WAGT-CD2

WAGT-CD2 is identified by the supplied subject key as a broadcast-station entity associated with the WAGT television operation serving Augusta, Georgia. The available reference material primarily documents WAGT-CD rather than WAGT-CD2 specifically, so the precise licensing, programming, ownership, and technical relationship between the two identifiers cannot be confirmed from the material provided. The supplied website points to an Augusta affiliate page operated under the yourcwtv.com domain, but the reference description characterizes the relevant service as part of the Augusta broadcast market rather than providing a separate corporate profile for WAGT-CD2. The documented WAGT operation has a long and complicated history. Its intellectual-unit lineage originated with WATU, a full-power Augusta station that began broadcasting in 1968. WATU initially struggled because UHF reception was limited and established VHF stations carried selected NBC programs. The station went dark in 1970, returned in 1974 as a full NBC affiliate, and was acquired by Schurz Communications in 1981. Schurz changed the call sign to WAGT. For much of its full-power history, the station remained a relatively weak major-network affiliate in the Augusta market and did not begin regular local newscasts until 1995. A separate low-power license in the Augusta area began as W67BE after receiving its initial authorization in 1985. It operated first as an independent station, later became an early Fox affiliate, and subsequently adopted the WBEK-LP call sign in January 1995. It carried The WB programming for a period, then moved to UPN after losing that affiliation to another local service. In 2001, the station moved to channel 16 and received Class A status, becoming WBEK-CA. It later carried America One programming, converted to digital operation in 2015, and became WBEK-CD. Gray Television agreed to purchase the low-power WBEK-CD in 2015 and completed the transaction that October. The acquisition occurred alongside Gray's purchase of Schurz's television properties, including the full-power WAGT station. Regulatory restrictions prevented Gray from simply retaining both full-power WAGT and WRDW-TV in the Augusta market. Gray therefore pursued a structure in which the WAGT programming identity, NBC affiliation, personnel, and related assets could be carried through a low-power facility. The full-power WAGT spectrum was subsequently sold in the FCC's incentive auction, and the full-power license was returned to the FCC in 2017. The reference material states that the low-power WAGT operation then assumed WAGT's intellectual property, talent, NBC affiliation, and syndicated programming. It also says that the stations were later consolidated at facilities in Augusta's Riverwatch development. These details describe the broader WAGT station history, but they do not establish whether WAGT-CD2 is a separately licensed station, a digital subchannel designation, a former call sign, or an alternate database identifier. Accordingly, this dossier does not attribute the historical WAGT-CD milestones directly to WAGT-CD2 without further verification.

The available reference material does not provide a separately documented history for WAGT-CD2. It instead describes WAGT-CD and the earlier full-power WAGT operation. Those records show that the WAGT intellectual unit developed from WATU, which began broadcasting in Augusta in 1968. WATU initially operated as an NBC affiliate but faced structural disadvantages because UHF reception was not widespread and established VHF competitors carried selected NBC programming. The station went off the air in 1970, returned in 1974, and later came under Schurz Communications, which changed its call sign to WAGT in 1981. The broader WAGT service remained a comparatively weak major-network affiliate for much of its history. It began regular local newscasts only in 1995. In 2009, Schurz placed WAGT under a joint sales and shared-services arrangement with Media General, whose WJBF was the senior partner. This arrangement later became important when Gray Television pursued acquisitions that affected ownership and operating structure in the Augusta market. The low-power lineage associated with the later WAGT operation began with W67BE, authorized in 1985. The station operated independently, later carried Fox programming, and became WBEK-LP in 1995. It subsequently carried WB and UPN programming, moved to channel 16, gained Class A status as WBEK-CA, and eventually operated with America One programming. In 2015 it converted to digital broadcasting and became WBEK-CD. Gray Television agreed to acquire WBEK-CD in August 2015 and completed the purchase in October. During the same period, Gray announced its acquisition of Schurz's television properties, including WAGT. Because federal ownership rules restricted Gray's ability to retain the relevant full-power stations together, Gray developed a plan involving the low-power facility and the transfer of the WAGT intellectual unit. The FCC approved the Schurz transaction and a related waiver in February 2016, while also requiring continued operation of WAGT through the spectrum-auction process. Gray ultimately sold the full-power WAGT spectrum in the FCC incentive auction. The full-power license was returned to the FCC in May 2017. The low-power WAGT operation then moved into the former WAGT operating structure, discontinued its previous Youtoo America programming, and assumed the former station's NBC affiliation, programming identity, personnel, and syndicated content. The operation was initially based at WRDW facilities and moved in 2021 to a shared studio at Augusta's Riverwatch development. Because the supplied subject is WAGT-CD2 while the principal reference is an article about WAGT-CD, these historical facts should be treated as contextual rather than definitive facts about WAGT-CD2. Verification against an FCC license record, an authoritative station website, or a dedicated WAGT-CD2 article is needed before asserting that the two identifiers represent the same service.

• 2021

  Move to Riverwatch facilities

  [1]WAGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The Augusta stations operated by Gray moved to a shared studio in the Riverwatch development.

• 2017

  Transition of the WAGT intellectual unit to low power

  [1]WAGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  Following the return of the former full-power license, the low-power operation carried the WAGT identity, NBC affiliation, programming, and related personnel.

• 2016

  Adoption of the WAGT-CD call sign

  [1]WAGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The low-power station changed its call sign to WAGT-CD after Gray Television's acquisition and restructuring plans.

• 2015

  Conversion to digital operation

  [1]WAGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The low-power station converted to digital broadcasting and adopted the WBEK-CD call sign.

• 2001

  Move to channel 16 and Class A status

  [1]WAGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station moved from channel 67 to channel 16 and received Class A status, becoming WBEK-CA.

• 1995

  Adoption of the WBEK-LP call sign

  [1]WAGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The low-power station adopted the WBEK-LP call sign and became associated with WB programming after the network's launch.

• 1985

  Initial authorization of the low-power predecessor license

  [1]WAGT-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The license later associated with the low-power WAGT lineage was initially granted under the W67BE call sign.

A local broadcast television service associated with the Augusta, Georgia media market; the exact positioning of WAGT-CD2 as distinct from WAGT-CD requires verification.

• Broadcast television

  Local television programming

  The documented WAGT operation provides scheduled television programming for the Augusta market, including network, syndicated, and locally relevant content. The exact programming carried by WAGT-CD2 has not been independently established in the supplied material.

• 2016

  Use of a low-power facility for the WAGT programming identityStrategy

  Background

  Gray Television faced federal ownership restrictions involving WRDW-TV and the full-power WAGT station in the Augusta market.

  Action taken

  Gray pursued a structure in which the WAGT intellectual unit could operate through a low-power facility while the full-power spectrum was handled through the FCC auction process.

  Aftermath

  The full-power WAGT license was eventually returned to the FCC, while the low-power operation assumed the WAGT identity and NBC programming.

  Source

1. 1WAGT-CDen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CW Augusta affiliate pageyourcwtv.com