WQAD is ready to switch from a rebroadcast to LIVE at 9:00 p.m. on its MyTV digital subchannel.

WQAD-TV 8 / Moline – Rock Island, IL – Davenport – Bettendorf, IA (“WQAD”)

WQAD-DT 8.3 / Moline – Rock Island, IL – Davenport – Bettendorf, IA (“MyTV 8.3”)

FIRST ON THE BLOG: Usually, you don’t hear about a new newscast coming to a specific market from a blog post about your life or what not. But that’s exactly where I heard about this one and for the first time ever, the Quad Cities will get competition for local news at 9:00pm.

WQAD 8 will switch its 9:00pm news presentation on its MyTV subchannel, WQAD 8.3 (MyTV) which is known as MyTV 8.3, from a rebroadcast of its 5:00pm newscast to a LIVE newscast at 9:00pm called WQAD News 8 at 9:00 on MyTV 8.3. The new half-hour weeknight newscast will be anchored by Angie Sharp, who first made the announcement on her blog at WQAD.com called The Sharp Side (no pun intended).

NEW POST on #TheSharpSide… and a new job, too! https://t.co/oDglWhKktv pic.twitter.com/f3onAY7Dfn

— Angie Sharp (@WQADAngieSharp) December 28, 2015

WQAD’s Angie Sharp, who will helm the new half-hour weeknight 9:00pm broadcast on WQAD 8.3 (MyTV 8.3) starting Monday January 4th, 2016.

The new half-hour newscast will compete against already-established KLJB 18 (FOX)’s nightly half-hour The FOX 18 – 9:00 O’Clock News for local news in that market in the area (I’m hearing that the broadcast may be extended and may switch news partners from KWQC 6 (NBC) to WHBF 4 (CBS) as early as this Thursday, but as soon as I have confirmation, I will post that separately).

It’s funny that I mentioned KLJB 18 in the last paragraph because this is not WQAD 8’s first time in producing a 9:00pm newscast. On August 6th, 2010, WQAD 8 took over newscast production responsibilities on KLJB 18 from the now-defunct INN: The Independent News Network, which was based in Davenport, IA. WQAD 8 and KLJB 18 ended the agreement on December 31st, 2012 and the station started an agreement with KWQC 6 to provide its 9:00pm newscast (again as I mentioned above, it could switch its news partners again as early this week, but nothing’s confirmed yet). So this will basically be a return to WQAD 8 at 9:00pm for the first time in three years.

Competition in Quad Cities primetime news will soon begin. For viewers looking for an alternative option, then WQAD 8 on WQAD 8.3 is the place to be. Enjoy the new year and the new alternative newscast, Quad Cities!