WABI-TV

WABI-TV is a television station licensed to Bangor, Maine, and serving the Bangor television market and surrounding areas of eastern and central Maine. The station broadcasts on channel 5 and is affiliated with CBS on its primary service. Its second digital subchannel carries The CW Plus under the regional identity “Eastern and Central Maine’s CW.” The station also operates additional digital services, including a Decades affiliation introduced in 2015 and an Ion Television service launched in 2020. WABI-TV began broadcasting in January 1953 and holds an important place in New England broadcasting history. It was the first television station in Maine and the first in northern New England. The station was established by Community Broadcasting Service, which was associated with WABI radio. Its early programming combined a primary NBC affiliation with secondary programming from CBS, ABC, and DuMont, reflecting the limited network infrastructure available when television was developing in northern New England. WABI later became a primary CBS affiliate after an affiliation exchange with WLBZ-TV in the late 1950s. ABC programming was subsequently shared until the launch of a dedicated ABC outlet in the Bangor area in 1965. For much of its history, WABI-TV was the flagship broadcasting property of Diversified Communications, a company created in 1971 through the merger of Community Broadcasting Service and Journal Publications. Diversified was controlled by the Hildreth family of Bangor. Under that ownership, WABI remained closely tied to its local community and developed a strong news and sports identity. It was historically associated with University of Maine athletics, local high-school sports, regional news, weather, and extensive live newscast coverage originating from Bangor. The station also operated a bureau in Waterville to support coverage of central Maine. WABI-TV’s digital expansion broadened its programming role. Its second service evolved from a cable-only WB affiliate identified by the fictional call sign “WBAN” into a digital simulcast and then a CW-affiliated subchannel following the creation of The CW in 2006. WABI-DT2 carries network programming as well as local news and weather segments, including a prime-time newscast. The subchannel moved to high definition in 2012. WABI also used its digital capacity for additional multicast networks, giving viewers access to classic television and general entertainment programming alongside the CBS and CW services. The station’s distribution history includes carriage in parts of the Canadian Maritimes through an analog translator, although that cross-border reach declined as satellite distribution expanded. WABI also experienced a temporary Dish Network blackout in 2014 during a retransmission-consent dispute. In 2017, Diversified Communications sold WABI-TV and sister station WCJB-TV in Florida to Gray Television, now Gray Media, for a reported $85 million. The transaction ended WABI’s period as the last locally owned commercial television station in its market and reunited it with WAGM-TV, a former Diversified station in northern Maine that was already part of Gray’s portfolio. WABI-TV continues to operate as a local Gray Media station with CBS programming, CW Plus service, multicast offerings, and a news operation focused on Bangor and the wider Maine region.

WABI-TV traces its origins to Community Broadcasting Service, the company associated with WABI radio in Bangor. The organization filed for a television construction permit in July 1952, and the permit was granted at the end of that year. Test transmissions began on January 25, 1953, followed by the station’s official launch on January 31. WABI-TV was the first television station in Maine and the first in northern New England, giving it a foundational role in the development of television service across the region. In its early years, WABI-TV operated primarily as an NBC affiliate while also carrying selected programs from CBS, ABC, and DuMont. The station was managed in its formative period by Murray Carpenter. In 1955, Carpenter was involved with the creation of WTWO in Bangor, which took CBS programming from WABI. After WTWO was sold in 1959 and became WLBZ-TV, the stations exchanged primary network affiliations. WABI-TV became the market’s primary CBS outlet, while ABC programming was shared between the stations until WEMT, now WVII-TV, launched in 1965 as a dedicated ABC affiliate. WABI also briefly carried programming from the NTA Film Network during the late 1950s. Community Broadcasting Service expanded beyond Bangor, including through its involvement with WMTW in Maine and the 1957 purchase of WAGM-TV and WAGM radio in Presque Isle. The company merged with Journal Publications in 1971 to create Diversified Communications. Diversified developed a broader portfolio of television stations, although most of those properties were sold during the late twentieth century. WABI-TV remained a central asset and, by 2017, was one of only two television stations still held by Diversified, alongside WCJB-TV in Gainesville, Florida. The former WABI radio operations were spun off in 1993 and later became part of Blueberry Broadcasting. WABI’s service footprint also once included an analog translator in Calais. The translator helped distribute the station to cable systems in parts of the Canadian Maritimes, but cross-border carriage declined after satellite distribution services became more widely available. The FCC canceled the translator’s license in 2009 at the station’s request. The station expanded its role through digital broadcasting. WABI-DT2 originated in the late 1990s as a cable-oriented WB service using the fictional identifier “WBAN.” When The WB and UPN were replaced by The CW in 2006, WABI created a digital subchannel to carry The CW over the air while continuing the existing cable arrangement. The CW service launched on September 18, 2006. WABI-DT2 added local news and weather segments, a weekday morning extension, a noon-news presentation, and a 10 p.m. prime-time newscast. It upgraded to high definition in June 2012. WABI has historically maintained a substantial local news operation compared with other stations serving Bangor. Its programming has included live morning, midday, evening, and late news, weather coverage, and local sports. The station was long associated with University of Maine athletics and the Black Bear Sports Network, although that relationship ended in 2013 after contract negotiations failed. WABI later emphasized high-school football coverage and other local sports programming. Its news operation became the first in Maine to broadcast local newscasts in high definition in October 2010; the CW subchannel followed when it upgraded its own local content in 2012. In February 2017, Diversified announced the sale of WABI-TV and WCJB-TV to Gray Television for $85 million. FCC approval followed in April, and the transaction closed on May 2. The acquisition reunited WABI with WAGM-TV, which had previously belonged to Diversified before being sold in 1984. Under Gray, WABI retained its CBS affiliation, CW Plus service, local news identity, and additional multicast offerings. The station remains based on Hildreth Street in West Bangor, with its transmitter located atop Peaked Mountain in Dixmont.

1. 2017Gray Television completes acquisition

   Gray Television completed its acquisition of WABI-TV and WCJB-TV from Diversified Communications on May 2.

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2. 2012WABI-DT2 upgrades to high definition

   The CW Plus subchannel and its local news programming moved to high-definition presentation.

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3. 2010Newscasts converted to high definition

   WABI-TV became the first Maine station to present its local newscasts in high definition.

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4. 2009Digital television transition

   WABI-TV ended analog broadcasting in June as part of the United States digital television transition.

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5. 2006CW service launches on WABI-DT2

   WABI launched an over-the-air digital subchannel carrying The CW after the merger of The WB and UPN.

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6. 1993Radio properties spun off

   The WABI radio stations were separated from the television operation and later became part of Blueberry Broadcasting.

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7. 1971Diversified Communications formed

   Community Broadcasting Service merged with Journal Publications to form Diversified Communications.

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8. 1957Acquisition of WAGM-TV and WAGM radio

   Community Broadcasting Service purchased the Presque Isle television and radio properties, later selling the radio operation in 1981 and the television station in 1984.

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9. 1953Television service begins

   WABI-TV started test transmissions on January 25 and official broadcasting on January 31 as Maine’s first television station.

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10. 1952Construction permit filed and granted

    Community Broadcasting Service filed for a television construction permit in July; the permit was granted on December 31.

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A long-established, locally focused broadcast television station combining CBS network programming with regional news, weather, sports, and supplementary digital network services for eastern and central Maine.

• WABI-TV CBS serviceBroadcast television1953

  The station’s primary broadcast service on channel 5 carries CBS network programming alongside locally produced news, weather, public-affairs content, and regional sports. It serves Bangor and a broad portion of eastern and central Maine from studios in West Bangor and a transmitter on Peaked Mountain in Dixmont.

• WABI-DT2CW Plus digital subchannel2006

  WABI-DT2 provides The CW Plus to viewers in eastern and central Maine. It developed from a late-1990s cable WB service and became an over-the-air CW service in 2006. In addition to network programming, it has carried local news cut-ins, a morning-news extension, a midday presentation, and a weeknight prime-time newscast.

• WABI-DT3 DecadesClassic television multicast service2015

  The third digital subchannel carries Decades programming, a service centered on classic television and archival entertainment. It soft-launched in September 2015 and received its announced official launch in October of that year.

• WABI-DT5 Ion TelevisionEntertainment multicast service2020

  WABI-DT5 carries Ion Television programming as part of the station’s digital multicast lineup. The service launched in October 2020 and expanded WABI’s offering beyond its CBS, CW Plus, and classic-television services.

• WABI local newsLocal news production1953

  WABI’s local news operation produces live broadcasts from Bangor and has historically emphasized regional news, weather, community reporting, and sports. It has also maintained a Central Maine Bureau in Waterville, extending coverage beyond the Bangor area.

• 2017Sale from Diversified Communications to Gray TelevisionM&A

  By 2017, WABI-TV was one of the last television stations remaining in Diversified Communications’ portfolio. Diversified announced a sale of WABI-TV and WCJB-TV as part of a broader ownership transition.

  What changed. Gray Television agreed to acquire the two stations for $85 million, obtained FCC approval, and completed the transaction on May 2, 2017.

  Aftermath. WABI became part of Gray’s station group and ceased to be locally owned. The acquisition also reunited it with former sister station WAGM-TV in northern Maine.

  Reported transaction value. $85 million (2017 announced sale)

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• 2014Retransmission agreement dispute with Dish NetworkStrategy

  WABI-TV’s carriage agreement with Dish Network expired in July 2014. The station identified financial terms, customer-service concerns, and the satellite provider’s distribution of an out-of-market CBS station as issues in the negotiations.

  What changed. WABI-TV and WABI-DT2 were removed from Dish Network while negotiations continued, and the station pursued a renewed carriage agreement.

  Aftermath. A new agreement was reached in October 2014, allowing both services to return to Dish Network later that day.

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• 2012High-definition upgrade for WABI-DT2Generation change

  The CW Plus service and local programming on WABI’s second digital channel had initially been presented in standard definition.

  What changed. WABI-DT2 moved to 720p high-definition broadcasting and upgraded its local news presentation.

  Aftermath. The upgrade completed WABI’s transition of its main local services to high-definition presentation.

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• 2006Creation of WABI-DT2 as a CW serviceProduct launch

  The WB and UPN announced that they would close and combine into The CW. Bangor had previously received a cable-oriented WB service identified as WBAN, but did not have a local UPN station.

  What changed. WABI created a second digital subchannel to simulcast the existing cable service and carry The CW over the air, launching the new service in September 2006.

  Aftermath. WABI-DT2 became the market’s CW Plus outlet and developed its own local news and weather programming.

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• 2020Ion Television added to WABI-TV digital lineup

  WABI-TV launched an Ion Television service on digital channel 5.5, expanding its multicast programming portfolio.

  Product launch
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• 2017WABI-TV and WCJB-TV sold to Gray Television

  Diversified Communications announced the sale of WABI-TV and WCJB-TV to Gray Television. The transaction was approved by the FCC in April and completed in May, ending WABI’s status as a locally owned commercial station.

  M&A
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• 2015WABI-TV launches Decades multicast service

  The station introduced a third digital subchannel affiliated with the Decades classic-television network, initially soft-launching the service before its announced October start.

  Product launch
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• 2014WABI-TV and Dish Network resolve carriage dispute

  WABI-TV and its second digital service were removed from Dish Network after a retransmission-consent agreement expired. The services returned after the parties reached a new agreement in October.

  LawsuitPricing
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• 1953WABI-TV begins official broadcasting

  WABI-TV began regular broadcasting on January 31, following test transmissions earlier in the month. It became Maine’s first television station and the first television station in northern New England.

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1. WABI-TV
2. WABI-TV official website