WAGM-DT2
 | |
| Presque Isle/Caribou, Maine- Edmundston/Fredericton, New Brunswick United States/Canada | |
|---|---|
| City | Presque Isle |
| Branding |
WAGM CBS 8 (general) NewsSource 8 (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Northern Maine's and Western New Brunswick's News & Entertainment Leader |
| Channels |
Digital: WAGM-DT 8.2 (VHF) Virtual: 8.2 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | CBS |
| Owner |
Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC) |
| Call letters' meaning | see WAGM |
| Transmitter power | 10 kW (digital) |
| Height | 350 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 48305 (digital) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 46°33′4″N 67°48′34″W / 46.55111°N 67.80944°W (digital) |
| Website |
www |
WAGM-DT2 is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northern Maine, United States and Western New Brunswick, Canada. It is a second digital subchannel of Fox affiliate WAGM-TV which is owned by Gray Television. Over-the-air, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8.2 from a transmitter on the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain among the wind turbines.
WAGM-DT2 can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 1209.[1][2] Its parent station has studios on Brewer Road/SR 210 in Presque Isle. Syndicated programming on this station includes Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Inside Edition, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show among others.
History
On September 12, 2006, WAGM 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 this second digital 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.
Newscasts
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 closely mirrors local news 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 delay and/or pre-empt the program. In addition, the prime time newscast at 10 was expanded to Saturday nights at that point in time.
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 (its NewsSource 8: The Morning Edition is only seen for sixty minutes starting at 6), a noon newscast and/or a newscast weeknights at 5. When the Fox channel first launched, it replayed the morning broadcast originally at 8 in the morning.