View source for WGME-TV

{{Short description|Television station in Portland, Maine}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = WGME-TV
| logo = WGME 2006 flat.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| image = Wpfo-logo.svg
| image_size = 220px
| branding = {{ubl|CBS 13|Fox 23 (13.2)}}
| analog =
| digital = 15 ([[UHF]])
| virtual = 13
| translators =
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''13.1:''' [[CBS]]|'''13.2:''' [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]|'''13.3:''' [[The Nest (TV network)|The Nest]]}}
| founded =
| airdate = {{start date|1954|5|16}}
| location = [[Portland, Maine]]
| country = United States
| callsign_meaning = "We're Gannett of Maine", for former owner [[Guy Gannett]]
| former_callsigns = WGAN-TV (1954–1983)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 13 ([[VHF]], 1954–2009)|'''Digital:''' 38 (UHF, 2002–2019)}}
| owner = [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]]
| licensee = WGME Licensee, [[LLC]]
| sister_stations = [[WPFO]]
| erp = 1,000 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|500|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| class =
| facility_id = 25683
| coordinates = {{coord|43|55|29|N|70|29|27|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{ubl|'''13.1:''' {{URL|https://wgme.com/}}|'''13.2:''' {{URL|https://fox23maine.com/}}}}
}}
'''WGME-TV''' (channel 13) is a television station in [[Portland, Maine]], United States, affiliated with [[CBS]] and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]. It is owned by [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]], which provides certain services to [[Waterville, Maine|Waterville]]-licensed  [[WPFO]] (channel 23) under a [[local marketing agreement]] (LMA) with [[Cunningham Broadcasting]]. However, Sinclair effectively owns WPFO as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The two stations share studios on Northport Drive in the [[North Deering]] section of Portland; WGME-TV's transmitter is located on Brown Hill west of [[Raymond, Maine|Raymond]]. The station also maintains regional studios in the [[Lewiston, Maine|Lewiston]]–[[Auburn, Maine|Auburn]] area, and the state capital of [[Augusta, Maine|Augusta]].

==History==
[[File:WGAN-TV Logo.jpeg|thumb|WGAN-TV logo]]
The station's first broadcast was on May&nbsp;16, 1954, as WGAN-TV, owned by [[Guy Gannett Communications]] (no relation to the [[Gannett Company]] or its television spinoff, [[Tegna Inc.|Tegna]], which owns [[WCSH]], channel 6) along with [[WGAN]] (AM&nbsp;560) and the ''[[Portland Press-Herald]]'' daily newspaper.<ref>[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=86164 FCC History Cards for WGAN-TV (WGME-TV)]. [[Federal Communications Commission]].</ref> (An [[FM broadcasting|FM]] station, 102.9 [[WBLM|WGAN-FM]] was added in 1967.)<ref>[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 pg. C-94]]</ref> The {{convert|493.5|m|ft|0|adj=mid|-tall|order=flip}} transmission tower, situated near Route 121 in Raymond, was built during 1959. It was, according to the 1999 ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'', the [[List of tallest buildings and structures|world's tallest architectural structure]] at the time. This record was surpassed in 1960 by [[KFVS-TV]]'s [[KFVS TV Mast|tower]] in [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]], but the tower remained the tallest structure in Maine until the construction of [[WMTW (TV)|WMTW's tower]] in 2002.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

When the radio stations were sold to Taylor Communications of Maine during 1983,<ref name="Even830819">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-express-staff-to-stay-taylor-co/133271683/|date=August 19, 1983|page=9|title=Staff to stay: Taylor Communications to buy WGAN-AM, FM|newspaper=Evening Express|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=October 11, 2023}}</ref><!-- Fri --> the WGAN [[call signs in North America|call letters]] remained with them; WGAN-TV became WGME-TV, "We're Gannett of Maine",<ref name="SunJ840101">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-journal-hello-maine-were-wgme/133272120/|date=January 1, 1984|page=3E|title=Hello Maine, We're WGME!|newspaper=Sun-Journal|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=October 11, 2023}}</ref><!-- Sun --> on January 1, 1984.{{efn|The call sign changed from WGAN-TV to WGME-TV at the FCC on December 15, 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=25683|title=Call Sign History|website=Consolidated Database System|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> However, the station did not begin using the new call sign until January 1, 1984.<ref name="Even831215">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-express-stern-named-to-new-post/133271923/|date=December 15, 1983|page=48|title=Stern named to new post with Gannett|newspaper=Evening Express|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=October 11, 2023}}</ref><!-- Thu -->}}

Motivated by the impending expiration of the family trust that owned the company and a seller's market for broadcasting properties, Guy Gannett Communications put itself up for sale in 1998, ending 110 years of its history as a publisher.<ref name="Port980401">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/portland-press-herald-guy-gannett-commun/133271201/|date=April 1, 1998|pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/portland-press-herald-gannett/133271175/ 7A]|first=Edward D.|last=Murphy|title=Guy Gannett Communications seeks buyer|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=October 11, 2023}}</ref><!-- Wed --> [[The Seattle Times Company]] acquired Guy Gannett's newspapers, while the firm's television stations were purchased by [[Baltimore]]-based [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] for $310&nbsp;million, a handsome return on family patriarch Guy Gannett's original investment in WGAN radio 60 years earlier.<ref name="Port980909">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/portland-press-herald-guy-gannett-sells/133271375/|date=September 9, 1998|pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/portland-press-herald-wgme/133271324/ 4A]|first=Clarke|last=Canfield|first2=Ray|last2=Routhier|title=Guy Gannett sells WGME-TV station to broadcast giant|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=October 11, 2023}}</ref><!-- Wed --> The Guy Gannett purchase gave Sinclair diversification into affiliates of the [[Big Three (American television)|Big Three]] networks and beyond a portfolio heavy with Fox, [[The WB|WB]], and [[UPN]] stations.<ref name="Balt980909">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-sinclair-buys-guy-gann/124317459/|date=September 9, 1998|pages=1C, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-sinclair-purchases-guy/124317434/ 5C]|first=Mark|last=Ribbing|title=Sinclair buys Guy Gannett TV stations|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 9, 2023}}</ref><!-- Wed -->

WGME owner Sinclair Broadcast Group and [[Time Warner Cable]] disputed the terms of their [[retransmission consent]] agreement that expired on December 31, 2010. The agreement was extended to January 14, 2011, while the parties continued to negotiate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pressherald.com/news/sinclair-cable-talks-extended-to-jan_-14_2011-01-01.html |title=Sinclair, cable talks extended to Jan. 14|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|date=January 1, 2011}}</ref> An agreement in principle to resolve the dispute followed soon thereafter<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pressherald.com/news/Time-Warner-Sinclair-reach-fee-agreement.html|title=Time Warner, Sinclair reach fee agreement|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> and was finalized in February 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pressherald.com/business/briefcase_2011-02-03.html|title=Multiyear cable deal averts Sinclair TV signal blackout|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|date=February 3, 2011}}</ref>

On January 8, 2016, Sinclair announced that [[American Sports Network]] would begin on January 16 as a dedicated digital-multicast network in 10 cities, including Portland on WGME.<ref name=asn-247net>{{cite web|title=ASN launches 24/7 broadcast network on Monday|url=http://americansportsnet.com/asn-launches-247-broadcast-network-on-monday/|website=americansportsnet.com|access-date=January 8, 2016}}</ref>

On December 8, 2025, the Fox affiliation was moved from WPFO to WGME-TV's second subchannel, while WPFO's main channel flipped to [[Roar (TV network)|Roar]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How to watch FOX23 starting Dec. 8 due to over-the-air and cable channel changes |url=https://wgme.com/news/local/fox23-to-switch-over-the-air-broadcast-from-channel-231-to-132-starting-dec-8 |website=WGME-TV |access-date=December 9, 2025}}</ref>

==News operation==
{{overly detailed|section|date=March 2014}}
Historically associated with a newspaper, channel 13's newscasts dominated the ratings in Portland for many years.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} However, since 1989, WCSH overtook WGME and has dominated in the ratings.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} WGME produced 24 hours and 30 minutes of produced news content every week, including early-morning, noon, afternoon drive-time, and late-night news programs.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} WGME also produced 17 hours of weekly news content for partner station WPFO.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} When taking both stations into account, WGME produced the most local news content in the Portland market, though its primary station carries the least amount of local news content among the market's three major network affiliates.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Former news team for ''Live at 5'' and ''News 13 at 6'', Kim Block and Doug Rafferty were a news team from the mid-1990s until the mid-2000s. Kim Block is one of the most recognized television journalists in both the Portland market and in the State of Maine/New Hampshire.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Block has been the lead anchor at WGME for more than three decades, starting in 1981 until her retirement in 2020, recovering from a [[concussion]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wgme.com/news/local/a-statement-from-cbs-13s-kim-block-to-you|title=Kim Block: This isn't necessarily goodbye|date=January 14, 2020}}</ref> in May 2018. Rafferty reduced his reporting hours after suffering a stroke during a live cut-in of a syndicated program on January 19, 2006,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.centralmaine.com/2013/03/28/former-wgme-anchor-rafferty-suing-station_2013-03-28/|title=Former WGME anchor Rafferty suing station|date=March 28, 2013}}</ref> quitting the anchor desk for a behind-the-scene technical job at the station.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} He retired during 2012 to become the Public Relations and Education Head at the Maine State Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Other longtime anchors include weeknight announcer Gregg Lagerquist and morning announcer Jeff Peterson. Sports anchor and director Dave Eid has been with WGME since 1996. Longtime meteorologist Charlie Lopresti has been with the station for more than a decade.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Starting February 5, 2007, WGME began producing a 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast on Fox affiliate [[WPFO]] after establishing a news-share agreement. Known on-air as ''Fox 23 News at 10'', it is the first prime-time broadcast in the [[media market|market]]; as of September 2018, there is now a half-hour 10 p.m. newscast on [[The CW|CW]] affiliate [[WPXT]] (channel 51).{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} During 2010, due to a revenue-share agreement with WPFO, the station expanded this newscast to an hour and began a two-hour-long morning program on WPFO named ''Good Day Maine''. WPFO pays WGME a fee along with a share of revenue realized from the newscast. ''Good Day Maine'' was shortened to one hour by October 2013.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

The station began a news partnership with Maine Today Media, owner of its former newspaper sisters: the ''Portland Press Herald'', ''[[Kennebec Journal]]'', ''[[Morning Sentinel]]'', and ''Maine Sunday Telegram''. In addition to its main studios, WGME operates a [[Lewiston, Maine|Lewiston]]–[[Auburn, Maine|Auburn]] Bureau. A second bureau is in [[Augusta, Maine|Augusta]] near the [[Maine State House]]. News 13 also has a partnership with the ''Lewiston/Auburn Sun Journal'', using the source very frequently for stories in the twin cities. WGME also shares newsgathering material with WPFO, gaining WGME access to both CBS Newspath and Fox News video footage for the use of all newscasts on both WPFO and WGME. WGME meteorologists provide the weather forecasts for the ''Portland Press Herald'', the ''Maine Sunday Telegram'', and a variety of radio stations in the Portland market. When providing regional and state coverage, WGME and ABC affiliate [[WVII-TV]] in [[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]] share content and video footage.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

WGME does not produce local weekend morning newscasts, unlike the NBC and ABC affiliates in the Portland market.  Instead, it broadcasts [[infomercial]]s or [[E/I]] (educational and informational) children's programming early on weekends. For national news, the station carries the CBS News-produced ''[[CBS Saturday Morning]]'' and ''[[CBS News Sunday Morning|Sunday Morning]]''.

On October 31, 2013, station owner Sinclair Broadcasting bought all non-license assets of WPFO Fox 23 for $13.6&nbsp;million. The licensing assets were sold to Cunningham Broadcasting on November 20, 2013, for $3.4&nbsp;million.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Cunningham Broadcasting closed business relationships with Sinclair in stations around the country.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The sale made WPFO a [[sister station]] of WGME, essentially creating an unofficial duopoly in the Portland market.

On September 11, 2017, WGME launched a half-hour 7&nbsp;p.m. weeknight newscast. The opportunity came about as a result of [[CBS Television Distribution]]'s decision to cancel ''[[The Insider (TV series)|The Insider]]'', which had previously aired on WGME in the 7:30&nbsp;p.m. weeknight time slot.

===Transition to HD===
WGME began broadcasting in 720p high definition (HD) on December 18, 2011, with a new wood-styled set designed by Devlin Design Group. WGME's new HD set included video display monitors on either end of the set for anchor stand-up reporting, a 12-monitor video wall used to display a single panoramic video feed or 2, 3, or 12 individual video feeds. A smaller anchor desk at the video wall is used for WPFO broadcasts ''Good Day Maine'' and ''News 13 on FOX'' at 10&nbsp;pm. The anchor desk included a large monitor behind the anchors which typically showed a skyline image or the News&nbsp;13 logo. The entire set included an array of light panels and light boxes. The weather office is fully visible to viewers, with a small desk for the meteorologist above which a four-monitor video wall could show graphics. There was also a traditional green screen and a forecasting system on a raised platform for live reporting of severe weather. The HD newscasts introduced a new graphics package also used by Sinclair station WZTV.

WGME's newscasts were referred to as ''CBS 13 News'' as of April 2013. The newscasts on WPFO were referred to as ''FOX 23 News'' as of February 2014.

On February 28, 2013, WGME's weather department rolled out new graphics to its Weather Central forecasting system, as part of a new graphics package from parent company Sinclair Broadcasting. It is slowly being introduced on other Sinclair stations.

In early 2014, while WGME-TV CBS 13 News received a new graphics package now seen on-air, ''News 13 Daybreak'' changed its name to ''Good Day Maine On CBS 13''. On September 15, 2014, WPFO-TV premiered the WGME-produced ''Fox 23 News @ 6:30&nbsp;pm'' featuring the combined (6&nbsp;p.m. and 11&nbsp;p.m.) anchor team and a new format.

==Subchannels==
The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Subchannels of WGME-TV<ref name=rei>{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WGME|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WGME#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|access-date=January 9, 2016}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 13.1
| rowspan="2"| [[720p]] || rowspan="3"| [[16:9]] || CBS || [[CBS]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 13.2
| FOX || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] ([[WPFO]])
|-
! scope = "row" | 13.3
| [[480i]] || TheNest || [[The Nest (TV network)|The Nest]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[WPFO|23.1]]
| rowspan="2"| 480i || rowspan=2|16:9 || ROAR || [[Roar (TV network)|Roar]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6;"
! scope = "row" | [[WPFO|23.4]]
| Antenna || [[Antenna TV]] ([[WPFO]])
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{officialwebsite|https://wgme.com/}}
* {{URL|https://fox23maine.com/|"Fox 23" website}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|title=[[History of the world's tallest structures|World's tallest structure]]<br />1,619 ft (493.5 m)|before=[[KOBR-TV Tower]]|after=[[KFVS TV Mast]]|years= 1959–1960}}
{{s-end}}

{{New England TV}}
{{Portland Maine TV}}
{{SBGI}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wgme-Tv}}
[[Category:1954 establishments in Maine]]
[[Category:CBS affiliates]]
[[Category:Fox Broadcasting Company affiliates]]
[[Category:The Nest (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:Sinclair Broadcast Group]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954]]
[[Category:Television stations in Portland, Maine|GME-TV]]