WHAG (Hagerstown, MD) loses NBC on June 30th

[Mr Tony]

http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news...cle_77461d4a-d6a9-11e5-88eb-0fedba025d11.html

After more than four decades together, WHAG-TV and NBC will part.

Details of the break have not been made public, but Lauren Skowronski, vice president of corporate communications for NBC, said in a one-sentence email Thursday: "I can confirm that the affiliation is ending this summer."

Hugh Breslin, general manager of WHAG-TV, said Thursday night that "we have plans to make a major announcement about exciting changes to our service and programming next week."

WHAG-TV, Channel 25, is the only licensed broadcast television station in Hagerstown. It began broadcasting in 1970.

Since its inception, the station has been an NBC affiliate.

NBC also owns and operates WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. Hagerstown and the nation's capital are considered to be in the same market, known as a "Designated Market Area," according to the Nielsen ratings maps.

 

[Mr Tony]

http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/nexstar-has-big-plans-for-whag-after-losing-nbc-affiliation/164315

When WHAG-TV loses its NBC affiliation on June 30 it will expand local news, re-brand as Your Local News Leader and hire news, production, marketing and sales personnel.

Nexstar, the owner of WHAG since 2003, laid out these bold plans in an 800-word press release late this afternoon. But nowhere in the release does it mention that this is all happening because NBC, which has been in business with WHAG since 1970, is pulling its affiliation this summer, just weeks before the Summer Olympics, a lucrative time for any NBC affiliate. In fact, NBC isn’t mentioned at all, in the release.

On July 1, WHAG will add 20 hours of news to the schedule, bringing the total number of hours of local programming to more than 50 per week. Nexstar also says it will invest $1 million to relocate WHAG-TV’s news bureaus, open additional field offices, add more than a dozen news and production personnel, develop a new on-air look and purchase new equipment, including weather technology and traffic systems.

 

[Mr Tony]

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/92473/whag-announces-1m-local-news-expansion

Following the news that Nexstar Broadcasting Groups WHAG Hagerstown, MD. (DMA 7), will lose its NBC affiliation after more than 40 years this summer, the station announced Friday afternoon that it will “significantly expand its highly-viewed locally originated news programming under the Your Local News Leader brand, with the initial launch beginning July 1.”

In association with the news expansion, Nexstar said it will be investing approximately $1 million to relocate WHAG’s news bureaus, open additional field offices, add over a dozen news and production personnel, develop new on-air graphics and purchase new equipment, weather technology and traffic systems to complement the additional programming.

The expansion will deliver more than 20 additional hours of local news to its new weekly broadcast schedule, increasing WHAG’s locally-produced news, lifestyle, sports, weather and community programming to over 50 hours per week.

In addition to more local programming hours, Nexstar said the expansion will bring WHAG’s local news coverage “to new geographic areas with the addition of original newscasts unique to local viewing communities in Maryland and Northern Virginia as well as West Virginia’s only available state-wide local news. Importantly, WHAG-TV’s local news expansion directly addresses the needs of the local communities outside the Beltway, particularly in Montgomery County, Md., and Northern Virginia by bringing viewers the only full-coverage local television news programming targeted to their local communities.”

 

[mvcg66b3r]

WHAG-TV, Channel 25, is the only licensed broadcast television station in Hagerstown.

Wrong! There's also independent station WJAL 68, although its transmitter is near Chambersburg PA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WJAL

 

[Mr Tony]

Wrong! There's also independent station WJAL 68, although its transmitter is near Chambersburg PA.

Thats from the link, not my comment.

and if you actually read the wiki for WJAL it clearly says

Despite being licensed to Hagerstown, Maryland, WJAL's offices are located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (within the Harrisburg television market), and its transmitter located fifteen miles (24 km) west of Chambersburg, atop Tuscarora Mountain near the town of McConnellsburg.

 

[Peter Parker]

This has always been a low budget station. Many ads a e for small local businesses. The news team is almost exclusively very young (with one notable exception who has been there for 35 years) and anchors come and go quickly. In the last few months the evening, and mid day anchors went on to greener pastures and the morning anchor has just disappeared. I suspect this will mean the station will struggle even more. Hopefully it will not look like WJAL ina few years.

 

[navychop]

I wish them well. I have an RV near Hagerstown but usually cannot receive their signal. I suppose now an increase in power is absolutely off the table.

 

[Mr Tony]

The news team is almost exclusively very young (with one notable exception who has been there for 35 years) and anchors come and go quickly..

its a small market station (in a big market though). Thats usually how it works. When I watch KEYC Mankato (which is 60 miles down the road and its own market....with just KEYC) the reporters are there a few months then seem to move on to "bigger" markets like Sioux Falls, Fargo (bigger compared to Mankato).
Most are directly out of college

 

[Mr Tony]

Losing a network and not really having a backup option (like when WKPT Tri CIties lost the ABC affiliate....they just moved My Network to it) will be tough. I understand they are going to do more news....but in reality an area like Hagerstown how much news can one person need? What stories are they going to have? Lost dog? Mrs Jones went to church bingo and won $100?

But then again looking at their non network programming.....paid programs, judge shows. Looks like NBC is their "bread and butter"
(although they do have ACC sports....guess they can show more without worrying about pre-empting NBC)

 

[Peter Parker]

The news is pretty darned local as it is. I think it will head downhill quickly. Hopefully they won't wind up as full time RTV affiliate.

 

[localclassictvfan]

When you tv fool hagerstown maryland or just 21740....None of the DC area stations come up where people can catch it and WRC is way at the bottom. When reading the first link posted saying Hagerstown is in the same Demographic market as WRC but you cannot catch the station.....HUM....

 

[localclassictvfan]

OH yeah we know about Nexstar and their TALK BOLD plans for TV stations......Still waiting for Jan. 1 2016 for KLAF's new news team.

 

[Mr Tony]

OH yeah we know about Nexstar and their TALK BOLD plans for TV stations......Still waiting for Jan. 1 2016 for KLAF's new news team.

well having a newscast they can feed off of (like they do there by using Baton Rouge's) and having to add programming due to losing network affiliation is a big difference

 

[SamCdbs]

Reality on the ground is in a place like this (similar situations are places like Parkersburg, WV; Zanesville, OH) "everybody" has cable or a dish. All the other local stations come from the nearby big city and cable/dish can easily also bring in the remaining one. These types of stations thus serve no purpose whatsoever in terms of bringing in the network's programming or major syndicated programming.

Their sole purpose is thus to cover the local news, which would be lost among the news of the whole DMA. And to provide a cost effective way for local businesses (and politicians) to buy ads, which they could not afford or need for the entire DMA. Is there money in that for Nexstar?

However, if they can get a signal to the POP and affiliate with the kind of networks normally found on .2 they could demand carriage throughout the DC metro.

 

[Mr Tony]

When you tv fool hagerstown maryland or just 21740....None of the DC area stations come up where people can catch it and WRC is way at the bottom. When reading the first link posted saying Hagerstown is in the same Demographic market as WRC but you cannot catch the station.....HUM....

correct. Nielsen sets up markets and Hagerstown is in the Washington DC market. even though it may be pretty far away
http://www.dishuser.org/TVMarkets/Maps/maryland.gif

Plenty of markets out there are in the same boat. Minneapolis market runs from the Iowa border almost to Canada. In most of the market (outside of the Mpls/ St Paul area) you may get 2 of the 4 networks. Some get 3. Where I use to live (the lake house) I got 2 of the 4 in digital, 1 in analog (ABC) and no NBC. Most of northern MN does not have a NBC translator.
I know of people who live in Fergus Falls, MN. They are in the Fargo market even though the stations are 75-90 miles away (depending on where the tower is). Even with an outdoor antenna dn pre-amp its very spotty. FOX can be had as its 25 miles away (their tower is deep in Minnesota)

 

[Mr Tony]

Reality on the ground is in a place like this (similar situations are places like Parkersburg, WV; Zanesville, OH) "everybody" has cable or a dish.

Ironically Parkersburg is a 3/4 market. CBS & FOX are on LP stations in town (NBC has been there forever). Only network missing is ABC

 

[mvcg66b3r]

http://www.dishuser.org/TVMarkets/Maps/maryland.gif

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The requested URL /TVMarkets/Maps/maryland.gif was not found on this server.

 

[Trip]

Losing a network and not really having a backup option (like when WKPT Tri CIties lost the ABC affiliate....they just moved My Network to it) will be tough. I understand they are going to do more news....but in reality an area like Hagerstown how much news can one person need? What stories are they going to have? Lost dog? Mrs Jones went to church bingo and won $100?

It does indeed sound like they want to be like WFMZ. Check their website and you'll see what WFMZ does. It's very successful, and they cover not only Allentown but Reading and some of the other Philadelphia DMA locations north and west of the city. It sounds like WHAG wants to do that too, covering Winchester and Martinsburg and Frederick (in addition to Hagerstown) much better than they're covered now. It won't be easy, but if it works, they could do pretty well for themselves.

When you tv fool hagerstown maryland or just 21740....None of the DC area stations come up where people can catch it and WRC is way at the bottom. When reading the first link posted saying Hagerstown is in the same Demographic market as WRC but you cannot catch the station.....HUM....

Hagerstown can receive DC. The Longley-Rice model doesn't handle knife-edge diffraction very well, or, really, at all. The signal makes it but the predictions say it doesn't.

- Trip

 

[Mr Tony]

Bad Link

works for me. But here is the pic

 

[Mr Tony]

Hagerstown can receive DC. The Longley-Rice model doesn't handle knife-edge diffraction very well, or, really, at all. The signal makes it but the predictions say it doesn't.

- Trip

good to know