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WCSH is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire. Licensed to Portland, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 (PSIP virtual channel 6) from a transmitter on Winn Mountain in Sebago. Owned by Gannett, WCSH has studios at Congress Square in Downtown Portland. Syndicated programming on WCSH includes: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, The Doctors, Katie and Inside Edition.

WCSH is the sister station to Maine's other NBC affiliate, WLBZ in Bangor. For all intents and purposes, WLBZ is a semi-satellite of WCSH. It simulcasts most of WCSH's newscasts and clears most of its syndicated programming (though in some cases at different times). There are also programs that only air on WLBZ while some are only seen on WCSH. Syndicated programming exclusive to this station includes The Andy Griffith Show. WLBZ also airs separate station identifications and commercials. Although WCSH and WLBZ are based in different locations and technically serve separate markets, the two essentially operate as one station. With their combined resources, the stations provide statewide coverage not offered by any other outlet in Maine.

Digital channels

Channel Video Aspect Programming
6.1 1080i 16:9 Main WCSH programming / NBC
6.2 480i 16:9 News Center Plus

History

WCSH-TV signed on December 20, 1953, from studios at the Congress Square Hotel in downtown Portland. The station was owned by the Rines family through their Maine Broadcasting System; the family had built the hotel in 1896, and established WCSH radio (970 AM, now WZAN) on the top floor in 1925.[1][2][3] It has always been an NBC affiliate, although during the late-1950s, the station was also briefly associated with the NTA Film Network.[4] In 1958, the Rines family acquired WTWO in Bangor from Murray Carpenter, and renamed it WLBZ-TV (after WLBZ radio, now WZON, which the family had owned since 1944). Although the two television stations were now sister stations, they remained completely separate entities. At various points, the Maine Broadcasting System also included WRDO radio in Augusta and KMEG in Sioux City, Iowa, with WCSH-AM-TV as its flagship.

In 1977, WCSH-TV moved to new facilities across the street from the hotel at One Congress Square, where it remains today. The radio stations were sold off in 1981; in 1997, the -TV suffix was dropped. In the mid-1990s, WCSH added a website providing 24-hour news and weather coverage outside newscasts.

In 1998, the Maine Broadcasting System (by this time controlled by the Rines-Thompson family) sold WCSH and WLBZ to current owner Gannett. Since 2000, WLBZ has for all intents and purposes been a semi-satellite of WCSH; as early as 1989, WLBZ had been reducing its personnel and consolidating some internal operations with WCSH.

WCSH's digital signal on UHF channel 44 signed on in 2002, bringing high definition network television to the area. On June 12, 2009, WCSH ceased normal programming on analog VHF channel 6 and began providing a "nightlight" service. Until that date, the station's analog audio signal transmitted on a frequency of 87.75 MHz (+10 kHz shift). As a result, it could be picked up on the lower end of the dial on most FM radios at 87.7 MHz. This was true of all other analog channel 6 stations in the United States. The station often promoted this additional way of coverage. After the transition, the station continued its digital broadcasts on channel 44.[5]

News operation

File:News Center Open 2012.jpg
News open seen on every newscast

CBS affiliate WGAN-TV/WGME-TV was dominant in local Nielsen ratings for many years. However, in the late 1980s, WCSH-TV surged to the top of the ratings, a position it has retained for the most part ever since. This is in part due to continuity in the station's key on-air staff, much of which have been with the station for over ten years. In addition, its resources include sister station WLBZ in Bangor, allowing statewide coverage not offered by any source in Maine.

Originally, WLBZ operated its own news department and produced local newscasts from its Bangor studios. In 1989, when that station began consolidation with WCSH, channel 6 began simulcasting some of its newscasts on WLBZ prepared with a statewide view. This has progressed to the current arrangement where that station only produces two weeknight newscasts, at 5 and 6. All other newscasts on both stations originate from Portland. As mentioned, these statewide programs tend to take on a regional feel with coverage from Portland, Bangor, or wherever news occurs around the state. WLBZ still produces its own weather segment from Bangor weeknights at 5:30 and 11 with meteorologist Steve McKay who is based in Bangor. On August 9, 2010, there was an expansion of the statewide weekday morning show to 4:30 with the new segment being called News Center Early Morning Report.

File:WCSH Open 2012.jpg
Former news open seen weeknights at 5 and 6.

WCSH and WLBZ have branded their news operations as News Center since the 1970s, even before consolidating. Additionally, both stations featured Frank Gari's "Good News" music package from 1986 until October 22, 2008, when it was dropped (except during winter weather "Storm Center" coverage, as well as some station promos) in favor of standardized music (composed by Rampage Music New York, Inc.) and graphics seen on other Gannett stations.

After then-WB affiliate WPXT shut down its news department in fall 2002, WCSH and WLBZ entered into a news share agreement with that station, resulting in a nightly prime time newscast.[6] Originally called News Center at 10 on Maine's WB 51, it was seen every night for thirty minutes. On weeknights, news and sports segments originated from WCSH's facilities while WLBZ produced the weather segment from its studios. Weekend broadcasts were aired entirely from Portland. News Center at 10 was formatted in a similar manner to the statewide newscasts, albeit with more of a Portland focus (as WPXT serves Portland but

not Bangor). In September 2006, the production became known as News Center at 10 on The CW Portland after WPXT switched to The CW. WLBZ's role in the newscast was eliminated on November 6, 2008, when WCSH moved the prime time broadcast to its "News Center Weather Plus" feed and entirely reoriented the newscast to the Portland market (with WLBZ no longer doing the weather forecast). The "News Center Weather Plus" feed on WLBZ-DT2 and the live video on their websites was replaced with the national NBC Weather Plus service. News Center at 10 was eventually canceled by WCSH after a six-year run. The partnership with WPXT will resume on October 31, 2011, with the addition of a 7 a.m. hour of WCSH's morning newscast branded as News Center Morning Report Xtra.[7]

An outdoors and human-interest program called Bill Green's Maine airs Saturday nights at 7 on WCSH and WLBZ. In 2003, the station launched 207 (a local lifestyle/entertainment magazine-type show which airs weeknights at 7.) The "207" name comes from Maine's telephone area code. Although the program was initially replayed at 4:30 in the morning Tuesday through Saturdays on WLBZ, the program is no longer seen on that station.

On February 2, 2009, WLVP (870 AM) and WLAM (1470 AM) began simulcasting WCSH's weekday morning and early evening weeknights newscasts. This was done in order to co

ntinue availability of the broadcasts on radio even after WCSH's 87.7 MHz audio was discontinued following the shutdown of analog television signals.

In October 2005, WCSH and WLBZ began offering NBC Weather Plus on new second digital subchannels. Known as "News Center Weather Plus", the service could also be seen on the websites of both stations through live streaming video and digital cable. In late-December 2008 as a result of Weather Plus closing on a national level, WCSH-DT2 and WLBZ-DT2 shifted to a format featuring a loop of local news headlines and weather forecasts.[8] The service retained the "News Center Weather Plus" branding and digital cable carriage but the online live video was dropped. WLBZ weeknight meteorologist Steve McKay can sometimes be seen on "News Center Weather Plus" providing statewide weather forecasts.

In addition to the main studios in Portland and Bangor, WCSH and WLBZ share two bureaus in the state. This includes the Midcoast Bureau (on

Camden Street/US 1) in Rockport and the Lewiston/Auburn Bureau (on Main Street/ME 11/ME 100/US 202, across the street from WGME's bureau).

On August 26, 2011, WCSH began airing a promotional announcement (also published to its official YouTube channel) that the studio portion of its newscasts would soon be in high definition. The morning newscast on WPXT will be included in this upgrade, but will initially debut in standard definition.[9] High definition newscasts commenced on October 23, 2011.

In late 2012 WCSH began airing reports from New England Cable News, a wholly owned subsidiary of NBC parent Comcast. Previously these reports aired on WMTW, which is owned by Hearst, a prior 50% owner of NECN before Comcast assumed full ownership.

Newscast titles

  • Channel 6 News Journal (1953-?)
  • WCSH Eyewitness News (1970s–1977)
  • (WCSH) News Center 6 (1977–present)
  • News Center (2001–present, featured when simulcasting with WLBZ and combined news operation as a whole)

Station slogans

  • "Your 24 Hour NewsCenter" (1990–1994)
  • "6 Alive, Count On Us" (early 1990s)
  • "People You Know, News You Can Trust" (mid 2000s-2008)
  • "Maine's Information Center" (2008– February 2013)
  • "This is Home" (February 2013-present)

News team

+ denotes personnel based at WLBZ in Bangor, ME

Anchors

  • Lee Nelson - weekday mornings (Monday 5:00-7:00 a.m. and Tuesday through Friday 4:30-7:00 a.m), rotating weekdays at noon
  • Sharon Rose Vaznis - weekday mornings (Monday 5:00-7:00 a.m. and Tuesday through Friday 4:30-7:00 a.m), rotating weekdays at noon
  • Cindy Williams - weeknights at 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00 p.m., rotating weekdays at noon
  • Pat Callaghan - weeknights at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m., rotating weekdays at noon
  • Rob Caldwell - weeknights at 5:30 p.m., 207 host at 7:00 p.m., rotating weekdays at noon
  • Kathleen Shannon - 207 host at 7:00 p.m.
  • Jackie Ward - weekend mornings (Saturday 6:00-7:00 a.m.; Sunday 6:00-8:00 a.m.) and Monday mornings (4:30-5:00 a.m.)
  • Amanda Hill - weekends at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
  • + Chris Facchini - WLBZ anchor seen occasionally as a reporter

News Center/Storm Center Meteorologists

  • Kevin Mannix - weekday mornings
  • Joe Cupo - weeknights at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
  • Keith Carson - weekend mornings; Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays at noon
  • Kelly LaBrecque - weekend evenings at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.; Tuesdays and Wednesdays at noon
  • + Steve McKay - WLBZ meteorologist seen occasionally as a fill in

Sports (all seen on 5th Quarter)

  • Lee Goldberg - sports director/anchor, weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
  • Csaba Sukosd - sports anchor/multimedia journalist, weekends at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
  • + Melissa Kim - sports multimedia journalist; fill-in sports anchor

Reporters

  • Caroline Cornish - general assignment reporter
  • Chris Rose - general assignment reporter
  • Don Carrigan - general assignment reporter
  • Vivien Leigh - general assignment reporter
  • Bill Green - general assignment and Bill Green's Maine host
  • Brett Whitmarsh - social media coordinator/reporter

Multimedia journalists

  • Jackie Ward - Morning Report journalist/reporter
  • Danielle Waugh - Lewiston/Auburn journalist/reporter
  • Amanda Hill - general assignment
  • Tim Goff - general assignment
  • Sarah Delage - general assignment
  • Max Cole - general assignment
  • Melissa Kenison - multmeidia producer, general assignment
  • + Jessica Gagne - general assignment
  • + Mike DeSumma - general assignment
  • + Samantha Edwards - general assignment
  • + Rob Nesbitt - general assignment
  • + Bob Evans - general assignment

Newsroom Management

  • TBA - News Director
  • Ken Christian - Web Manager
  • Ted Varipatis - Assignment Manager
  • Steve Sherburne - Chief Photographer
  • Rob Wilber - Executive Producer

References

  1. ^ Thompson, Frederic L. (2005). The Rines Family Legacy. Charleston, TN: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 128 p. : ill., 24 cm. ISBN 0-7385-3882-5. LCCN 2005926756. OCLC 62522312.
  2. ^ Maine Historical Society
  3. ^ Eastland Park Hotel Archives
  4. ^ "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films". Boxoffice: 13. November 10, 1956.
  5. ^ http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf
  6. ^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-67437865.html
  7. ^ Malone, Michael (October 21, 2011). "Gannett's WCSH Portland to Produce WPXT News". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWpkPmLoBTo
  9. ^ Portland’s WCSH Set to Produce WPXT Morning News, TVSpy, October 21, 2011
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