WAGT-CD
kW | |
HAAT | 483 m (1,585 ft) |
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Transmitter coordinates | 33°24′20.7″N 81°50′0.5″W / 33.405750°N 81.833472°W |
Translator(s) | WRDW-TV 12.2 (VHF) Augusta, WGAT-CD 17.2 |
Links | |
Public license information |
WAGT-CD (channel 26) is a low-power, Class A television station in Augusta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside dual CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate WRDW-TV (channel 12). Both stations share studios at The Village at Riverwatch development in Augusta,[2] while WAGT-CD's transmitter is located in Beech Island, South Carolina.
Due to WAGT-CD's low-power status, it can only be seen in the immediate Augusta area. Therefore, the station's main NBC channel is simulcast in 1080i full high definition on WRDW-TV's second digital subchannel and Telemundo affiliate WGAT-CD's second subchannel to reach the entire market.
History
The license for W67BE (the
In 1998, WBAU, a local affiliate of The WB 100+ Station Group, signed on, appearing on cable systems in the Augusta area; as a result, WBEK lost its WB affiliation. The station then became an affiliate of UPN, and for a few years sold advertising on WBAU, before these rights went to WRDW-TV (channel 12; this changed hands once more before The WB 100+ was replaced with The CW Plus). In 2001, WBEK moved to a new channel location, channel 16, and obtained Class A status (modifying its call sign to WBEK-CA).
After the affiliation switch, the station attempted to maintain its status as a "top" local affiliate. The station's move to channel 16 had come with a loss in power, and viewership began to decline. The station picked up a secondary affiliation with America One during this period. In 2004, the station lost the UPN affiliation to WRDW's digital subchannel 31.2 ("UPN Augusta"), and continued on with America One programming to very little viewer interest. In 2015, the station converted to digital broadcasting and became WBEK-CD. That same year, America One and cable network Youtoo TV merged to become Youtoo America.
On August 27, 2015, longtime owner AVN agreed to sell WBEK-CD to Gray Television, owner of WRDW-TV, for $550,000. The sale did not include the station's existing cable carriage on Comcast or the WBEK call letters;[3] Gray thus applied to change the station's call letters to WRDW-CD.[4] The sale was completed on October 27, 2015,[5] at which time the call sign change to WRDW-CD took effect.[6]
In September 2015, Gray announced its purchase of the television properties of
The FCC approved the sale of Schurz's television properties to Gray on February 12, 2016, and approved Gray's waiver for the duopoly restrictions concerning WRDW and WAGT. However, it ruled that Gray had to continue operating WAGT through the auction. Gray went on with its plans to end the SSA and JSA with Media General; the company was granted an injunction restricting removal of the JSA or sale of the station after accusing Gray of violating the agreement, but it was struck down by the Supreme Court on March 23, 2016.[10][9][11] In the auction, WAGT's broadcast spectrum was sold for $40,763,036. The FCC stated that WAGT planned to go off-air, and not share spectrum with another channel.[12] This happened on May 31, 2017, when Gray Television returned the license of WAGT to the FCC; upon doing so, WAGT-CD assumed the channel 26 virtual channel and WAGT's subchannels, and Youtoo America-sourced programming was entirely discontinued.[13]
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
26.1 | 1080i | 16:9 |
WAGT-CD | NBC |
26.2 | 720p | CW | The CW Plus | |
26.3 | 480i | 4:3 |
ANT-TV | Antenna TV |
26.4 | 16:9 | DABL | Dabl | |
26.5 | H&I | Heroes & Icons | ||
26.6 | STARTTV | Start TV |
See also
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WAGT-CD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ LeBlanc, Sarah. "WRDW planning move to Augusta". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 28, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ "Media Bureau Call Sign Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
- ^ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. October 28, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Gray Buying Schurz For $442.5 Million". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Engineering Statement - Request For Special Temporary Authority". Chesapeake RF Consultants, LLC/Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ a b "What To Make Of The Strange Case Of WAGT?". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ^ "Georgia Supreme Court strikes down Superior Court injunction over WAGT". Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ FCC Approves Gray-Schurz TV Station Deal. Broadcasting & Cable, February 12, 2016, Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ^ "FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction - Winning Bids" (PDF). FCC. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ "WAGT article about spectrum notice". May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WAGT". RabbitEars.info.