WMGM-TV
Encyclopedia
WMGM-TV is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for South Jersey
that is licensed to Wildwood
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter along CR 601 in Swainton
east of the Garden State Parkway
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 791. Owned by Access.1 Communications, WMGM has studios on New Road (U.S. 9
) in Linwood
. Syndicated
programming on the channel includes: Entertainment Tonight
, The Insider
, Judge Joe Brown and Judge Judy
.
market
station. For other network programming besides NBC, channels from that city cover the area. This station's affiliation creates a rare situation where there are two affiliates of the same network in the same area (with NBC O&O
WCAU
being the other) which means cable systems must carry both stations. WMGM is the only NBC affiliate based in the state although WNBC
in New York City
covers Northern New Jersey
and WCAU in Philadelphia covers Southern New Jersey
.
WMGM-TV can also be seen on analog translator WMGM-LP channel 7 that is licensed to Atlantic City
with a transmitter in Pleasantville
adjacent to the Atlantic City Expressway
toll plaza.
-FM
. During the early years, even when NBC went to full-time color programming (provided off KYW-TV
's own feed), the station still broadcast local programming in black and white. WCMC-TV was sold to South Jersey Radio in 1981 and changed its call letters to WAAT and then the current WMGM-TV in 1984 to coincide with the co-owned FM
radio station and in turn, established their own NBC affiliate feed. Upon the death of owner Howard Green in 2002, the stations were eventually sold to Access.1 Communications. On May 3, 2006, WMGM-LP in Pleasantville fell silent when a fire struck the building its transmitter was located in. The building also housed the transmitters for Atlantic City's WMGM-FM as well as Pleasantville's WOND
-AM and WTKU-FM
.
While WMGM-FM began broadcasting from WPUR
-FM's auxiliary facilities atop the Trump Taj Mahal casino, the AM stations and WMGM-LP remained dark, leaving many Atlantic City residents without clear analog reception of NBC programs. However, the on-air signals were eventually brought back. For several years, people on the New Jersey side of the Philadelphia market could watch the entire NBC schedule on this channel, as KYW-TV (now a CBS
O&O) pre-empted many of NBC's daytime programs as well as other shows. However, WMGM is one of the few affiliates not to carry the Sunday edition of Today.
, southern Burlington County, eastern Camden and Gloucester counties and coastal Delaware
, even though the station has no cable carriage in these areas. On cable in Southern New Jersey, it serves Cape May
, Atlantic
, Cumberland
, and Salem
Counties. In addition, WMGM is also on cable in Vineland
and Turnersville
which covers parts of Eastern Camden
and Gloucester
Counties such as Winslow Township
and the Williamstown
/Monroe Township
area. This is the only location where WMGM is carried out of its designated area. However, it is only viewable on Comcast digital channel 247. DirecTV
provides WMGM to Philadelphia market area viewers on channel 40. Dish Network
had carried the station in the market until 2011, when it was dropped for unknown reasons. As a result of the expanded carriage of its signal in the entire Philadelphia DMA, it is carried in Mercer County
alongside with the market's NBC affiliate from WCAU instead of New York City
's WNBC
. That station is carried on cable for Verizon FiOS
, Comcast, and Cablevision subscribers in all of Mercer County. WMGM's terrestrial signal under tropospheric-like dxing
conditions can be picked up in that county but it is not offered on cable.
for outstanding interview/discussion series, airs Saturday nights at 6, featuring interviews with world-class artists performing in Atlantic City. There are three public affairs shows that air on the station: WMGM Presents Pinky (Saturday nights at 7:30), Forum 40 (Sunday mornings at 9:30), and Health Today (Saturdays at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 11). Prior to 2011, the station did not air local news weekday mornings (offering religious programming from 5 to 6 a.m. and a simulcast of the Don Williams radio talk show from WOND
from 6 to 7 a.m.). However, on March 28, 2011, WMGM began airing Today in South Jersey, a one hour local morning newscast, which airs at 6 a.m. weekdays.
Weather team
Sports team
Reporters
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 South Jersey
South Jersey
South Jersey comprises the southern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation is a colloquial one, reflecting not only geographical but perceived cultural differences from the northern part of the state, with no official...
that is licensed to Wildwood
Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's year-round population was 5,325...
. 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 36 from a transmitter along CR 601 in Swainton
Swainton, New Jersey
Swainton is an unincorporated area in Cape May County, New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan area. Route 9 and the Garden State Parkway are major roads of Swainton. Avalon is the coastal town directly across from Swainton, connected by Avalon Boulevard. Swainton is home to Sand...
east of the Garden State Parkway
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway is a 172.4-mile limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at New Jersey's southernmost tip. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer...
. 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...
channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 791. Owned by Access.1 Communications, WMGM has studios on New Road (U.S. 9
U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9 is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the United States. It is one of only two U.S. highways with a ferry connection ; the other being US 10. US 9 is signed east–west in Delaware and north–south on the rest of...
) in Linwood
Linwood, New Jersey
Linwood is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 7,092.Linwood was originally incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1889, from portions of Egg Harbor Township, based on the...
. 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 the channel includes: Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
, Judge Joe Brown and Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
.
Overview
Officially, WMGM is considered a PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
market
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...
station. For other network programming besides NBC, channels from that city cover the area. This station's affiliation creates a rare situation where there are two affiliates of the same network in the same area (with NBC O&O
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
WCAU
WCAU
WCAU, channel 10, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WCAU has its studios on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in the...
being the other) which means cable systems must carry both stations. WMGM is the only NBC affiliate based in the state although WNBC
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
covers Northern New Jersey
North Jersey
North Jersey is a colloquial term, with no precise consensus definition, for the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. A straightforward, noncolloquial term for the region is northern New Jersey.- Two-portion approaches :...
and WCAU in Philadelphia covers Southern New Jersey
South Jersey
South Jersey comprises the southern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation is a colloquial one, reflecting not only geographical but perceived cultural differences from the northern part of the state, with no official...
.
Digital programming
| Subchannel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 40.1 | main WMGM-TV programming / NBC HD |
WMGM-TV can also be seen on analog translator WMGM-LP channel 7 that is licensed to Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
with a transmitter in Pleasantville
Pleasantville, New Jersey
-Local government:Pleasantville operates under the City form of New Jersey municipal government, led by a Mayor and a seven-member City Council. The City Council consists of two members elected from wards to three-year terms, and five members elected at-large to four-year terms in office, all of...
adjacent to the Atlantic City Expressway
Atlantic City Expressway
The Atlantic City Expressway is a , controlled-access toll road in New Jersey, managed and operated by the South Jersey Transportation Authority...
toll plaza.
History
The station began broadcasting on January 25, 1966 known as WCMC-TV (meaning Cape May County). It was owned by Jersey Cape Broadcasting along with radio stations WCMC-AMWCMC (AM)
WCMC is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Wildwood, New Jersey, USA. The station is currently owned by Equity Communications, L.P. WCMC carries the live radio broadcast of Philadelphia Phillies. Prior to 2010, the station carried an Adult Standards format and featured...
-FM
WZXL
WZXL is a radio station also known as "South Jersey's Rock Station", playing classic rock. WZXL is licensed to Wildwood, NJ....
. During the early years, even when NBC went to full-time color programming (provided off KYW-TV
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
's own feed), the station still broadcast local programming in black and white. WCMC-TV was sold to South Jersey Radio in 1981 and changed its call letters to WAAT and then the current WMGM-TV in 1984 to coincide with the co-owned FM
WMGM (FM)
WMGM is a radio station based in Atlantic City, New Jersey playing mainstream rock. WMGM serves most of southern New Jersey from Toms River to Cape May.-History:103.7 first signed on June 14, 1961 as WOSJ, later as WMGM...
radio station and in turn, established their own NBC affiliate feed. Upon the death of owner Howard Green in 2002, the stations were eventually sold to Access.1 Communications. On May 3, 2006, WMGM-LP in Pleasantville fell silent when a fire struck the building its transmitter was located in. The building also housed the transmitters for Atlantic City's WMGM-FM as well as Pleasantville's WOND
WOND
WOND is an American news-talk radio station from Pleasantville, New Jersey, broadcasting to the Atlantic City, New Jersey, radio market. In the 1960s it was a Top 40 radio station, and its morning show was hosted by Bob Weems, one of the area's most well-remembered DJs. The station is home to the...
-AM and WTKU-FM
WTKU-FM
WTKU-FM is a radio station in Atlantic City, New Jersey known as "Kool 98.3," playing a Classic Hits format.Operating with 6,000 watts, the station can be heard from Beach Haven and Tuckerton in Ocean County south to Lewes, Delaware and as far west as Vineland in Cumberland County.-History:98.3 FM...
.
While WMGM-FM began broadcasting from WPUR
WPUR
WPUR is a country music formatted radio station in Atlantic City, New Jersey. WPUR is more commonly known as "Cat Country 107.3".-History:...
-FM's auxiliary facilities atop the Trump Taj Mahal casino, the AM stations and WMGM-LP remained dark, leaving many Atlantic City residents without clear analog reception of NBC programs. However, the on-air signals were eventually brought back. For several years, people on the New Jersey side of the Philadelphia market could watch the entire NBC schedule on this channel, as KYW-TV (now a CBS
CBS
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...
O&O) pre-empted many of NBC's daytime programs as well as other shows. However, WMGM is one of the few affiliates not to carry the Sunday edition of Today.
Coverage area
WMGM's digital over-the-air signal is viewable in the three-county area it serves. The signal does penetrate parts of southern Ocean CountyOcean County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...
, southern Burlington County, eastern Camden and Gloucester counties and coastal Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, even though the station has no cable carriage in these areas. On cable in Southern New Jersey, it serves Cape May
Cape May County, New Jersey
-Climate:Being the southernmost point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the county a popular place to escape the heat. It is in zone 7a/7b, which is the same as parts of...
, Atlantic
Atlantic County, New Jersey
-National protected areas:* Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge * Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
, Cumberland
Cumberland County, New Jersey
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population is 156,898. Its county seat is Bridgeton. Cumberland County is named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland....
, and Salem
Salem County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 64,285 people, 24,295 households, and 17,370 families residing in the county. The population density was 190 people per square mile . There were 26,158 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile...
Counties. In addition, WMGM is also on cable in Vineland
Vineland, New Jersey
Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 60,724...
and Turnersville
Turnersville, New Jersey
Turnersville is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Washington Township, in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 3,867. It is named after the Turner family, one of the original families of Washington Township...
which covers parts of Eastern Camden
Camden County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census the population of Camden County was 60.28% Non-Hispanic white, 18.45% Non-Hispanic black, 1.12% Hispanic blacks, 0.17% Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.15% Hispanic Native Americans, 5.07% Non-Hispanic Asian, and 0.14% non-Hispanics reporting some other race...
and Gloucester
Gloucester County, New Jersey
Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....
Counties such as Winslow Township
Winslow Township, New Jersey
As of the census of 2010, there were 39,599 people, 13,567 households, and 9,662 families residing in the township. The population density was 599.9 people per square mile . There were 12,413 housing units at an average density of 215.1 per square mile...
and the Williamstown
Williamstown, New Jersey
Williamstown, home of brandon ciarlante, is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Monroe Township, in Gloucester County, New Jersey...
/Monroe Township
Monroe Township, New Jersey
Monroe Township is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New Jersey:*Monroe Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey*Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey...
area. This is the only location where WMGM is carried out of its designated area. However, it is only viewable on Comcast digital channel 247. DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
provides WMGM to Philadelphia market area viewers on channel 40. Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
had carried the station in the market until 2011, when it was dropped for unknown reasons. As a result of the expanded carriage of its signal in the entire Philadelphia DMA, it is carried in Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
alongside with the market's NBC affiliate from WCAU instead of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's WNBC
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
. That station is carried on cable for Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
, Comcast, and Cablevision subscribers in all of Mercer County. WMGM's terrestrial signal under tropospheric-like dxing
DXing
DXing is the hobby of tuning in and identifying distant radio or television signals, or making two way radio contact with distant stations in amateur radio, citizens' band radio or other two way radio communications. Many DXers also attempt to receive written verifications of reception from the...
conditions can be picked up in that county but it is not offered on cable.
CATV
In coastal and some interior parts of Sussex County, Delaware, WMGM was carried during the 1970s and possibly the 1980s.Newscasts and local programming
An entertainment program called Curtain Call with David Spatz, winner of a 2007 Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for outstanding interview/discussion series, airs Saturday nights at 6, featuring interviews with world-class artists performing in Atlantic City. There are three public affairs shows that air on the station: WMGM Presents Pinky (Saturday nights at 7:30), Forum 40 (Sunday mornings at 9:30), and Health Today (Saturdays at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 11). Prior to 2011, the station did not air local news weekday mornings (offering religious programming from 5 to 6 a.m. and a simulcast of the Don Williams radio talk show from WOND
WOND
WOND is an American news-talk radio station from Pleasantville, New Jersey, broadcasting to the Atlantic City, New Jersey, radio market. In the 1960s it was a Top 40 radio station, and its morning show was hosted by Bob Weems, one of the area's most well-remembered DJs. The station is home to the...
from 6 to 7 a.m.). However, on March 28, 2011, WMGM began airing Today in South Jersey, a one hour local morning newscast, which airs at 6 a.m. weekdays.
Newscast titles
- NewsCenter 40 (1985-1999)
- NewsChannel 40 NBC (1999-present)
- NBC 40 News (2010-present)
Station slogans
- "We're TV-40, Just Watch Us Now" (1982-1983; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come Home To The Best, Only on TV-40" (1988-1989; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "TV-40's the One for All" (1990-1997, used with Frank GariFrank GariFrank 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 "The One for All") - "South Jersey's News Source" (1993-1999)
- "The South Jersey News Channel" (1999-2009, still used as secondary)
- "Where Local Comes First" (2009-2010)
- "Clear. Accurate. Reliable." (2010-present)
Current on-air staff
Anchors- Jennifer Husko - weekday mornings at 6 a.m.; reporter
- Michelle Dawn Mooney - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Jeff Whitaker - weekends at 11 p.m.; also heard on WOND-AM
Weather team
- Dan Skeldon - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Rick Deluca - meteorologist; weekday mornings at 6 a.m.
- Adam Rutt - meteorologist; weekends at 11 p.m.
Sports team
- Pete Thompson - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Mike Frankel - sports anchor; weekends at 11 p.m.
Reporters
- Phaedra Laird
- Nichelle Polston
- Josh Sims - photographer
- Rick Ritter - photographer
- Desmond Miller - photographer