WWPI-CD

WWPI-CD is a Class A, low-power television station licensed to Fort Kent, Maine, and serving the Presque Isle area and wider Aroostook County. The station operates as an NBC affiliate and is owned by Gray Media, which also owns WAGM-TV, the principal CBS, Fox, and CW+ station serving the region. WWPI-CD and WAGM-TV share studios on Brewer Road in Presque Isle, and the WWPI-CD transmitter is also located at the shared facility. The station developed from a former WAGM-TV translator. The predecessor facility used the call sign W16DA-D and served as a translator of WAGM-TV from Fort Kent. In 2019, Gray Television pursued changes that would transform the translator into a separately branded NBC affiliate for the Presque Isle market. The call sign was changed to WWPI-LD on June 3, 2019, after Gray filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to move the facility's city of license from Fort Kent to Presque Isle. The FCC approved the construction permit on August 7, 2019. The facility temporarily went silent while work on a new transmitter was completed. Gray announced in June 2019 that the station was intended to become an NBC affiliate by the end of that year. The launch was postponed while the transmitter project was completed, and WWPI ultimately began broadcasting on January 7, 2020. Its arrival gave the Presque Isle area a local over-the-air NBC service. Before the launch, WLBZ in Bangor had functioned as the default NBC affiliate for Aroostook County. WWPI-CD remains notable as Maine's only NBC affiliate not associated with the Tegna-owned News Center Maine network, whose principal stations are WCSH in Portland and WLBZ in Bangor. WWPI-CD's programming model combines network programming with material produced or acquired through its relationship with WAGM-TV. The station primarily simulcasts WAGM-TV's weekday local newscasts, but schedules the 6 p.m. WAGM newscast one hour later, at 7 p.m., on WWPI-CD. It does not generally carry WAGM's weekend newscasts, instead using syndicated programming during those periods. The station's role is therefore both that of a local NBC outlet and an extension of Gray's broader Aroostook County television operation. The station's service is focused on a rural northern Maine market, with Fort Kent as its city of license and Presque Isle as its principal commercial and media center. Its brand proposition is local access to NBC network programming combined with regional news and other content connected to WAGM-TV. The available reference material does not identify a separately marketed digital subchannel lineup, independent corporate management team, separately reported financial results, or a standalone website; viewers are directed to the WAGM-TV website for station-related information.

WWPI-CD originated as W16DA-D, a low-power translator of WAGM-TV serving the Fort Kent area. In 2019, Gray Television began the regulatory and technical process of turning that translator into a local NBC affiliate for the Presque Isle market. On June 3, 2019, the facility adopted the call sign WWPI-LD. Gray had filed an application with the FCC on May 21 seeking to move the station's city of license from Fort Kent to Presque Isle, and the FCC granted the associated construction permit on August 7. The proposed conversion represented a change in the station's role. Rather than functioning primarily as a rebroadcast facility for WAGM-TV, WWPI was intended to provide a dedicated NBC service for northern Maine viewers. Gray announced the plan on June 24, 2019, with an expected launch by the end of the year. That schedule slipped because construction of a new transmitter had not yet been completed. WWPI-LD subsequently went silent during the transition. The station officially signed on January 7, 2020, as an NBC affiliate. Its launch filled a significant local network gap in the Presque Isle area. Before WWPI's debut, WLBZ in Bangor had served as the default NBC affiliate for Aroostook County. WWPI is distinct within Maine because it is the state's only NBC affiliate outside the Tegna-owned News Center Maine network, which includes WCSH in Portland and WLBZ in Bangor. The station operates within Gray Media's northern Maine portfolio. WWPI-CD is owned alongside WAGM-TV, and the two stations share studios on Brewer Road in Presque Isle. The shared operation supports WWPI's local-news and programming model. On weekdays, WWPI-CD generally simulcasts WAGM-TV's newscasts, with the WAGM 6 p.m. newscast airing on WWPI at 7 p.m. The station does not carry WAGM's weekend newscasts and instead airs syndicated programming during those periods. WWPI-CD is licensed as a Class A low-power station. Its city of license remains Fort Kent, while its principal service and studio relationship are associated with Presque Isle. The station's identity is consequently tied to both communities: Fort Kent supplies the formal licensing designation, while Presque Isle is the main media and operating center. Available reference material does not provide a separately documented executive roster, independent financial reporting, standalone digital subchannel details, or a separate corporate website. Information for the station is presented through the WAGM-TV web presence.

1. 2020NBC service launches

   WWPI signed on as an NBC affiliate on January 7 after completion of its new transmitter project.

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2. 2019Translator renamed WWPI-LD

   The former WAGM-TV translator W16DA-D changed its call sign to WWPI-LD as Gray Television prepared to convert the facility into an NBC affiliate.

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3. 2019FCC approves city-of-license move

   The FCC granted Gray's construction permit to move the facility's city of license from Fort Kent to Presque Isle.

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4. 2019NBC affiliation announced

   Gray announced plans to convert WWPI-LD into an NBC affiliate serving the Presque Isle area.

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A local NBC television outlet for the Presque Isle and Aroostook County market, using Gray Media's WAGM-TV news and production operation to complement network programming.

• NBC network serviceBroadcast television2020

  WWPI-CD carries NBC network programming over the air for viewers in the Presque Isle and Aroostook County market. Its launch created a locally based NBC option in an area previously served by WLBZ in Bangor as the default NBC affiliate.

• WAGM-TV news simulcastsLocal television news2020

  WWPI-CD uses the production resources and local-news operation of sister station WAGM-TV. Most weekday newscasts are simulcast, with the WAGM 6 p.m. broadcast scheduled on WWPI at 7 p.m. Weekend newscasts are generally replaced by syndicated programming.

• 2020Launch of local NBC serviceProduct launch

  Aroostook County had previously relied on WLBZ in Bangor as its default NBC affiliate.

  What changed. WWPI began broadcasting as an NBC affiliate on January 7, combining NBC programming with local content connected to WAGM-TV.

  Aftermath. Presque Isle gained a local over-the-air NBC affiliate, while WWPI became the only Maine NBC affiliate outside the Tegna-owned News Center Maine network.

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• 2019Convert translator into NBC affiliateStrategy

  The former WAGM-TV translator served northern Maine but did not provide a dedicated local NBC outlet for the Presque Isle area.

  What changed. Gray Television changed the facility's call sign, pursued a city-of-license change, and planned a new transmitter and NBC affiliation.

  Aftermath. After a delay related to transmitter construction, WWPI launched as an NBC affiliate in January 2020.

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• 2020WWPI begins broadcasting as an NBC affiliate

  WWPI officially signed on as an NBC affiliate on January 7, providing Presque Isle and surrounding Aroostook County communities with a local over-the-air NBC outlet.

  Product launch
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• 2019Gray Television announces planned NBC affiliation for WWPI-LD

  Gray Television announced that the former WAGM-TV translator would be converted into an NBC affiliate serving the Presque Isle area. The planned launch was initially targeted for the end of 2019 but was delayed while a new transmitter was completed.

  Product launch
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1. WWPI-CD
2. WAGM-TV