View source for WSIL-TV

{{Short description|Television station in Harrisburg, Illinois}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox television station dual
| name1                   = WSIL-TV
| city1                   = {{ubl|[[Harrisburg, Illinois|Harrisburg]]–[[Marion, Illinois|Marion]]–[[Carbondale, Illinois]]|[[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]]|[[Paducah, Kentucky]]}}
| logo                    = [[File:WSIL-TV Logo.png|100px]][[File:Kpob 2010.png|100px]]
| branding1               = WSIL-TV 3; ''News 3 WSIL''
| logo_alt                = Two logos are placed side by side. WSIL: In a white box trimmed in black from top: a black box with the word "NEWS" in a wide sans serif; a red box with a white italicized bold sans serif 3, with the ABC logo protruding from the lower right; and a black box with the letters "W S I L" in a matching sans serif. KPOB: From top: a black box with the letters "K P O B" in a wide sans serif; a red box with a silver italicized bold sans serif 15, with the ABC logo in the lower right.
| digital1                = 34 ([[UHF]])
| virtual1                = 3
| translators             = K10KM-D 10 [[Cape Girardeau, MO]]
| affiliations            = {{ubl|'''3.1/15.1:''' [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| country                 = United States
| airdate1                = {{start date and age|1953|12|6|p=y}}
| callsign_meaning1       = Southern Illinois
| former_channel_numbers1 = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 22 (UHF, 1953–1959); 3 ([[VHF]], 1959–2009)}}
| owner                   = [[Allen Media Group]]
| licensee                = Harrisburg TV License Company, [[LLC]]
| former_affiliations1    = {{ubl|[[Independent station|Independent]] (1953–1954)|[[NBC]] (1954–1959)}}
| erp1                    = 1,000 [[kW]]
| haat1                   = {{convert|291|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id1            = 73999
| coordinates1            = {{coord|37|36|50|N|88|52|20|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority     = [[FCC]]
| website                 = {{URL|http://www.wsiltv.com/}}
| name2                   = KPOB-TV
| city2                   = [[Poplar Bluff, Missouri]]
| branding2               = KPOB-TV 15
| digital2                = 15 (UHF)
| virtual2                = 15
| airdate2                = {{start date and age|1961|9|1|p=y}}
| callsign_meaning2       = Poplar Bluff
| former_channel_numbers2 = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 15 (UHF, 1961–2009)|'''Digital:''' 18 (UHF, until 2009)}}
| erp2                    = 34.5 kW
| haat2                   = {{convert|184|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id2            = 73998
| coordinates2            = {{coord|36|48|4|N|90|27|6|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KPOB-TV}}
}}
'''WSIL-TV''' (channel 3) and '''KPOB-TV''' (channel 15) are [[television station]]s licensed respectively to [[Harrisburg, Illinois]], and [[Poplar Bluff, Missouri]], United States, serving as the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliates for [[Southern Illinois]], Southeast [[Missouri]], the [[Jackson Purchase|Purchase]] area of [[Western Kentucky]], and [[Western Tennessee|Northwest Tennessee]]. Owned by [[Allen Media Group]], the stations maintain studio facilities on Country Aire Drive (near the [[Illinois Route 13|IL 13]]–Wolf Creek Road interchange) in [[Carterville, Illinois]]. WSIL-TV's transmitter is located near [[Creal Springs, Illinois]], while KPOB's tower is on [[U.S. Route 60 in Missouri|US 60]] northwest of Poplar Bluff. 

KPOB-TV serves as a full-time satellite of WSIL-TV, covering the [[Missouri Bootheel]] and northeastern [[Arkansas]]. WSIL-TV also operates [[Broadcast relay station#Broadcast translators|translator]] '''K10KM-D''' (channel 10) in [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]].

WSIL-TV was the first television station in southern Illinois, debuting on [[ultra high frequency]] (UHF) channel 22 on December 6, 1953. It soon affiliated with ABC and [[NBC]] before moving to channel 3 in 1959 and becoming a sole ABC affiliate. KPOB-TV went on the air in 1961; aside from a brief period in the 1980s, it has simulcast WSIL with separate [[station identification|legal identifications]] for the better part of its history. The station has focused its news coverage almost exclusively on Southern Illinois since the 1980s, since its broadcast coverage area is not as large as those of the other major stations in the market. It has traditionally fallen behind its two rivals in the market in news ratings and resources, though less so now than in decades past. After having two ownership groups almost all of its first 65 years on air, it was sold first to [[Quincy Media]] in 2018 and to Allen in 2021.

==History==
===Construction on channel 22===
When the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) lifted its four-year freeze on new television station allocations in 1952, channel 22 in the then-new [[ultra high frequency]] (UHF) band was assigned to Harrisburg.<ref name="Dail520415">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-about-town-and-countr/128708367/|date=April 15, 1952|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-about-town-and-countr/128304804/ 3]|first=Timotheus|last=T.|title=About Town And Country: WEBQ Has Made Application for New TV Channel|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074302/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-about-town-and-countr/128708367/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> The Turner-Farrar Association, whose partners owned movie theaters in Southern Illinois, applied for the channel on June 23, 1952, and received a [[construction permit]] on March 11, 1953.<ref name="hc">{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/e5104e5d-ccfe-6927-0ac4-c5889187ea38|title=FCC History Cards for WSIL-TV|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}}</ref><ref name="Sout520809">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-harrisburg-group-see/128304819/|date=August 9, 1952|page=1|title=Harrisburg Group Seeks TV Station|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074235/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-harrisburg-group-see/128304819/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sat -->

With the permit in hand, Turner-Farrar began construction on the station's studio facility in what was known as the Lockwood building on Poplar Street in Harrisburg, absorbing a former billiards hall in the process.<ref name="Dail530429">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-local-tv-likely-ready/128304846/|date=April 29, 1953|page=1|title=Local TV Likely Ready By November: Equipment is Ordered by Turner-Farrar|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074238/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-local-tv-likely-ready/128304846/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> A {{convert|550|ft|m|adj=on}} tower was erected on the site for the transmission facility.<ref name="Dail531014">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-november-set-for-open/128304929/|date=October 14, 1953|page=1|title=November Set For Opening of Station WSIL-TV: Reconstruct Former Lockwood Building for Complete Studio|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074233/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-november-set-for-open/128304929/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> The station began broadcasting a test pattern on December 3, 1953. Two days later, an open house was held at the studios,<ref name="Dail531204">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-wsil-tv-to-hold-open/128305030/|date=December 4, 1953|page=Special 1|title=WSIL-TV To Hold Open House Saturday: Station About Ready to Begin TV Programs|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074730/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-wsil-tv-to-hold-open/128305030/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --> and regular programming from Southern Illinois's first TV station began on December 6.<ref name="Dail531207">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-station-wsiltv-on-ai/128708969/|date=December 7, 1953|page=1|title=Station WSIL-TV On Air with First Formal Telecast|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074729/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-station-wsiltv-on-ai/128708969/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon -->

The station had no network affiliation in its early months,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-TV-Digest/50s/Television-Digest-1953-12.pdf#page=16|work=Television Digest|page=2|title=9 More Start Testing, But Canada Adds One|date=December 12, 1953|access-date=May 9, 2025|archive-date=January 31, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250131010350/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-TV-Digest/50s/Television-Digest-1953-12.pdf#page=16|url-status=live}}</ref> but it added ABC in March 1954,<ref name="Dail540319">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-wsil-tv-signs-abc-agr/128708927/|date=March 19, 1954|page=1|title=WSIL-TV Signs ABC Agreement|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074757/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-wsil-tv-signs-abc-agr/128708927/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --> followed by [[NBC]] in December 1955.<ref name="Dail551201">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-wsil-affiliates-with/128708880/|date=December 1, 1955|page=1|title=WSIL Affiliates With NBC; Will Telecast Programs|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074730/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-wsil-affiliates-with/128708880/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu -->

===Move to channel 3; construction of KPOB===
Soon after starting WSIL-TV on channel 22, Turner-Farrar petitioned for the FCC to assign a channel in the more widely available VHF band. In its first attempt, denied in July 1956, the company attempted to have channel 13 relocated to Harrisburg from [[Bowling Green, Kentucky]].<ref name="Sout560720">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-tv-channel-change-de/128305079/|date=July 20, 1956|page=3|title=TV Channel Change Denied|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074730/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-tv-channel-change-de/128305079/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --> The next month, Turner-Farrar applied to have channel 22 changed to channel 3.<ref>{{Cite news|id={{ProQuest|1401221743}}|page=76|work=Broadcasting|title=These Want Changes|date=August 13, 1956}}</ref> This proposal, along with the addition of educational channel 8 to [[Carbondale, Illinois|Carbondale]], was approved by the FCC in March 1958;<ref>{{cite news|page=9|date=March 24, 1958|title=FCC Refuses to Deintermix Champaign-Urbana, Ill., Area|work=Broadcasting|id={{ProQuest|1401225867}} }}</ref> in doing so, the commission rejected a competing proposal to allocate channel 3 to Carbondale.<ref name="Dail580322">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-fcc-allocates-channel/128305104/|date=March 22, 1958|page=1|title=FCC Allocates Channel 3 to Station WSIL-TV|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723074733/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-fcc-allocates-channel/128305104/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sat --> Construction of the channel 3 facility was completed in early March 1959,<ref name="Dail590302">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-wsil-showing-test-pat/128305270/|date=March 2, 1959|page=1|title=WSIL Showing Test Pattern on Channel 3|newspaper=The Daily Register|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723075736/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-register-wsil-showing-test-pat/128305270/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon --> and on March 4, WSIL-TV signed on channel 3 from a new transmitter in Creal Springs, increasing its coverage area;<ref name="Sout590305">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-channel-3-adds-vhf-c/128305278/|date=March 5, 1959|page=15|title=Channel 3 Adds VHF Channel For Area Viewers|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080232/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-channel-3-adds-vhf-c/128305278/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> the original tower at Harrisburg remained in place and was utilized for communications purposes.<ref name="Eldo650628">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/eldorado-daily-journal-turner-farrar-wi/83084901/|date=June 28, 1965|page=30|title=Turner-Farrar, With Theatres and TV, Strives To Keep Pace With Viewing Entertainment Tastes|newspaper=Eldorado Daily Journal|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080237/https://www.newspapers.com/article/eldorado-daily-journal-turner-farrar-wi/83084901/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon --> Coinciding with the move to VHF, WSIL-TV became ABC's 87th primary affiliate.<ref>{{cite news|page=38|title=WSIL-TV Joins ABC-TV Network|work=Broadcasting|id={{ProQuest|1401229741}} |date=September 15, 1958}}</ref>

In May 1960, the Turner–Farrar Association applied to the FCC to build UHF channel 15 in Poplar Bluff to serve southeast Missouri.<ref name="Week600609">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/weekly-citizen-democrat-fcc-asked-for-pe/126436825/|date=June 9, 1960|page=1|title=FCC Asked For Permit To Build TV Station Here|newspaper=Weekly Citizen Democrat|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 15, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080241/https://www.newspapers.com/article/weekly-citizen-democrat-fcc-asked-for-pe/126436825/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The transmitter was completed in August 1961, and KPOB-TV began broadcasting programs on September 1 of that year.<ref name="Dail610808">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-test-pattern-for/126436835/|date=August 8, 1961|page=3|title=Test Pattern For KPOB-TV Started Today|newspaper=Daily American Republic|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 15, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080232/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-test-pattern-for/126436835/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> KPOB-TV was off the air on several occasions in its first 15 years: for over a month in June and July 1962 (due to lack of network signal), from September 1966 to October 1967 for renovations,<ref name="Post660923">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-tribune-poplar-bluff-tv-station/172053928/|date=September 23, 1966|page=8|title=Poplar Bluff TV Station Off Air|newspaper=The Post-Tribune|location=Parma, Missouri|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 9, 2025}}</ref><!-- Fri --> and for more than a month in 1974 for construction.<ref name="hc-15">{{Cite web|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=85317|title=FCC History Cards for KPOB-TV|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=January 5, 2025|archive-date=March 17, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250317141810/https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=85317|url-status=live}}</ref> The last of these outages, from April 1976 to January 1977, was for financial reasons. During this time, WSIL attempted to sell KPOB-TV to the Hernreich Group, which would have switched it to rebroadcasting [[KAIT]] in [[Jonesboro, Arkansas]], but negotiations proved unfruitful.<ref name="Dail760414">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-kpob-goes-off-th/126436876/|date=April 14, 1976|page=1|title=Kpob Goes Off the Air|newspaper=Daily American Republic|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 15, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080238/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-kpob-goes-off-th/126436876/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --><ref name="Dail760716">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-arkansas-firm-ne/126436882/|date=July 16, 1976|page=1|title=Arkansas Firm Negotiating To Purchase Local Station|newspaper=Daily American Republic|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 15, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080734/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-arkansas-firm-ne/126436882/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --><ref name="Dail761223">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-kpob-announces-i/126436927/|date=December 23, 1976|page=1|first=Roger|last=Lopata|title=KPOB Announces It Will Resume Broadcasts|newspaper=Daily American Republic|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 15, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080807/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-kpob-announces-i/126436927/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> In the early 1980s, KPOB briefly broadcast some local programming of its own.<ref name="Dail820920">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-kpob-begins-loca/126472108/|date=September 20, 1982|page=6|first=John R.|last=Stanard|title=KPOB Begins Local Programming|newspaper=Daily American Republic|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 15, 2023|archive-date=June 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615224014/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-kpob-begins-loca/126472108/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon --><ref name="Dail830314">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-wsil-manager-end/126472035/|date=March 14, 1983|page=8|first=Robin|last=Divine|title=WSIL Manager Ends KPOB Local Originations|newspaper=Daily American Republic|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 15, 2023|archive-date=June 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616005324/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-american-republic-wsil-manager-end/126472035/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon -->

===New ownership in the 1980s===
Turner-Farrar continued in the television business until 1980, when it announced it would sell WSIL-TV and KPOB in what amounted to a partial trade. As part of the transaction, one of the owners, O. L. Turner, acquired radio stations [[WEBQ (AM)|WEBQ]] and [[WOOZ-FM|WEBQ-FM]] in Harrisburg from Macauley "Mackie" Nicholes, the radio voice of [[Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball]], who became one of several stockholders in the new ownership of the television stations.<ref name="Sout801205">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-saluki-basketball-po/128305337/|date=December 5, 1980|page=3|first=Ed|last=Bean|title=Saluki basketball possible: Sale of WSIL-TV could bring changes|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080735/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-saluki-basketball-po/128305337/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --> FCC approval was granted in May 1981, allowing the $3 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|3000000|1981}}}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}) TV station transaction and $700,000 (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|700000|1981}}}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}) radio station sale to go forward.<ref name="Sout810503">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-fcc-grants-approval/128305522/|date=May 3, 1981|page=3|title=FCC grants approval to sale of WSIL-TV|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080735/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-fcc-grants-approval/128305522/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun --> 

Nicholes, who together with cable television system operator John Kirby owned 92 percent of WSIL's stock,{{r|Sout810503}} faced a monumental task in trying to improve WSIL-TV. A feature in ''[[The Southern Illinoisan]]'' noted that under Turner-Farrar's stewardship, channel 3 had equipment dating back to the 1950s and operated on a very low budget. It had a local reputation, per the newspaper, as "a station that illustrates a flood by showing its audience a hand-drawn picture of a lake in the corner of the screen, rather than sending a film crew to the scene".{{r|Sout810531}} When Nicholes and Kirby took over, they inherited a station which had 30 total employees, including five news staffers; its principal competitors in the region—NBC affiliate [[WPSD-TV]] in [[Paducah, Kentucky]], and [[CBS]] affiliate [[KFVS-TV]] in [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]]—each had more than 20 people in their news departments and employed over 90 people total. WSIL's newscasts attracted five percent of the audience compared to 38 and 42 percent for the other stations, respectively. Further, channel 3's {{convert|887|ft|m|adj=on}} tower in Creal Springs was much shorter than the {{convert|2000|ft|m|adj=on}} structures of its rivals, limiting WSIL's reach. While it covered the Illinois portion of the market, it had inferior coverage in the Kentucky and Missouri portions, and FCC-imposed restrictions on the channel 3 allotment prevented it from obtaining signal parity with KFVS and WPSD. With this in mind, Nicholes decided to focus channel 3's news department almost exclusively on Southern Illinois. While he conceded the signal limitations would consign WSIL to third place in the market, he said he was determined to contend in Southern Illinois.<ref name="Sout810531">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-channel-3-gets-ready/128305365/|date=May 31, 1981|page=32|first=Ed|last=Bean|title=Channel 3 gets ready to do battle|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080736/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-channel-3-gets-ready/128305365/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun --> 

In 1981, for the first fall season under the new owners, the station revamped its evening lineup; it ceased the practice of tape-delaying ''[[ABC World News Tonight|World News Tonight]]''.<ref name="Hard810730">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/hardin-county-independent-channel-3-to-b/128710731/|date=July 30, 1981|page=8|title=Channel 3 to Begin Era Under New Ownership|newspaper=Hardin County Independent|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723080736/https://www.newspapers.com/article/hardin-county-independent-channel-3-to-b/128710731/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The station moved its cartoon program, ''Uncle Briggs and the Funny Company'', from early evenings to early mornings;{{r|Hard810730}} the show, which traced its origins back to the station's first day on air in 1953 as a hosted Western movie with a local "Cactus Pete", was canceled in April 1982 as part of an effort to professionalize the station.<ref name="Sout820425">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-uncle-briggs-axed/128305317/|date=April 25, 1982|page=2|first=H. B.|last=Koplowitz|title=Uncle Briggs axed|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723081247/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-uncle-briggs-axed/128305317/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun --> Uncle Briggs, real name [[Briggs Gordon]], continued with WEBQ radio until his death in 1988.<ref name="Sout880214">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-uncle-briggs-dead-at/128710924/|date=February 14, 1988|page=25|first=Nancy|last=Weil|title=Uncle Briggs dead at age 38|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723081247/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-uncle-briggs-dead-at/128710924/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun -->

Nicholes sold his stake in WSIL-TV to Kirby in December 1982.<ref name="Sout821205">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-nicholes-sells-wsil/128305653/|date=December 5, 1982|page=3|title=Nicholes sells WSIL share|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723081244/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-nicholes-sells-wsil/128305653/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun --> Months later, Kirby agreed to sell the station to Mel Wheeler, Inc., a Texas-based radio station owner, for $6.6 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|6600000|1983}}}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}).<ref name="Sout830406">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-wsil-tv-sold-again/128305428/|date=April 6, 1983|page=3|title=WSIL-TV sold again; now to Texas|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723081242/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-wsil-tv-sold-again/128305428/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> The transmitter facility was revamped in 1984, including a {{convert|210|ft|m|adj=on}} height extension to the tower.<ref name="Sout841030">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-tower-power/128710538/|date=October 30, 1984|page=8|title=Tower power|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723081242/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-tower-power/128710538/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> The station also relocated from its increasingly outmoded and cramped Harrisburg studio. In 1983, Wheeler had purchased a tract of land in [[Crainville, Illinois]], a site which would be more centrally located to [[Marion, Illinois|Marion]] and Carbondale for news coverage and advertising sales, but did not make the move; however, serious consideration to leaving Harrisburg for Crainville recurred in 1987.<ref name="Sout880117">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-wsil-eyes-crainville/128305442/|date=January 17, 1988|page=9|first=Dave|last=DeWitte|title=WSIL eyes Crainville site|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723081250/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-wsil-eyes-crainville/128305442/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun --> Construction began on the new facility in September 1988.<ref name="Sout880907">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-tv-station-breaks-gr/128305633/|date=September 7, 1988|page=9|first=Pete|last=Rosenbery|title=TV station breaks ground for new site|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723083249/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-tv-station-breaks-gr/128305633/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed -->

Under Mel Wheeler, Inc., WSIL-TV became a family affair. Steve Wheeler, Mel's son, had become the operations manager and general manager by 1986;<ref name="Sout860822">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-siu-coach-changes-ch/128710515/|date=August 22, 1986|page=24|first=Scott|last=Monserud|title=SIU coach changes channels|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723083252/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-siu-coach-changes-ch/128710515/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --> his wife, Bonnie, served as the news director.<ref name="Sout831005">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-harrisburg-tv-statio/128710450/|date=October 5, 1983|page=WM1|first=Debbie|last=Denman|title=Harrisburg TV station outlines season's plans|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723093248/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-harrisburg-tv-statio/128710450/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --><ref name="Sout840910">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-profile-bonnie-whee/128710525/|date=September 10, 1984|page=8|title=Profile: Bonnie Wheeler|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723083332/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-profile-bonnie-whee/128710525/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon --> Under Wheeler, WSIL-TV continued to focus its news department exclusively on Southern Illinois news. Ratings improved but remained behind the competition; at 10 p.m., when all three local stations aired news, WSIL captured 12 percent of the audience compared to 51 percent watching KFVS and 35 percent viewing WPSD.<ref name="Sout880131">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-news-wars-local-sta/126476816/|date=January 31, 1988|pages=Television 1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-newswars/126476864/ 10]|first=Betsey|last=Guzior|title=News wars: Local stations battling for news audience|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723083248/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-news-wars-local-sta/126476816/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun --> Despite equipment improvements—such as the launch of a digital signal in 2002,{{r|Sout090611}} a refresh of the news set and imaging in 2004,{{r|Sout040117}} and the introduction of high-definition local news in 2010<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/wsiltv-launches-hd-newscast|title=WSIL-TV Launches HD Newscast|last=TVTechnology|website=TVTechnology|date=October 7, 2010|language=en-us|access-date=December 28, 2019|archive-date=December 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228092144/https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/wsiltv-launches-hd-newscast|url-status=live}}</ref>—as well as the launch of a morning newscast in 2004,<ref name="Sout040117">{{Cite news|url=http://thesouthern.com/business/wsil-tv-makeover-expected-to-surprise-viewers/article_dbae94a3-3115-5d57-94ad-1b564d31757e.html|title=WSIL-TV makeover expected to surprise viewers|first=John D.|last=Homan|work=The Southern Illinoisan|date=January 17, 2004|access-date=October 2, 2018|language=en|archive-date=September 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911081709/https://thesouthern.com/business/wsil-tv-makeover-expected-to-surprise-viewers/article_dbae94a3-3115-5d57-94ad-1b564d31757e.html|url-status=live}}</ref> WSIL continued to remain off the pace of KFVS and WPSD; it was third in revenue (using 2013 data) and ratings (as of 2014).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/market-eye-family-style-heartland-dma-135473|first=Michael|last=Malone|work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=November 10, 2014|title=Market Eye: Family Style in Heartland DMA|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=June 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609075257/https://www.nexttv.com/news/market-eye-family-style-heartland-dma-135473|url-status=live}}</ref>

The station was one of 57 ABC affiliates that refused to air ''[[NYPD Blue#Controversy|NYPD Blue]]'' during its first season in 1993–1994 due to objections over its content; the show aired in the market on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[KBSI]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83433912/fox-station-to-air-nypd/|title=Fox station to air 'NYPD'|page=3A|work=The Southern Illinoisan|first=Lucinda|last=Morgan|date=September 23, 1993|accessdate=August 14, 2021|archive-date=August 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814184617/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83433912/fox-station-to-air-nypd/|url-status=live}}</ref> Steve Wheeler appeared on ''[[Good Morning America]]'' to explain his decision; he announced during the interview that if the program was successful, WSIL would reconsider.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=542756&page=1|work=ABC News|date=March 1, 2005|title='NYPD Blue' Tested Limits of Network TV|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423042615/https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=542756&page=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Citing his feeling that the show's content had been toned down since its pilot episode, Wheeler approved the program for air on WSIL-TV beginning in September 1994.<ref name="Sout940924">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-channel-3-picking-up/128710265/|date=September 24, 1994|page=3|title=Channel 3 picking up 'NYPD Blue'|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723083253/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-channel-3-picking-up/128710265/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sat -->

===Quincy and Allen ownership===
On October 31, 2018, [[Quincy Media]] announced that it would acquire WSIL-TV and KPOB-TV for $24.5 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|24500000|2018}}}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}).<ref name="wsiltoquincy">{{cite news|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/224678/quincy-buys-second-station-week/|title=Quincy Buys Second Station This Week|work=TVNewsCheck|date=October 31, 2018|access-date=October 31, 2018|archive-date=October 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031150135/https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/224678/quincy-buys-second-station-week/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wsilgreenlight">{{Cite web |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1795174.pdf |title=Consent to Assignment |website=Federal Communications Commission |access-date=December 21, 2018 |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221233027/https://licensing.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1795174.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The sale was approved by the FCC on December 20<ref name="wsilgreenlight"/> and completed on January 15, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsiltv.com/story/39796647/quincy-media-now-owns-wsil-tv|title=Quincy Media now owns WSIL-TV|publisher=WSIL-TV|date=January 15, 2019|access-date=January 16, 2019|archive-date=January 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116080929/http://www.wsiltv.com/story/39796647/quincy-media-now-owns-wsil-tv|url-status=live}}</ref>

Two years later, on February 1, 2021, [[Gray Television]] announced the purchase of Quincy Media for $925 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|925000000|2021}}}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}). As Gray already owned KFVS-TV, also within the top four stations in ratings in the Paducah–Cape Girardeau–Harrisburg market, it opted to keep that station and sell WSIL–KPOB in order to satisfy FCC requirements.<ref name="graybuysquincy">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/gray-television-quincy-media-for-925-million-in-cash-1234684531/|title=Gray Television Acquires Quincy Media For $925 Million In Cash|first=Jill|last=Goldsmith|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=February 1, 2021|access-date=February 1, 2021|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201150624/https://deadline.com/2021/02/gray-television-quincy-media-for-925-million-in-cash-1234684531/|url-status=live}}</ref> On April 29, 2021, it was announced that Allen Media Broadcasting would acquire WSIL, KPOB, and the remaining Quincy stations not being acquired by Gray Television for $380 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|380000000|2021}}}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}).<ref name="quincytoallen">{{cite news |url = https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/byron-allen-allen-media-tv-stations-gray-1234963299/ |title = Byron Allen's Allen Media Will Buy 7 Stations From Gray TV for $380 Million |work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date = April 29, 2021 |access-date = April 30, 2021 |archive-date = April 29, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210429230719/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/byron-allen-allen-media-tv-stations-gray-1234963299/ |url-status = live }}</ref> The sale was completed on August 2.<ref name="graycomplete">{{cite press release|url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/08/02/2273228/0/en/Gray-Television-Closes-Quincy-Acquisition.html|title=Gray Television Closes Quincy Acquisition|first=Hilton Jr.|last=Howell|work=[[Gray Television]]|publisher=[[Globe Newswire]]|date=August 2, 2021|access-date=August 2, 2021|archive-date=August 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802204730/https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/08/02/2273228/0/en/Gray-Television-Closes-Quincy-Acquisition.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On January 17, 2025, Allen Media Group announced plans to cut local meteorologist/weather forecaster positions from its stations, including WSIL, and replacing them with a "weather hub" produced by [[The Weather Channel]], which AMG also owns. The decision was reversed within a week by management in response to "viewer and advertiser reaction".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.westkentuckystar.com/News/Local-Regional/Changes-coming-to-TV-weather-at-local-stations-inc|work=West Kentucky Star|title=Allen Media reverses course on weather changes at WSIL|date=January 23, 2025|first=Brad|last=Munson|access-date=January 23, 2025|archive-date=January 22, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250122192056/https://westkentuckystar.com/News/Local-Regional/Changes-coming-to-TV-weather-at-local-stations-inc|url-status=live}}</ref>

On June 1, 2025, amid financial woes and rising debt, Allen Media Group announced that it would explore "strategic options" for the company, such as a sale of its television stations (including WSIL/KPOB).<ref>{{cite news|last=Weprin|first=Alex|date=June 1, 2025|title=Byron Allen Puts His Local TV Stations Up for Sale|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/byron-allen-selling-local-tv-stations-up-1236235004/|access-date=June 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Mark K. |date=June 2, 2025 |title=Allen Media Group Retains Moelis To Sell Its TV Stations |url=https://tvnewscheck.com/business/article/allen-media-group-retains-moelis-to-sell-its-tv-stations/ |access-date=June 2, 2025 |website=TVNewsCheck |language=en-US}}</ref>

====Notable former on-air staff====
* [[Tony Laubach]] – meteorologist

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The stations' signals are [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WSIL-TV<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WSIL#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|title=TV Query for WSIL-TV|access-date=July 8, 2014|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714225802/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WSIL#station|url-status=live}}</ref> and KPOB-TV<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KPOB#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|title=TV Query for KPOB|access-date=July 8, 2014|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714145609/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KPOB#station|url-status=live}}</ref>
! scope="col" colspan="2"|[[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope="col" rowspan="2"|[[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope="col" rowspan="2"|[[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope="col" colspan="2"|Short name
! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Programming
|-
! scope="col" | {{small|WSIL-TV}}||{{small|KPOB-TV}}||{{small|WSIL-TV}}||{{small|KPOB-TV}}
|-
! scope="row"| 3.1 || 15.1 
| [[720p]] || rowspan=5|[[16:9]] || WSILABC || rowspan=4|KPOB-TV || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
! scope="row"| 3.2 || 15.2 
| rowspan=4|[[480i]] || HandI || [[Heroes & Icons]]
|-
! scope="row"| 3.3 || 15.3 
| Crime || [[True Crime Network]]
|-
! scope="row"| 3.4 || 15.4 
| CourtTV || [[Court TV]]
|-
! scope="row"| 3.5 || 15.5 
| style="text-align: center;" colspan=2|Ion || [[Ion Television]]
|}

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WSIL-TV ended regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 3, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate.<ref name="Sout090611">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-stations-ready-for-c/128710992/|date=June 11, 2009|pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-tv-digital-switch-f/128710999/ 5A]|first=Codell|last=Rodriguez|title=Stations ready for conversion: After years of preparation, digital TV switch happens Friday|newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 23, 2023|archive-date=July 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723083747/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-stations-ready-for-c/128710992/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 34, using [[virtual channel]] 3.<ref name="Analog to Digital">{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2006 |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |access-date=August 29, 2021 |publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> As part of the [[SAFER Act]], WSIL kept its analog signal on the air until June 26 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of [[public service announcement]]s from the [[National Association of Broadcasters]].<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 14, 2024|archive-date=July 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712062111/https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-291375A1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

KPOB-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 15, on June 12, 2009; the station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 18 to channel 15.{{r|Analog to Digital}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.wsiltv.com/ WSIL-TV/KPOB-TV]
*[http://www.wsilhistory.com/StationHistory/wsil.html WSIL Station History]

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