WAGM-TV

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WAGM-TV is a television station located in Presque Isle, Maine. It is a CBS affiliate broadcasting on channel 8, and is the only commercial US TV station broadcasting in the area. The station's signal, broadcasting from Mars Hill Mountain, can be seen across northern Maine and western New Brunswick.

WAGM has three translators, W11AA in Madawaska, W11AY in St. John and W02AU in St. Francis (which also served Edmundston, New Brunswick). WAGM owns only W11AA; the Town of St. John owns W11AY, and the St. Francis Chamber of Commerce owns W02AU. [1]

History

The station first started broadcasting in October 1956, maintaining affiliations with all three of the primary American television networks. This allowed the station to pick and choose the most popular programs for its primetime lineup. By the 1980s, CBS programming became more prevalent than the other two networks, and by 1990 the station started broadcasting the entire CBS primetime lineup, with other network programs airing between 7-8 pm and on weekends.

WAGM also aired National Football League games from Fox in the mid-1990s, making WAGM the only station in the United States to air programs from all four major networks at the same time.

Programming

WAGM gradually stopped airing programming of the other major television networks. The station ceased its affiliation with ABC in 1998. It also began dropping NBC programming about the same time, until Days of Our Lives was the last NBC show left on the station. As of September 2005, that program was dropped, leaving only a few UPN shows airing late at night. Though there's a chance that WAGM may be strictly CBS come September 2006, when The CW launches -- at current, it's not clear if The CW will be seen on WAGM (which will mean only a select few shows on a delayed basis) or cable-only WBPQ (the full line-up, but only to those with cable).

KXGN-TV in Glendive, Montana is the only remaining station affiliated with more than one "big three" network.

The other networks are now available in northern Maine only on cable or satellite. Some programs are also available on Canadian channels with transmitters near the border.

WAGM is the only local daily news source in northern Maine. As such, the station's NewsSource 8 broadcasts have routinely ranked as the highest-rated in the country based on market share. WAGM's news prgramming also has a loyal following in western New Brunswick, especially in the Woodstock, Grand Falls and Edmundston areas. WAGM was also available on cable in the Fredericton area until the early 1990s. The station broadcasts four newscasts a day and a short update at noon. During the fall potato harvest, the annual Potato Picker's Special is broadcast from 4:30 until 6 am for six days a week. The program announces details from area farmers with regards to the harvest.

Schedule

Monday through Friday

6-7 am NewsSource 8: The Morning Edition'
11:59am - 12:01 pm Noon Newsbreak (approx. 2 minutes in length)
5:30 pm NewsSource 8: The First Edition
6:00 pm NewsSource 8: The Evening Edition
11:00 pm NewsSource 8: The Late Edition

Weekends

6 pm- NewsSource 8: The Evening Edition

No late news on weekends

Other local shows

The Dollar Stretcher Show, "on a mission to save you money", is a shopping show which premiered in September 2005, featuring special offers from local retaillers. Dollar Stretcher airs Sunday mornings at 11AM ET, with additional shows during early morning hours and during the evening on weekends.

External links