on march 5, 2012, wtvo launched a two-hour-long extension of its weekday morning show on wqrf. known as "fox 39 news in the morning", this can be seen from 7 until 9 offering a local alternative to the national morning programs that air on the area's big three outlets. wifr was the first television station in rockford to upgrade its newscasts to high definition followed by wrex on december 12, 2010. on december 18, 2012, wtvo and wqrf debuted a brand new set, news music package, and graphics scheme that is based on the "eyewitness news" branding seen on other nexstar/mission television stations. on april 24, 2013, wqrf began broadcasting local news content in high definition.