WAGM-TV
Encyclopedia
WAGM-TV is the CBS
-affiliated television station
for Northern Maine
, United States
and Western New Brunswick, Canada
. Licensed to Presque Isle, Maine
, it broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter on the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain among the wind turbines
. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 508 and on Rogers Cable throughout western New Brunswick. Locally-owned, WAGM has studios on Brewer Road/SR 210
in Presque Isle. Syndicated
programming on the station includes Wheel of Fortune
, Jeopardy!
, Inside Edition
, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
among others.
digital channel. Known on-air as Fox 8, this is also offered on Time Warner
Cable channel 12. Syndicated programming on WAGM-DT1 includes Entertainment Tonight
, The Insider
, Extra
and The People's Court
along with others. WAGM's CBS feed is seen on its second digital subchannel
.
for a forth repeater in digital.
. In 1958, it was acquired by Portland
-based Diversified Communications
as the company's third television station (sister to Bangor
's WABI-TV
and Portland's WMTW). It was co-owned with WAGM-AM 950 until the late-1970s when the radio station was sold-off. This became WKZX in mid-1981 before going dark
in the late-1980s. The radio station's building still exists today but appears abandoned while the three transmitter towers nearby were dismantled sometime in the early-1990s.
From the start, WAGM was affiliated with all the big three
networks allowing it to cherry pick the most popular programs for its prime time lineup. However, it has always been a primary CBS affiliate. By the 1980s, the station began phasing out secondary affiliations with ABC
and NBC
. By 1990, WAGM carried the entire CBS prime time lineup with other network programs airing nightly between 7 and 8. The station dropped ABC completely in 1998 and the last NBC show seen on-air was Days of our Lives
(which disappeared from the schedule in September 2005). KXGN-TV
in Glendive, Montana
became the only remaining television station in the United States affiliated with more than one big three network on a single feed as a dual CBS/NBC affiliate but would eventually move NBC to a digital subchannel in September 2009. Today, WLBZ
and WVII-TV
from Bangor serve as the de-facto NBC and ABC affiliates respectively on Time Warner Cable. When Fox gained broadcasting rights to games from the NFL
's National Football Conference
in 1994, WAGM aired them since there was no affiliate with the network in Presque Isle. This made it the only station in the United States
to air programs from all four major networks
at the same time.
It also aired some UPN
programming during late nights and weekends from 1995 until 2006 when that network closed and merged with The WB to form The CW. Given increasing availability of cable and satellite television
in rural Aroostook County
, the necessity to carry programming from multiple networks decreased. Many stations over the Canadian border in New Brunswick
also serve Aroostook County. It added the -TV suffix in 1980. In 1984, Diversified Communications sold WAGM to current locally-based owner NEPSK, Inc
. The station moved its transmitter site in 1999 to the summit of Big Rock
ski resort
on Mars Hill Mountain's southwestern face. The move placed the antenna at a much higher point greatly improving reception of the signal. This location is where its first digital signal on UHF channel 16 signed-on from.
On September 12, 2006, the station launched a Fox affiliate on its primary digital channel preceding the shutdown of Foxnet
. The national service, comparable to The WB 100+
(also defunct), provided the area's only access to Fox on cable. The change resulted in the main CBS signal moving to a new second subchannel. Such a placement is generally uncommon as most broadcasters number a digital signal equivalent to the analog signal as minor channel
1 and number other subchannels with higher minor channel numbers. This is a similar situation as NBC affiliate WGBC
in Meridian, Mississippi
which moved its original NBC affiliation to a new second digital subchannel so its main channel could join Fox and the Retro Television Network
(RTV). Until Time Warner Cable switched to WAGM's relocated CBS feed, it offered Fox in high definition for a short time on digital channel 508. On November 15, 2007, WAGM created a new separate website for its Fox channel featuring the "My Fox" format and layout from Fox Interactive Media. However, the web address "myfoxaroostook.com" was eventually abandoned.
For the U.S. digital transition
on June 12, 2009, WAGM applied for a 10 kilowatt digital signal and moved its transmitter to the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain. At midnight on June 12, it signed-off the analog channel 8 and digital channel 16 signals for the final time. The next day, the station signed-on a new more powerful digital signal on channel 8. WAGM is seen across Western New Brunswick in Canada and can be picked up over-the-air a few miles outside of Fredericton city limits in communities such as Keswick Ridge
. On cable, it is seen throughout Northwestern New Brunswick towns such as Woodstock
, Grand Falls
, and Edmundston. The station was available to a greater extent in Canada such as in Fredericton
until the advent of satellite-delivered American broadcast stations on Cancom in the early-1990s.
As for national programming, WAGM airs the complete CBS schedule (aside from CBS News
Up to the Minute
) and signs-off every night. During the fall potato harvest (potatoes being the most important industry in the region), the annual Potato Picker's Special is aired from 4:30 until 6 in the morning for six days a week on WAGM. The program announces details from area farmers with regards to the harvest. A local version of The Dollar Saver Show (known on WAGM as Dollar Stretcher Show) also airs. The format, originated by WPME
and WPXT
in Portland, mostly sells discounted certificates for area businesses available through a toll-free phone number.
market
share. The station serves a large area, but its primary market is Aroostook County which is about the size of Connecticut
and Rhode Island
combined. Given the station's transmitter location in close proximity to Canada, it also covers news and weather in Western New Brunswick. The small market nature of WAGM tends to result in a high employee turnover rate with most personalities staying at the station for only a year or two before moving on to a larger market.
Nevertheless, a few personnel have been with WAGM for more than a few years including Assistant News Director and Sports Director
Rene Cloukey
, as well as weeknight news anchor and reporter Shawn Cunningham. Another long-lasting employee no longer with the station is Station Manager and News Director
Jon Gulliver
as well as former News Director Sue Bernard. Current Chief Meteorologist Ted Shapiro has been with WAGM since being ousted from Bangor's WVII. That station axed its weather department and outsourced forecast segments to AccuWeather
in State College, Pennsylvania
. Ironically, WAGM uses some of the company's CinemaLive weather graphics system in its own forecast segments.
With the September 12, 2006 launch of Fox on its main channel came a new prime time weeknight newscast known as NewsSource 8 at 10. This program mirrors local shows seen on the CBS channel. On April 11, 2009 due to a decrease in sponsorship, increased pre-emptions from network sports coverage, and financial reasons, WAGM stopped airing a Saturday night newscast at 6. In late-September 2010, NewsSource 8: The Saturday Edition was brought back but is now normally shown on the Fox channel. However, it can still be seen on the CBS channel should network coverage pre-empt the program.
In addition, the prime time newscast at 10 was expanded to Saturday nights. On August 23, 2010, WAGM renovated its news and weather set but kept the same music theme and graphics package. Unlike most CBS affiliates, WAGM does not air a weekday morning show for two hours and/or a newscast weeknights at 5. NewsSource 8: The Morning Edition is seen for an hour starting at 6. When the Fox channel
first launched, it replayed that broadcast originally at 8 in the morning. This was eventually moved to 9 and then dropped altogether at some point in time.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Northern Maine
Maine North Woods
The Maine North Woods is the northern geographic area of the state of Maine in the United States.It covers more than 3.5 million acres of top forest land in north-western Maine. It includes western Aroostook and northern Somerset, Penobscot, and Piscataquis counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Western New Brunswick, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Licensed to Presque Isle, Maine
Presque Isle, Maine
Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in the sparsely populated Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,692 at the 2010 census...
, it broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter on the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain among the wind turbines
Wind power in Maine
There are several wind power projects in the state of Maine. Former Governor John Baldacci has set a goal for the state of 2,000 megawatts of wind power installed by 2015 and 3,000 MW by 2020....
. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 508 and on Rogers Cable throughout western New Brunswick. Locally-owned, WAGM has studios on Brewer Road/SR 210
Maine State Route 210
State Route 210 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways. It runs in a loop from the intersection of U.S. Route 1/State Route 164 northeast and back around to U.S. 1 within Presque Isle. The route was originally designated in 1925, and ran between Fryeburg and North Waterford. During...
in Presque Isle. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on the station includes Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
among others.
Digital programming
WAGM operates the area's Fox affiliate on its mainWAGM-DT1
WAGM-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Northern Maine, United States and Western New Brunswick, Canada. It is seen on the main channel of CBS affiliate WAGM-TV which is locally-owned by NEPSK, Inc. Over-the-air, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel...
digital channel. Known on-air as Fox 8, this is also offered on Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
Cable channel 12. Syndicated programming on WAGM-DT1 includes Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
, Extra
Extra (TV series)
Extra is an American entertainment television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in syndication. It is produced at Victory Studios in Glendale, California by Telepictures Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution...
and The People's Court
The People's Court
The People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....
along with others. WAGM's CBS feed is seen on its second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
.
| Channel | Name | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | WAGM-DT1 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | WAGM-DT1 "Fox 8" |
| 8.2 | WAGM-HD | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 | main WAGM programming/CBS (HD) |
Repeaters
In addition to the main signal, WAGM operates three translators (two analog and one digital). There is a construction permitConstruction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
for a forth repeater in digital.
| Call letters | Channel | City of license | Licensee | Transmitter location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W02AU | 2 | St. Francis St. Francis, Maine St. Francis is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States on the Canadian border at the junction of the St. Francis River and the Saint John River. The population was 577 at the 2000 census... |
St. Francis Chamber of Commerce Chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community... |
north of Back Settlement |
| W11AA | 11 | Madawaska Madawaska, Maine Madawaska is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,035 at the 2010 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston in Madawaska County in New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston-Madawaska Bridge. Today many of its residents speak French; 83.4% of... |
NEPSK, Inc. | southeast of town center |
| W11AY-D (digital) | 11 | St. John Plantation | the town Plantation (Maine) In the U.S. state of Maine, a plantation is a type of minor civil division falling between township and town. The term, as used in this sense in modern times, appears to be exclusive to Maine.... |
south of St. John Road/SR 161 Maine State Route 161 State Route 161 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways. It runs from Fort Fairfield to Allagash. It begins at an intersection with U.S. 1A in Fort Fairfield, and deadends at the St. John River west of Allagash..... |
| W16DA-D | 16 | Fort Kent Fort Kent, Maine Fort Kent is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,097 in the 2010 census. Fort Kent is home to an Olympic biathlete training center, an annual CAN-AM dogsled race, and the Fort Kent Blockhouse, built in reaction to the Aroostook War and in modern times designated... |
NEPSK, Inc. | east of town center |
History
The station signed-on October 13, 1956 as WAGM and aired an analog signal on VHF channel 8. The transmitter was behind the station's Brewer Road studios providing a coverage area limited to the immediate area including Presque Isle and CaribouCaribou, Maine
Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 8,189 at the 2010 census.-History:Between 1838 and 1839, the undeclared Aroostook War flared between the United States and Canada, and the Battle of Caribou occurred in December 1838...
. In 1958, it was acquired by Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
-based Diversified Communications
Diversified Communications
Diversified Communications is a broadcasting company, headquartered in Portland, Maine. Among the various publications and broadcast outlets, the company organizes trade shows, publishes magazines, produces digital business and operates broadcast stations....
as the company's third television station (sister to Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
's WABI-TV
WABI-TV
WABI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central and Eastern Maine licensed to Bangor. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Peaked Mountain in Dixmont. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 6 and in high definition...
and Portland's WMTW). It was co-owned with WAGM-AM 950 until the late-1970s when the radio station was sold-off. This became WKZX in mid-1981 before going dark
Off-the-air
In telecommunication, the term off-air or off-the-air has the following meanings:# In radio communications systems, pertaining to a radio station or television station that is completely shut down, i.e. that is not transmitting any signal, not even an un-modulated carrier wave...
in the late-1980s. The radio station's building still exists today but appears abandoned while the three transmitter towers nearby were dismantled sometime in the early-1990s.
From the start, WAGM was affiliated with all the big three
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
networks allowing it to cherry pick the most popular programs for its prime time lineup. However, it has always been a primary CBS affiliate. By the 1980s, the station began phasing out secondary affiliations with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. By 1990, WAGM carried the entire CBS prime time lineup with other network programs airing nightly between 7 and 8. The station dropped ABC completely in 1998 and the last NBC show seen on-air was Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
(which disappeared from the schedule in September 2005). KXGN-TV
KXGN-TV
KXGN-TV channel 5 is a television station in Glendive, Montana, a primarily agricultural region in eastern Montana, which is the smallest of the 210 US Nielsen-designated broadcast television market areas in the United States; the market serves a total potential home-market audience of a mere five...
in Glendive, Montana
Glendive, Montana
Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census.The town of Glendive is located in South Eastern Montana and is considered by many as an agricultural hub of Eastern Montana...
became the only remaining television station in the United States affiliated with more than one big three network on a single feed as a dual CBS/NBC affiliate but would eventually move NBC to a digital subchannel in September 2009. Today, WLBZ
WLBZ
WLBZ is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central and Eastern Maine licensed to Bangor. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 2 from a transmitter on Rider Bluff in Holden. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 3 and in high definition on digital...
and WVII-TV
WVII-TV
WVII-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central and Eastern Maine licensed to Bangor. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter on Black Cap Mountain along the Penobscot and Hancock County line. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable...
from Bangor serve as the de-facto NBC and ABC affiliates respectively on Time Warner Cable. When Fox gained broadcasting rights to games from the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
in 1994, WAGM aired them since there was no affiliate with the network in Presque Isle. This made it the only station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to air programs from all four major networks
Fourth television network
In American television terminology, a fourth network is a reference to a fourth broadcast television network, as opposed to the Big Three television networks that dominated US TV from the 1950s to the 1990s: ABC, CBS, and NBC....
at the same time.
It also aired some UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
programming during late nights and weekends from 1995 until 2006 when that network closed and merged with The WB to form The CW. Given increasing availability of cable and satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
in rural Aroostook County
Aroostook County, Maine
Aroostook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 71,870. In land area, it is the largest county in the state and the largest U.S. county east of the Mississippi River. Its seat is Houlton...
, the necessity to carry programming from multiple networks decreased. Many stations over the Canadian border in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
also serve Aroostook County. It added the -TV suffix in 1980. In 1984, Diversified Communications sold WAGM to current locally-based owner NEPSK, Inc
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
. The station moved its transmitter site in 1999 to the summit of Big Rock
Big Rock (ski resort)
Bigrock Ski Area is located in Mars Hill, Maine, on the western face of Mars Hill. It is one of the larger ski resorts in the State of Maine with 2 chairlifts, 26 trails, 80% snowmaking, night skiing, and almost 1000 ft of continuous vertical drop.-Terrain:Most of the terrain at...
ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
on Mars Hill Mountain's southwestern face. The move placed the antenna at a much higher point greatly improving reception of the signal. This location is where its first digital signal on UHF channel 16 signed-on from.
On September 12, 2006, the station launched a Fox affiliate on its primary digital channel preceding the shutdown of Foxnet
Foxnet
Foxnet was a cable network that was available to markets in the United States without an affiliate of the Fox Network. It was usually available in very small television markets....
. The national service, comparable to The WB 100+
The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group was a group of primarily non-broadcast local cable television outlets for The WB Television Network, for markets below the top 100 television media markets in the United States. Dayparts with no WB programming were programmed by the network...
(also defunct), provided the area's only access to Fox on cable. The change resulted in the main CBS signal moving to a new second subchannel. Such a placement is generally uncommon as most broadcasters number a digital signal equivalent to the analog signal as minor channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
1 and number other subchannels with higher minor channel numbers. This is a similar situation as NBC affiliate WGBC
WGBC
WGBC is the Fox-affiliated television station for Meridian, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 31 from a transmitter at studios on Crestview Drive south of downtown. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 7 and in high definition on digital channel 432...
in Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
which moved its original NBC affiliation to a new second digital subchannel so its main channel could join Fox and the Retro Television Network
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
(RTV). Until Time Warner Cable switched to WAGM's relocated CBS feed, it offered Fox in high definition for a short time on digital channel 508. On November 15, 2007, WAGM created a new separate website for its Fox channel featuring the "My Fox" format and layout from Fox Interactive Media. However, the web address "myfoxaroostook.com" was eventually abandoned.
For the U.S. digital transition
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
on June 12, 2009, WAGM applied for a 10 kilowatt digital signal and moved its transmitter to the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain. At midnight on June 12, it signed-off the analog channel 8 and digital channel 16 signals for the final time. The next day, the station signed-on a new more powerful digital signal on channel 8. WAGM is seen across Western New Brunswick in Canada and can be picked up over-the-air a few miles outside of Fredericton city limits in communities such as Keswick Ridge
Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick
Keswick Ridge is a Canadian rural community in York County, New Brunswick. First settled by the sons and daughters of the Loyalist from the Massachusetts, the cummunity still maintains its Loyalist roots....
. On cable, it is seen throughout Northwestern New Brunswick towns such as Woodstock
Woodstock, New Brunswick
Woodstock is a Canadian town in Carleton County, New Brunswick located on the west bank of the Saint John River at the mouth of the Meduxnekeag River, 92 km west of Fredericton and close to the Canada – United States border and Houlton, Maine.- History :Woodstock was settled by Loyalists...
, Grand Falls
Grand Falls, New Brunswick
Grand Falls is a Canadian town located in Victoria County, New Brunswick.Situated on the Saint John River, the town derives its name from a waterfall created by a series of rock ledges over which the river drops 23 metres.-Geography:Grand Falls is located in the valley of the St...
, and Edmundston. The station was available to a greater extent in Canada such as in Fredericton
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
until the advent of satellite-delivered American broadcast stations on Cancom in the early-1990s.
As for national programming, WAGM airs the complete CBS schedule (aside from CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
Up to the Minute
Up to the Minute
Up to the Minute is a CBS overnight broadcast which offers hard news, features, interviews, weather, sports, business and commentary. Up to the Minute draws from the full resources of CBS News, including the CBS Evening News, Newspath, affiliate stations, the CBS Radio Network and Reuters Television...
) and signs-off every night. During the fall potato harvest (potatoes being the most important industry in the region), the annual Potato Picker's Special is aired from 4:30 until 6 in the morning for six days a week on WAGM. The program announces details from area farmers with regards to the harvest. A local version of The Dollar Saver Show (known on WAGM as Dollar Stretcher Show) also airs. The format, originated by WPME
WPME
WPME is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire licensed to Lewiston, Maine. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter in South Gray along I-95/Maine Turnpike/Gold Star Memorial Highway. The station can...
and WPXT
WPXT
WPXT is the CW-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire licensed to Portland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter in South Gray along I-95/Maine Turnpike/Gold Star Memorial Highway...
in Portland, mostly sells discounted certificates for area businesses available through a toll-free phone number.
News operation
WAGM's NewsSource 8 broadcasts have routinely ranked as the highest-rated local newscasts in the United States based on NielsenNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
share. The station serves a large area, but its primary market is Aroostook County which is about the size of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
combined. Given the station's transmitter location in close proximity to Canada, it also covers news and weather in Western New Brunswick. The small market nature of WAGM tends to result in a high employee turnover rate with most personalities staying at the station for only a year or two before moving on to a larger market.
Nevertheless, a few personnel have been with WAGM for more than a few years including Assistant News Director and Sports Director
Sports Director
A sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
Rene Cloukey
Rene Cloukey
Rene Cloukey is an Assistant News Director and Sports Director for WAGM-TV, who has been reporting on local sports since 1984.-Early life:Rene was born in Sheridan, Maine, and was educated at Ashland Community High School and the Northeast School Of Broadcasting in Boston, Massachusetts...
, as well as weeknight news anchor and reporter Shawn Cunningham. Another long-lasting employee no longer with the station is Station Manager and News Director
News Director
A news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
Jon Gulliver
Jon Gulliver
Jon Gulliver is a retired news director who worked as a news director and reporter for WAGM-TV in Presque Isle, Maine.-Early life:Jon was born in Houlton, Maine. According to his blog, Gulliver first appeared on "The Bozo Show" on WABI-TV when he was five. Gulliver was educated at and graduated...
as well as former News Director Sue Bernard. Current Chief Meteorologist Ted Shapiro has been with WAGM since being ousted from Bangor's WVII. That station axed its weather department and outsourced forecast segments to AccuWeather
AccuWeather
AccuWeather is an American media company that provides for-profit weather forecasting services worldwide.AccuWeather was founded in 1962 by Joel N. Myers, then a Penn State graduate student working on degrees in meteorology. His first customer was a gas company in Pennsylvania. While running the...
in State College, Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
. Ironically, WAGM uses some of the company's CinemaLive weather graphics system in its own forecast segments.
With the September 12, 2006 launch of Fox on its main channel came a new prime time weeknight newscast known as NewsSource 8 at 10. This program mirrors local shows seen on the CBS channel. On April 11, 2009 due to a decrease in sponsorship, increased pre-emptions from network sports coverage, and financial reasons, WAGM stopped airing a Saturday night newscast at 6. In late-September 2010, NewsSource 8: The Saturday Edition was brought back but is now normally shown on the Fox channel. However, it can still be seen on the CBS channel should network coverage pre-empt the program.
In addition, the prime time newscast at 10 was expanded to Saturday nights. On August 23, 2010, WAGM renovated its news and weather set but kept the same music theme and graphics package. Unlike most CBS affiliates, WAGM does not air a weekday morning show for two hours and/or a newscast weeknights at 5. NewsSource 8: The Morning Edition is seen for an hour starting at 6. When the Fox channel
WAGM-DT1
WAGM-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Northern Maine, United States and Western New Brunswick, Canada. It is seen on the main channel of CBS affiliate WAGM-TV which is locally-owned by NEPSK, Inc. Over-the-air, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel...
first launched, it replayed that broadcast originally at 8 in the morning. This was eventually moved to 9 and then dropped altogether at some point in time.
News team
- Rene CloukeyRene CloukeyRene Cloukey is an Assistant News Director and Sports Director for WAGM-TV, who has been reporting on local sports since 1984.-Early life:Rene was born in Sheridan, Maine, and was educated at Ashland Community High School and the Northeast School Of Broadcasting in Boston, Massachusetts...
- Assistant News Director and Sports Director seen weeknights at 6, 10, and 11 - Ted Shapiro (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Seal of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist seen weeknights - Shawn Cunningham - reporter
- Dick Palm - weekday morning news anchor and reporter weeknights at 6
- Kelly O'Mara - weekday morning weather anchor and reporter
- Laura Thomas - News Director/anchor
- Chris Weimer - anchor
- Randi Nissenbaum - weekend anchor/reporter/fill-in weather anchor
- Jenna Callari - reporter/weekend sports anchor
- Gina DiPietro - reporter