over-the-air broadcast, the News 8+ streaming app, and the MyTV 8-3 subchannel.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1963
- HeadquartersMoline, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What WQAD-TV does
WQAD-TV (branded as "News 8") is a local broadcast television station serving the Quad Cities market across the Iowa–Illinois border, including Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, and Silvis. Founded in 1963, the station is owned and operated by TEGNA (NYSE: TGNA), a publicly traded broadcast and digital media company. Its core product is a multi-platform local news and information offering that combines a traditional over-the-air broadcast signal with the WQAD News 8+ streaming app (available on Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, and smart TVs) and the MyTV 8-3 subchannel, providing 24/7 access to live news, on-demand content, and sports programming.
The station's content stack is built around four anchor verticals: local news (WQAD News 8), weather (Storm Track 8 with radar maps, live cameras, severe weather alerts, and the Weather Kids program), sports (The Score for high school athletics plus Chicago White Sox/Sky/Fever games on the subchannel), and community features (Good Morning Quad Cities morning program, School Zone education coverage, Hard Work & Determination profiles). Supporting products include a podcast portfolio distributed via the Locked On Podcasts Network and supplementary live coverage through "Weather on the Road." Technology infrastructure centers on broadcast television transmission paired with OTT streaming delivery and a GasBuddy-integrated gas prices data feed.
WQAD-TV monetizes primarily through local and regional advertising sales sold across its broadcast and digital inventory, supplemented by streaming/app distribution and TEGNA-level syndication infrastructure. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; advertisers engage the station directly via an "Advertise With Us" channel. The customer base is two-sided: end viewers in the Quad Cities DMA (a geographically concentrated consumer segment) and SMB/regional advertisers. Operational headcount is reported in the 101–250 range, and the station maintains FCC compliance for broadcast licensing and closed captioning.
WQAD-TV firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WQAD-TV
- Legal name
- WQAD-TV
- Website
- https://wqad.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1963
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- WQAD-TV is a TEGNA-owned local broadcast television station serving the Quad Cities region (Iowa/Illinois border), delivering news, weather, sports, and community content via over-the-air broadcast, the News 8+ streaming app, and the MyTV 8-3 subchannel.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WQAD-TV industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Broadcast Television
- NAICS
- Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)
- SIC
- Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Rolling News & Breaking News Channels (MPABAIAH), News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK), News Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAF)
Keywords
Where WQAD-TV is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Moline
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
WQAD-TV business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Advertising Revenue: Local broadcast television station generating revenue through advertising sales to local and regional businesses. The station sells commercial airtime across multiple programs including news, weather, sports, and entertainment content.
- Streaming Services: WQAD News 8+ streaming app provides 24/7 news channel access on connected TV platforms including Roku and Amazon Fire Stick. The station also offers a subchannel (MyTV 8-3) for additional programming including Chicago White Sox, Chicago Sky, and Indiana Fever sports content.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
WQAD-TV product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WQAD-TV (News 8) is a local broadcast television station serving the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois. It produces and distributes hyperlocal news, weather (Storm Track 8), sports (The Score), and community programming via over-the-air broadcast, the WQAD News 8+ streaming app on connected TV platforms, and the MyTV 8-3 subchannel, generating revenue primarily through advertising sales to local and regional businesses.
Product overview
WQAD-TV operates as a local broadcast television station providing multi-platform news and entertainment content to the Quad Cities region. The core offering is WQAD News 8, delivering breaking news, weather (Storm Track 8), and sports coverage via traditional broadcast and digital channels. The product portfolio centers on the WQAD News 8+ streaming app which provides 24/7 access to live and on-demand content including the expanded Good Morning Quad Cities morning program. Supporting products include The Score high school sports program, the Weather Kids child engagement feature, and various podcasts. The station also maintains specialized content verticals for School Zone (education news) and Hard Work & Determination (community success stories), collectively serving local communities across Iowa and Illinois.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Good Morning Quad Cities: WQAD News 8's morning news program
- The Score
Products and services
- WQAD News 8
Companies that use WQAD-TV
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
WQAD-TV technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
WQAD-TV partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Locked On Podcasts NetworkminorWQAD partners with Locked On Podcasts Network to distribute sports podcasts including Locked On Hawkeyes (Iowa), Locked On Illini (Illinois), Locked On Bears, Locked On Big 10, Locked On White Sox, Locked On Cubs, and Locked On Bulls. These podcasts are promoted on the WQAD website.
- TEGNAcoreWQAD-TV is owned and operated by TEGNA, a large American publicly traded broadcast television and digital media company. TEGNA provides shared technology infrastructure, content syndication across sister stations, and operational support.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
WQAD-TV competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Nexstar Media Group: Largest U.S. television station operator, owning numerous local affiliates including stations competing in adjacent mid-size markets. Peer because it competes for advertising and content syndication at the same corporate-station level as TEGNA.
- Hearst Television: Division of Hearst operating local TV stations and digital properties across U.S. markets. Comparable to TEGNA at the group level with overlapping local-news and multi-platform distribution strategies.
- Gray Television: Large U.S. television broadcast group with a footprint of local affiliates. Functions as a corporate-station peer to TEGNA/WQAD with similar local news and digital strategies.
- Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major U.S. broadcast station group operating local affiliates and producing national news content. Comparable to TEGNA at the group level and competes for advertisers, syndicated programming, and digital audiences.
- KUSA (9NEWS): TEGNA-owned NBC affiliate serving the Denver market. Direct TEGNA sister station to WQAD with the same corporate playbook: local news, weather, multi-platform streaming, and syndicated content.
- WFAA: TEGNA-owned ABC affiliate in Dallas–Fort Worth. Sister station under the TEGNA umbrella operating an analogous local news, weather, and digital/streaming product portfolio as WQAD.
Direct peers
- KWQC-TV: NBC-affiliated local television station serving the Quad Cities market (Davenport, IA / Moline, IL). Directly competes with WQAD for local viewers, news, and advertisers in the same DMA.
- KLJB-TV: FOX-affiliated Quad Cities television station owned by TEGNA — a sister station to WQAD under the same parent, operating in the same DMA with a similar local-news + syndicated programming model.
- WHBF-TV: CBS-affiliated local television station based in Rock Island, IL, serving the Quad Cities. Competes head-to-head with WQAD for local news audiences and advertising spend.
Regional players
- WQPT-TV: PBS member station serving the Quad Cities public-broadcasting audience. Comparable local-market broadcaster in the same geography, with a non-commercial funding model versus WQAD's ad-supported model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
WQAD-TV social profiles
Digital presenceWQAD-TV compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
WQAD-TV financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WQAD-TV leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
WQAD-TV funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WQAD-TV M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WQAD-TV
What does WQAD-TV do?
WQAD-TV (News 8) is a local broadcast television station serving the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois. It produces and distributes hyperlocal news, weather (Storm Track 8), sports (The Score), and community programming via over-the-air broadcast, the WQAD News 8+ streaming app on connected TV platforms, and the MyTV 8-3 subchannel, generating revenue primarily through advertising sales to local and regional businesses.
Is WQAD-TV a public or private company?
WQAD-TV is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was WQAD-TV founded?
WQAD-TV was founded in 1963. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is WQAD-TV based?
WQAD-TV is headquartered in Moline, United States, in the North America region.
How does WQAD-TV make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising Revenue is the primary driver. The others are streaming Services.
Who are WQAD-TV's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Nexstar Media Group, Hearst Television, Gray Television, Sinclair Broadcast Group, KUSA (9NEWS) and WFAA. Direct peers are KWQC-TV, KLJB-TV and WHBF-TV. WQPT-TV is listed as a regional player.
Does WQAD-TV have an API?
No public API is recorded for WQAD-TV.
What industry is WQAD-TV in?
WQAD-TV's product category is Local Broadcast Television. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAJ, Local News & Weather Stations, with a secondary code of MPABAIAH, Rolling News & Breaking News Channels. Its NAICS code is 516120 and its SIC code is 4833.