WPXT

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WPXT
city =
station_
station_slogan = Home of The CW
station_branding = WPXT
NewsCenter
analog =
Time Warner cable 12
digital = 43 (UHF) &
Time Warner cable 512
other_chs =
affiliations = The CW
network =
founded =
airdate = September 14, 1986
location = Portland, Maine
callsign_meaning = Portland's EXciting Television
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = New Age Media, LLC
licensee = New Age Media of Maine License, LLC
sister_stations = WPME
former_affiliations = Independent (1986)
Fox (1986-2001)
The WB (2001-2006)
former_channel_numbers = Analog: 51 (1986-2008)
effective_radiated_power = 137.4 kW
HAAT = 254 m
class =
facility_id = 53065
coordinates = coord|43|51|6.4|N|70|19|38.4|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.ourmaine.com/ ourmaine.com]

WPXT is the CW-affiliated television station for Portland, Maine. The station broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 43. While there is no longer an over-the-air analog signal of the station, it can be seen on Time Warner cable channel 12 with a digital signal on Time Warner digital cable channel 512. Its transmitter is located on Dutton Hill in West Gray. Owned by New Age Media, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate WPME. The two stations share studios on Ledgeview Drive in Westbrook. Syndicated programming on WPXT includes: "Friends", "Reba", "Everybody Loves Raymond", and "Judge David Young".

History

The station first went on the air on September 14, 1986 as the first new commercial station in the Portland market in over 30 years. After a few months as an independent, it became a charter affiliate of the Fox network. In 2001, when WPXT's owner Pegasus Broadcasting had a monetary dispute with Fox, WPXT switched to The WB. This left Portland with no over-the-air Fox affiliate until early-2003 when PAX station WPFO took the affiliation. Programming from the network was provided on cable by Foxnet. Pegasus declared bankruptcy in June of 2004 over a dispute with DirecTV, which is co-owned with Fox by News Corporation, over marketing of the direct broadcast satellite service in rural areas. The Pegasus station group was sold in August of 2006 to private investment firm CP Media, LLC of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for $55.5 million dollars. Eventually, CP Media formed a new media company, New Age Media.

As a WB affiliate WPXT was originally branded on-air as "Maine's WB 51", but in 2004, changed to "Maine's WB". Bangor had a WB affiliate of its own, "WBAN", although it was only offered on cable. Presque Isle had a cable-only WB affiliate ("WBPQ") as well. Therefore, WPXT was the only WB station in Maine to broadcast over-the-air. On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced that they would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents: CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner. On February 22, News Corporation announced that they would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division, Twentieth Television.

MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also created to compete against The CW. On March 9, it was announced that WPXT would become Portland's CW affiliate. On May 1, it was announced that sister station WPME would affiliate with MyNetworkTV. WPXT began broadcasting The CW on September 18. With CW affiliation, its branding became "The CW Portland". In 2007, WPXT changed its on-air branding to reflect its call letters rather than Portland. The website of WPXT had been out-of-date and was inaccessible for long periods of time. However, it was updated with a shared website for WPXT and WPME by early-October of 2007. WPXT ceased its broadcasting in analog on August 12, 2008 more than seven months prior to the FCC digital switchover deadline of February 17, 2009. It has been announced that in early-2009 the station will add the Retro Television Network to its digital signal.

Local programming

WPXT has produced and airs several local programs:

*The Rundown - local high school sports highlights
*Hot Squad - renovation of a local home with an "energy makeover" adding insulation, windows, lighting, and a furnace
*The Maine Poker Showdown - a poker show with local players
*Kick Start - a game show involving 8th grade students competing for a college scholarship
*Our Maine Magazine - tours local businesses in five-minute segments
**variations include "Our Maine Health", "Our Maine Restaurants", "Our Maine Careers", and "Our Maine Destination (town name)"
*Maine Model - based on "America's Next Top Model"
**it is essentially a localized version of the show
**originally aired on WPME because "America's Next Top Model" was a UPN show

News operation

For many years WPXT operated a news department and produced its own newscasts (a practice which ended on June 15, 2002). For a time, the 10 o'clock news was simulcasted on sister station WPME. Also during that year, WPXT produced a 7 P.M. newscast that aired on WPME (it was soon canceled due to poor ratings). WPXT made national headlines a week before the 2000 presidential election when reporter Erin Fehlau revealed that Republican candidate George W. Bush had been convicted for DUI 24 years earlier. A few months later in 2002, the station began airing newscasts produced by Maine's two NBC affiliates, Portland's WCSH and Bangor's WLBZ. During the week, news and sports are broadcasted from WCSH's studios (with some Bangor area stories featuring WLBZ reporters and photojournalists) while weather forecasts originate from Steve McKay at WLBZ in Bangor. On the weekends, the program is broadcasted entirely from Portland (again with some Bangor stories being shown). As is the case with the WLBZ simulcasts of WCSH news, WPXT's news programs take on a regional feel with news coverage from Portland, Bangor, and the state of Maine. The combination of WCSH and WLBZ offers the largest and most extensive coverage of news from Maine. Until February 5, 2007, WPXT's newscast was the only 10 o'clock broadcast in Portland. On that date, CBS affiliate WGME-TV began to produce a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on Fox affiliate WPFO.

Newscast titles

*"Fox 51 News at 10" (2001)
*"Our Maine News at 10" (2001-2002)
*"NewsCenter At 10 on Maine's WB 51" (2002-2004)
*"NewsCenter At 10 on Maine's WB" (2004-2006)
*"News Center at 10 on The CW Portland" (2006-2007)
*"NewsCenter at 10 on WPXT" (2007-Present)

News team

"NewsCenter at 10 on WPXT" "(10 to 10:30 P.M.)"
"Weeknights"
*Anchor:
**Pat Callaghan
*Weather:
**Steve McKay
*Sports:
**Bruce Glasier

"Weekends"
*Anchor:
**Caroline Cornish
*Weather:
**Roger Griswold
*Sports:
**Lee Goldberg

"WPXT uses additional news personnel from WCSH and WLBZ. See each article for a complete listing."

Past Personalities

Anchors and Reporters
*Dave Silverbrand - News Director
**now General Manager at KVIQ
*Dave Gilbert - News Director
**deceased
*Joe Palmieri - now a panelist on The Big JAB Radio
*Susan Christensen - now anchor at WTIC-TV
*Pat McGonigle - weekend anchor and reporter
**now weekday morning anchor at WHEC-TV
*Mollie Halpern - weekend anchor and reporter
**now producer at WPXI
*Tina Detelj - now reporter at WTNH
*Erin Fehlau - reporter
**now weekday morning and Noon anchor at WMUR-TV
*Janette Mandell - anchor and reporter
*Jennifer McNeil - anchor and reporter
*Jim Cyr - anchor and reporter

Meteorologists
*Pete Bouchard - weeknights
**now chief meteorologist at WHDH-TV
*J.C. Monahan - weekends
**entertainment reporter
**now weekday morning and Noon meteorologist at WCVB-TV
*Ed Muir - weekends
**weekday reporter
**now fill-in meteorologist and reporter at NWCN
*Heather Tesch - now at The Weather Channel
*Bill Thomas - weekends

Other Personalities
*Glenn Gleason - weekend sports anchor and news reporter
*Paul Green - sports anchor
*Jamie Kenneally - sports anchor

Logos

External links

* [http://www.ourmaine.com/ WPXT-DT channel 43]
* [http://www.wcsh6.com/ WCSH channel 6]
* [http://www.wlbz2.com/ WLBZ channel 2]
*TVQ|WPXT