WCSH
Encyclopedia
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
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
and Time Warner Cable
channel 6. There is a high definition signal offered on Comcast digital channel 504 and Time Warner
Cable digital channel 506. 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
, Anderson
and Inside Edition
.
WLBZ
in Bangor
operates as a semi-satellite. While that station airs all network programming provided through WCSH, it clears most of its syndicated programming but there are some shown at a different time. There are also programs that only air on WLBZ while some are only seen on WCSH. Syndicated programming exclusive to this station includes Cash Cab
. 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.
) on the top floor in 1925. It has always been an NBC affiliate, although during the late-1950s, the station was also briefly associated with the NTA Film Network
. 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. At this point, WLBZ, for all intents and purposes, began serving as 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.
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. Today's ratings show a resurgence in favor of WGME, particularly during evening newscasts. Sinclair
's investment in the latest technology and state of the art weather system was partially instrumental in improving its ratings.
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 airs separate shows, locally produced at its facilities, weeknights at 5 and 6 while WCSH offers more Portland-focused coverage. 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.
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 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. 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.
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 continue 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 subchannel
s. Known as "News Center Weather Plus", the service could also 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. 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. High definition newscasts commenced on October 23, 2011.
Anchors
News Center/Storm Center Meteorologists
Sports (all seen on 5th Quarter)
Reporters
Multimedia journalists
Newsroom Management
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Southern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and Northern New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Licensed to Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, it broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 44 (PSIP virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
6) from a transmitter on Winn Mountain in Sebago
Sebago, Maine
Sebago is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,433 at the 2000 census, although it swells during summer months to approximately 5,000...
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
and Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
channel 6. There is a high definition signal offered on Comcast digital channel 504 and Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
Cable digital channel 506. Owned by Gannett
Gannett Company
Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
, WCSH has studios at Congress Square in Downtown Portland
Neighborhoods of Portland, Maine
-Arts District: Portland's Arts District is based around Congress Street in downtown Portland. The District includes the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum of Maine, the Maine College of Art and the State Theatre...
. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WCSH includes: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
, The Doctors
The Doctors (2008 TV series)
The Doctors is an American syndicated talk show airing daily in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden and Finland. It debuted on September 8, 2008. The hour-long daytime program is produced by Phil McGraw and his son Jay McGraw and is distributed domestically and globally by CBS Television...
, Anderson
Anderson (TV series)
Anderson is an American first-run syndicated talk show that is hosted by CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper, who also serves as co-producer in his first foray into daytime talk television. The show debuted on September 12, 2011, and is distributed by Warner Bros...
and Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
.
WLBZ
WLBZ
WLBZ is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central and Eastern Maine licensed to Bangor. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 2 from a transmitter on Rider Bluff in Holden. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 3 and in high definition on digital...
in Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
operates as a semi-satellite. While that station airs all network programming provided through WCSH, it clears most of its syndicated programming but there are some shown at a different time. There are also programs that only air on WLBZ while some are only seen on WCSH. Syndicated programming exclusive to this station includes Cash Cab
Cash Cab (U.S. game show)
Cash Cab is an American game show that began airing on the Discovery Channel on December 5, 2005. The program is hosted by stand-up comedian Ben Bailey. While Bailey's show takes place in New York City, some episodes of Season 6 take place in Las Vegas...
. WLBZ also airs separate station identifications and commercials. Although WCSH and WLBZ are based in different locations and technically serve separate markets
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
, 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 programming
On WCSH-DT2 as well as Comcast and Time Warner Cable digital channel 166 is a 24-hour local news and weather channel. the stations have produced an eight minute newscast that is looped every 10 minutes and is updated throughout the day.| Channels (virtual/physical) | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1/44.1 | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
main WCSH programming/NBC (HD) |
| 6.2/44.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | WCSH-DT2 "News Center Weather Plus" (SD) |
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 WZANWZAN
WZAN is a radio station broadcasting talk radio format. Licensed to Portland, Maine, USA, it serves southern Maine. The station is currently owned by Saga Communications.- History :...
) on the top floor in 1925. It has always been an NBC affiliate, although during the late-1950s, the station was also briefly associated with the NTA Film Network
NTA Film Network
The NTA Film Network was an early American television network founded by Ely Landau in 1956. The network was not a full-time television network like CBS, NBC, or ABC. Rather, it operated on a part-time basis, broadcasting films and several first-run television programs from major Hollywood studios...
. 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
WJZN
WJZN and WTVL collectively known as Kool AM 1400 and 1490 are AM Radio stations located in Maine. WJZN, AM 1400 is licensed to Augusta, and WTVL, AM 1490 is licensed to Waterville. The station carries an Adult Standards format, and has since Christmas 2004...
in Augusta
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
and KMEG
KMEG
KMEG is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Southern Siouxland licensed to Sioux City, Iowa. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter in unincorporated Plymouth County, Iowa east of James and US 75 along the Woodbury county line...
in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, 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. At this point, WLBZ, for all intents and purposes, began serving as 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
Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act
The Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act, or SAFER Act, is a U.S. law to require the Federal Communications Commission to allow the continuation of full-power analog TV transmissions in 2009 for 30 more days, for the purpose of broadcasting public service announcements regarding the...
" 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The station often promoted this additional way of coverage. After the transition, the station continued its digital broadcasts on channel 44.
News operation
CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate WGAN-TV/WGME-TV
WGME-TV
WGME-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire that is licensed to Portland. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 38 from a transmitter on Brown Hill west of Raymond...
was dominant in local Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
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. Today's ratings show a resurgence in favor of WGME, particularly during evening newscasts. Sinclair
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
's investment in the latest technology and state of the art weather system was partially instrumental in improving its ratings.
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 airs separate shows, locally produced at its facilities, weeknights at 5 and 6 while WCSH offers more Portland-focused coverage. 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.
WCSH and WLBZ have branded their news operations as News Center since the 1970s, even before consolidating. Additionally, both stations featured Frank Gari
Frank Gari
Frank Gari is a popular singer and songwriter from the late 1950s and early 1960s. His best known songs as a performer are "Utopia" , "Lullaby of Love" and "Princess" , all of which hit the U.S. Top 40 in 1961. He co-wrote with Roger McGuinn the song Beach Ball for Bobby Darin...
'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 and graphics seen on other Gannett stations.
After then-WB affiliate WPXT
WPXT
WPXT is the CW-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire licensed to Portland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter in South Gray along I-95/Maine Turnpike/Gold Star Memorial Highway...
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. 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
NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus was a 24-hour, commercially sponsored, weather-oriented broadcast/cable television network jointly owned by NBC Universal and the local affiliates of the NBC network. It debuted on November 15, 2004 and shut down on December 31, 2008...
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.
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
Area code 207
207 is the North American telephone area code for the state of Maine. It is Maine's sole area code, except for an extension of Quebec province's area code 418. Area code 207 was created as one of the original area codes in 1947. The hamlet of Estcourt Station uses 418, rather than 207.- External...
. 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
WLVP
WLVP is a radio station broadcasting an Oldies format. Licensed to Gorham, Maine, USA, it serves southern Maine, including Portland. The station is currently owned by Nassau Broadcasting and is simulcasted with WLAM .-History:...
(870 AM) and WLAM
WLAM
WLAM is a radio station broadcasting an oldies, news and sports format. Licensed to Lewiston, Maine, USA, the station serves the Lewiston-Auburn area. The station is currently owned by Nassau Broadcasting and simulcasts with WLVP .-History:...
(1470 AM) began simulcasting WCSH's weekday morning and early evening weeknights newscasts. This was done in order to continue availability of the broadcasts on radio even after WCSH's 87.7 MHz audio was discontinued following the shutdown of analog television signals
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
.
In October 2005, WCSH and WLBZ began offering NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus was a 24-hour, commercially sponsored, weather-oriented broadcast/cable television network jointly owned by NBC Universal and the local affiliates of the NBC network. It debuted on November 15, 2004 and shut down on December 31, 2008...
on new second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
s. Known as "News Center Weather Plus", the service could also 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. 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
U.S. Route 1 in Maine
In the U.S. state of Maine, U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south state highway serving the eastern part of the state. It parallels the Atlantic Ocean from New Hampshire north through Portland, Brunswick, and Belfast to Calais, and then the St. Croix River and the rest of the Canadian border...
) in Rockport
Rockport, Maine
Rockport is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,209 at the 2000 census. Rockport is a popular tourist destination and art colony.-History:...
and the Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
/Auburn
Auburn, Maine
Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 23,055 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan...
Bureau (on Main Street/ME 11/ME 100/US 202
U.S. Route 202
U.S. Route 202 is a highway stretching from Delaware to Maine, also passing through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire....
, 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. High definition newscasts commenced on October 23, 2011.
Newscast titles
- Channel 6 News Journal (1953-?)
- WCSH Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1973–1977) - (WCSH) News Center 6 (1977–present)
- News Center (2001–present, featured when simulcasting with WLBZ and combined news operation as a whole)
Station slogans
- "Channel 6, Our Pride is Showing" (1981–1982, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "We're Channel 6, Just Watch Us Now" (1982–1983, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Channel 6 There, Be There" (1983–1984, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Channel 6, Let's All Be There" (1984–1986, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come Home To Channel 6" (1986–1987, localized version of NBC ad campaign) *"
- "6 Alive's The Place To Be" (1990-1992, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "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" (2008–2011)
- "It's All Within Reach" (2011-present)
News team
+ denotes personnel based at WLBZAnchors
- Amanda Hill - Monday mornings (4:30 to 5) and weekend mornings (also multimedia journalist)
- Lee Nelson - Monday mornings (5 to 7) and rotating weekdays at noon (also Tuesday through Friday mornings 4:30 to 7)
- Sharon Rose - Monday mornings (5 to 7) and rotating weekdays at noon (also Tuesday through Friday mornings 4:30 to 7)
- Cindy WilliamsCindy Williams (journalist)Cindy Williams is an award winning news anchor with WCSH6 in Portland, Maine. Williams has won several awards from the Associated Press and the Maine Association of Broadcasters for her anchoring and reporting.She has been with WCSH since 1989...
- weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 6 - Pat Callaghan - weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 (also "In the Arena" segment producer)
- Rob Caldwell - weeknights at 5:30 and 207 host
- Kathleen Shannon - weeknights at 11 and 207 host
- Brian Yocono - weekend evenings and Lewiston/Auburn Bureau reporter
News Center/Storm Center Meteorologists
- Joe Cupo - weeknights
- Kevin Mannix - weekday mornings and noon
- Kelly LaBrecque - weekend evenings and noon (also "Fit at Five" segment producer)
- Keith Carson - weekend mornings and noon
- + Steve McKay (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seals of Approval) - seen occasionally on "News Center Weather Plus"
Sports (all seen on 5th Quarter)
- Bruce Glasier - 6pm and 11pm news on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday nights.
- Lee Goldberg - 6pm and 11pm anchor on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday nights 6pm on Wednesdays.
- + Melissa Kim - sports multimedia journalist
Reporters
- Bill Green - Bill Green's Maine host
- Don Carrigan - Midcoast Bureau and general assignment
- Caroline Cornish - fill-in news anchor
- Chris Rose - fill-in news anchor
- Vivien Leigh
Multimedia journalists
- Tim Goff
- Sarah Delage
- Jackie Ward
- + Max Cole
- + Bob Evans
- + Mike DeSumma
- + Audry Amann
- + John Zierow
Newsroom Management
- Maureen O'Brien - News Director
- Ken Christian - Web Manager
- Ted Varipatis - Assignment Manager
- Steve Sherburne - Chief Photographer
- Rob Wilber - Executive Producer