WPFO
Encyclopedia
WPFO is the Fox
-affiliated television station
for Southern Maine
and Northern New Hampshire
that is licensed to Waterville, Maine
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 23 from a transmitter on Oak Hill in Litchfield
near the Androscoggin
and Kennebec
County line. Owned by Corporate Media Consultants Group and operated by Max Media
(which owns 49 percent of CMCG), the station has studios on Oxford Street in Downtown Portland
. Syndicated
programming on WPFO includes: Two and a Half Men
, The Office, Judge Alex
, and Seinfeld
.
The station began broadcasting on August 27, 1999 as WMPX-TV and was a Pax (now Ion Television) affiliate owned by Paxson Communications. Paxson sold the channel in December 2002 to Corporate Media Consultants Group who changed the call sign to the current WPFO. The new calls reflected an affiliation change to Fox, which took place in April 2003, filling a gap created in Fall 2001 when WPXT
switched to The WB. In July 2007, this station debuted a new logo and updated website. The website's design was outsourced to Fox Interactive Media which also develops websites for Fox's owned-and-operated
stations. WPFO switched website providers to Broadcast Interactive Media in March 2010.
From its sign-on until April 12, 2003, the station was branded on-air as "Pax 23". In addition to Pax programming, WMPX carried a small amount of local programming. As WPFO in addition to Fox prime time, sports, and syndicated programming, the station produces and airs local paid programming under the titles Fox 23 Lifestyle and Your Hometown. It was announced by the Maine Lottery
on April 16, 2010 that starting May 11 WPFO would begin airing the Mega Millions
lottery drawings Tuesday and Friday nights at 11 following the hour long 10 o'clock newscast. Maine joined the Mega Millions lottery on May 9 starting ticket sales on that date.
For a time in the early-2000s, WMPX re-aired some newscasts from WCSH
and WLBZ
as part of a larger deal between Paxson Communications and Gannett
. This station also operated from WCSH's Downtown Portland studios at Congress Square and sold air time jointly with WCSH and WLBZ under a time brokerage agreement. In 2003, a three hour-long weekday morning talk show with a call-in format called So Goes The Nation began airing. It was hosted by Alan Silberberg and former WVOM
host Charlie Horne from the studios of Bangor
's Fox affiliate WFVX-LP
. Originally seen only on WFVX, simulcasts were later added on WPFO and area radio station WLOB
. So Goes The Nation was canceled in September 2004.
From November 9, 2005 until March 27, 2009, WPFO simulcasted WLOB's weekday morning show known as The Fox Morning News hosted by Ray Richardson and Ted Talbot. There were short features and news stories from Fox News and weather forecasts with former WGME-TV
meteorologist Paul Cousins during breaks in the show. The program was more of a conservative talk show than newscast and featured live call-ins from viewers and listeners. It was replaced by the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
. The program moved to MyNetworkTV
affiliate WPME
and is now known as The Ray and Ted Show and airs 6:30 until 7:30.
On February 5, 2007, WGME began producing a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on WPFO known as News 13 on Fox after a news share agreement was established between the two. It is aired from a secondary set at WGME's studios on the corner of Washington Avenue and Northport Drive in the North Deering section of Portland. Starting April 5, 2010, the weeknight 10 o'clock broadcast was expanded to an hour. As a result of this, the show uses all Fox News material for national news coverage. Previously, it was using CBS News
in the national segments. This continues for the thirty minute weekend broadcast.
A two-hour long morning show was launched on WPFO called Good Day Maine also produced by WGME. It is a talk, entertainment, news, weather, and sports program that airs from 7 to 9. The show is the only local morning broadcast during the time slot and competes against The Early Show
(on WGME), Good Morning America
, and Today. This newscast airs from the secondary set at WGME's facilities (which received an update) along with a new secondary weather set (while also using the main weather center outside of WGME's Early Show cut-ins) to deliver weather reports. There is also a live interview desk that was previously used on WGME during news headline updates on that station's weekday morning show and a new light story room which includes a nighttime backdrop of the Portland skyline along with several couches and armchairs. WPFO's website hosts video from both of the WGME-produced newscasts.
Storm Team 13 Meteorologists
Sports
Reporters
WGME News 13 News Partners from WGAN-AM 560
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
-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...
that is licensed to Waterville, Maine
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
. 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 23 from a transmitter on Oak Hill in Litchfield
Litchfield, Maine
Litchfield is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,110 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
near the Androscoggin
Androscoggin County, Maine
Androscoggin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the county's population was 107,702. Its county seat is Auburn...
and Kennebec
Kennebec County, Maine
Kennebec County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 122,151. Its county seat is Augusta. The center of population of Maine is located in Kennebec County, in the city of Augusta....
County line. Owned by Corporate Media Consultants Group and operated by Max Media
Max Media
Max Media is a company that owns radio and television stations throughout the United States. It is based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.-History:Max Media was founded in 2001...
(which owns 49 percent of CMCG), the station has studios on Oxford Street in Downtown 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...
. 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 WPFO includes: Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, The Office, Judge Alex
Judge Alex
Judge Alex is a United States syndicated courtroom television show that debuted September 12, 2005. The host/arbitrator is the Hon. Alex Ferrer, a former police officer, lawyer, and Florida judge. The show was produced in Houston at the television studios of Fox's KRIV , as was previously done with...
, and Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
.
History
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...
switched to The WB. In July 2007, this station debuted a new logo and updated website. The website's design was outsourced to Fox Interactive Media which also develops websites for Fox's owned-and-operated
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...
stations. WPFO switched website providers to Broadcast Interactive Media in March 2010.
From its sign-on until April 12, 2003, the station was branded on-air as "Pax 23". In addition to Pax programming, WMPX carried a small amount of local programming. As WPFO in addition to Fox prime time, sports, and syndicated programming, the station produces and airs local paid programming under the titles Fox 23 Lifestyle and Your Hometown. It was announced by the Maine Lottery
Maine Lottery
The Maine Lottery is run by the government of Maine. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association , whose flagship game is Powerball....
on April 16, 2010 that starting May 11 WPFO would begin airing the Mega Millions
Mega Millions
Mega Millions is a US multi-jurisdictional $1 lottery game. Since it replaced The Big Game in May 2002 , Mega Millions' advertised jackpots have started at $12 million, paid in 26 yearly installments , increasing when there is no jackpot winner...
lottery drawings Tuesday and Friday nights at 11 following the hour long 10 o'clock newscast. Maine joined the Mega Millions lottery on May 9 starting ticket sales on that date.
News operation
WCSH
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 from a transmitter on Winn Mountain in Sebago. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Time Warner Cable channel 6...
and 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...
as part of a larger deal between Paxson Communications and 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...
. This station also operated from WCSH's Downtown Portland studios at Congress Square and sold air time jointly with WCSH and WLBZ under a time brokerage agreement. In 2003, a three hour-long weekday morning talk show with a call-in format called So Goes The Nation began airing. It was hosted by Alan Silberberg and former WVOM
WVOM
WVOM is an FM radio station located at 103.9 MHz, owned by Blueberry Broadcasting. WVOM and the other 16 Clear Channel stations in Maine were sold in August 2008 to Maine-based Blueberry Broadcasting which is headed by Louis Vitale and Bruce Biette...
host Charlie Horne from the studios of 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...
's Fox affiliate WFVX-LP
WFVX-LP
WFVX-LP is the primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV television station for Central and Eastern Maine licensed to Bangor. It broadcasts a low-powered analog signal on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter on Black Cap Mountain along the Penobscot and Hancock County line. The station can also be seen on...
. Originally seen only on WFVX, simulcasts were later added on WPFO and area radio station WLOB
WLOB
WLOB is a news/talk radio station in the Portland, Maine area. The current owner is Atlantic Coast Radio. In the 1960's McGavern/Guild Media NYC owned WLOB AM 1310/FM 98 as Atlantic States Industries Div...
. So Goes The Nation was canceled in September 2004.
From November 9, 2005 until March 27, 2009, WPFO simulcasted WLOB's weekday morning show known as The Fox Morning News hosted by Ray Richardson and Ted Talbot. There were short features and news stories from Fox News and weather forecasts with former 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...
meteorologist Paul Cousins during breaks in the show. The program was more of a conservative talk show than newscast and featured live call-ins from viewers and listeners. It was replaced by the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
. The program moved to MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WPME
WPME
WPME is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire licensed to Lewiston, Maine. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter in South Gray along I-95/Maine Turnpike/Gold Star Memorial Highway. The station can...
and is now known as The Ray and Ted Show and airs 6:30 until 7:30.
On February 5, 2007, WGME began producing a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on WPFO known as News 13 on Fox after a news share agreement was established between the two. It is aired from a secondary set at WGME's studios on the corner of Washington Avenue and Northport Drive in the North Deering section of Portland. Starting April 5, 2010, the weeknight 10 o'clock broadcast was expanded to an hour. As a result of this, the show uses all Fox News material for national news coverage. Previously, it was using CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
in the national segments. This continues for the thirty minute weekend broadcast.
A two-hour long morning show was launched on WPFO called Good Day Maine also produced by WGME. It is a talk, entertainment, news, weather, and sports program that airs from 7 to 9. The show is the only local morning broadcast during the time slot and competes against The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
(on WGME), Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, and Today. This newscast airs from the secondary set at WGME's facilities (which received an update) along with a new secondary weather set (while also using the main weather center outside of WGME's Early Show cut-ins) to deliver weather reports. There is also a live interview desk that was previously used on WGME during news headline updates on that station's weekday morning show and a new light story room which includes a nighttime backdrop of the Portland skyline along with several couches and armchairs. WPFO's website hosts video from both of the WGME-produced newscasts.
News 13 on Fox Team
Anchors- Diana Ichton - Good Day Maine Co-Anchor
- ON YOUR SIDE Segment Producer & Reporter
- Jon Chrisos - Good Day Maine Co-Anchor
- Kim Block - Fill-In Anchor
- medical/health reporter
- "Around The Block" Segment Producer (based on healthy living topics, titled after presenter/anchor, Kim Block)
- Gregg Lagerquist - Weeknights at 10
- Political Anchor & Segment Producer
- Adrienne Stein - Weeknights at 10
- Catherine Parrotta - Weekends at 10
- reporter
Storm Team 13 Meteorologists
- Charlie Lopresti (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...
Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights at 10 - Sarah Long (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...
Seal of Approval) - Good Day Maine- "Thursday's Child" segment producer
- Craig Miller - Weekends and fill-in
- David Epstein - weekend fill-in
Sports
- Dave Eid - Director seen weeknights
- Evans Boston - weekend sports anchor and fill-in reporter
- John Brickley - fill-in
Reporters
- Doug Rafferty - Special Reports
- "Maine Outdoors" & "Doug's Discoveries" Host/Segment Producer
- Giovanna Bechard - News 13 on FOX at 10PM Weeknight General Reporter
- Steve Roldan - Top Stories/General
- Fill-in Anchor/Meteorologist
- Kate Barker - fill-in reporter (was formerly weekday morning co-anchor and general assignment reporter)
- Scott Episkapo - photojournalist/general
WGME News 13 News Partners from WGAN-AM 560
- Ken Altshuler - WGAN Morning News and weekday morning commentary
- Political Edge commentator
- Mike Violette - WGAN Morning News and weekday morning commentary
- Political Edge commentator
- Erik Van Den Bossche - WGAN Trafficwatch
- Ben Bozeman - WGAN Trafficwatch