23 WIFR

What 23 WIFR does

23 WIFR is a local broadcast television station (channel 23) licensed to Rockford, Illinois, and operated by Gray Local Media, Inc., a subsidiary of Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN). The station delivers hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and community programming to viewers across northern Illinois (Winnebago, Boone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Ogle counties) and southern Wisconsin (Rock, Green, Walworth counties), leveraging an FCC broadcast license as its foundational regulatory asset. Core products include a daily local news broadcast, the First Alert Weather service (Doppler radar and severe weather alerts via Max Storm Tracker), investigative reporting through WIFR Investigates/I-team, local sports coverage (including IceHogs hockey and Football Frenzy), and community features such as original programming, contests, and a closings-and-delays platform.

The underlying technology stack combines traditional over-the-air broadcast transmission with a multi-platform digital footprint: a content-rich website with embedded livestream, native mobile applications for iOS and Android, and an active social presence across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Distribution extends to email newsletters, weather cams, and NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) capability. The station's technology is characterized by domain specialization in local weather alerting and ease-of-use community utilities rather than proprietary algorithmic differentiation; AI/ML capabilities are not evident in the provided data.

WIFR's commercial model is purely advertising-driven, executed through two parallel channels. Television advertising involves local and regional businesses purchasing quote-based commercial airtime during news, weather, and programming blocks, while digital advertising encompasses website display ads, sponsored content, and integrated digital marketing services delivered through the parent company's gdmrockford.com platform. Additional monetization derives from contests and promotions (e.g., Dollar Doublers). The customer base is bifurcated — mass-market consumers form the audience inventory, while a fragmented pool of local and regional advertisers (SMBs, healthcare systems such as Crusader Community Health, civic partners) constitute the actual paying customers. As a non-disclosed subsidiary within a publicly traded broadcaster, WIFR does not file independent financials, and its strategic direction is set within Gray Television's portfolio-wide operating framework.

Name

23 WIFR

Legal name

Gray Local Media, Inc.

Website

https://wifr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

23 WIFR is a local broadcast television station serving Rockford, IL and the Stateline region, operating under Gray Local Media (a subsidiary of Gray Television, NYSE: GTN). It delivers local news, weather, sports, and community programming via over-the-air broadcast, livestream, mobile apps, and digital platforms, funded by advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Weather & Emergency Information Channels (MPABAIAF)

Keywords

• Local television broadcasting
• Broadcast news services
• Local weather forecasting
• Digital advertising sales
• Community journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Local broadcast television advertising sales where businesses purchase commercial airtime to reach local audiences during news broadcasts, weather segments, and programming.
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising through the station's website including display ads, sponsored content, and digital marketing services.
3. Contests and Promotions: Contest and promotional offerings including Dollar Doublers deals program and various sponsored contests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

23 WIFR is a local broadcast television station (channel 23) delivering hyperlocal news, weather forecasts, sports coverage, investigative reporting, and community programming to viewers in Rockford, IL and the broader Stateline region of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Content is distributed through over-the-air broadcast, the wifr.com website with livestreaming capabilities, and mobile applications for iOS and Android. The station's First Alert Weather service provides Max Storm Tracker Doppler radar, severe weather alerts, and region-specific forecasts across multiple counties.

Product overview

23 WIFR is a local television news station serving Rockford, IL and the Stateline region, owned by Gray Television. The station operates as a single local media brand offering news, weather, sports, and community programming through broadcast television, livestreaming, and mobile applications. The core product is local news broadcast combined with the First Alert Weather service featuring Doppler radar and severe weather tracking. Additional offerings include livestream video, a closings and delays service for schools and organizations, investigative journalism (WIFR Investigates/I-team), sports coverage, and community programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• First Alert Weather: The station's weather forecasting brand providing severe weather alerts and forecasts for the Stateline region.
• WIFR Investigates

Products and services

• WIFR News Broadcast
• First Alert Weather
• WIFR Livestream
• Closings and Delays Service
• WIFR Mobile App
• WIFR Investigates

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rose Pest SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Rose Pest Solutions partnered with Discovery Center Museum to create the Enchanted Garden pollinator exhibit. The garden is the fourth pollinator garden developed and donated by Rose Pest Solutions. Rose Pest Solutions is the country's oldest pest control company with seven Illinois locations including Rockford.
• Gray Television / Gray Local MediacoreOthersWIFR is owned and operated by Gray Local Media, Inc., a subsidiary of Gray Television, Inc. The station operates under Gray Television's corporate policies, terms of service, and advertising standards. Gray Television is one of the largest television broadcast companies in the United States.
• InvestigateTVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIFR participates in InvestigateTV, a network of Gray Television stations focused on investigative journalism, providing deeper investigative reporting resources to the local market.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest US television broadcast companies and the principal corporate competitor to Gray Television, operating many similar mid-market local stations with comparable news, weather, and advertising products.
• WGN-TV: WGN-TV is a major independent local television station in Chicago whose signal reaches into the Rockford/Stateline region, competing with WIFR for regional audiences and larger Chicago-area advertising budgets.
• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest US television broadcaster and a key industry peer to Gray Television, operating hundreds of local stations including ones that directly compete with WIFR-style mid-market broadcasters.

Direct peers

• WQRF-TV: WQRF is the Fox-affiliated broadcast television station serving Rockford, IL, providing the same local news, weather, and advertising product as WIFR to overlapping audiences in the Stateline region.
• WREX: WREX is the NBC-affiliated local television station serving the same Rockford, IL DMA as WIFR, directly competing for local viewers, news audiences, and advertising dollars in identical coverage geography.
• WBAY-TV: WBAY is an ABC-affiliated local broadcast television station serving Green Bay, WI, comparable to WIFR as a mid-size Midwest market local news and weather station with overlapping audience profiles.
• WTVO: WTVO is the ABC-affiliated local broadcast television station in Rockford, IL, competing head-to-head with WIFR for local news, weather, and sports audiences in the Stateline market.
• WKYT: WKYT is a Gray Television-owned CBS affiliate in Lexington, KY, comparable to WIFR as a mid-market local news station with similar digital and weather franchise offerings under the same corporate umbrella.
• WMC-TV: WMC-TV is a Gray Television-owned NBC affiliate in Memphis, TN, offering a directly comparable operating model — local news, weather, and digital distribution within the same parent company portfolio.
• WOOD-TV: WOOD-TV is a Gray Television-owned NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, MI, directly comparable as a mid-market local broadcast station within the same corporate portfolio and revenue model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/23WIFR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wifr---tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 23 WIFR