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WMGM-TV
WMGM-TV (channel 40) is a television station licensed to Wildwood, New Jersey, United States, affiliated with the True Crime Network. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision alongside Vineland, New Jersey–licensed Univision owned-and-operated station WUVP-DT (channel 65) and Philadelphia-based low-power, Class A UniMás outlet WFPA-CD (channel 28). The stations share studios on North Delsea Drive in Vineland; WMGM-TV's transmitter is located along Avalon Boulevard in Swainton.
WMGM-TV is officially considered part of the Philadelphia television market but primarily serves southeastern New Jersey, including Atlantic City. In addition to its own digital signal, WMGM-TV is simulcast on WUVP's third digital subchannel (65.3) from a transmitter in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia; this makes WMGM-TV's programming available over the air throughout the entire Philadelphia market.
WMGM-TV was previously an affiliate of NBC, and was the only major network affiliate located within New Jersey. As such, the station's coverage area overlapped with the network's owned-and-operated station in Philadelphia, WCAU (channel 10) as well as Philadelphia's previous NBC affiliate, KYW-TV (channel 3, now a CBS owned-and-operated station) and the network's New York City flagship WNBC (channel 4). WMGM-TV's affiliation with NBC ended on December 31, 2014. The station aired various digital multicast networks, and operated as an independent, for periods after the loss of NBC. Since its acquisition by Univision, the station has carried the multicast services Justice Network (now True Crime Network) and GetTV, as well as Univision via WUVP-DT.
The station first signed on the air on January 25, 1966, known as WCMC-TV (meaning Cape May County). It was owned by Jersey Cape Broadcasting, along with the WCMC radio stations (1230 AM and 100.7 FM, now WZXL). The station initially could not get a direct network feed from NBC, forcing station engineers to switch to and from the signal of KYW-TV (channel 3) in Philadelphia for network programming. During the station's early years, even when NBC went to full-time color programming, the station still broadcast its local programming in black and white. WCMC-TV was sold to South Jersey Radio in 1977, and changed its call letters first to WAAT on April 27, 1981, and then to the current WMGM-TV on April 12, 1984, to match co-owned WMGM radio (103.7 FM). Under South Jersey Radio, channel 40 was able to obtain its own NBC affiliate feed. Upon the death of owner Howard Green in 2002, the stations were eventually sold to Access.1 Communications.
For many years, the station operated a low-powered repeater, WMGM-LP on VHF channel 7, to serve Atlantic City itself. On July 3, 2006, WMGM-LP fell silent when a fire struck its transmitter building. The building also housed the transmitters for Atlantic City's WMGM radio as well as Pleasantville's WOND (1400 AM) and WTKU-FM (98.3). While WMGM radio began broadcasting from WPUR (107.3 FM)'s auxiliary facilities atop the Trump Taj Mahal casino, the AM stations and WMGM-LP remained dark, leaving many Atlantic City residents without clear reception of NBC programs over-the-air. However, the on-air signals were eventually brought back.
Until WCAU became an NBC owned-and-operated station in September 1995, people in much of the New Jersey side of the Philadelphia market could watch the entire NBC schedule on WMGM-TV, as KYW-TV (which later became a CBS owned-and-operated station as a result of a 1994 affiliation deal involving two other Westinghouse-owned stations) preempted many of NBC's daytime programs as well as other shows. WMGM was one of the few affiliates not to carry the Sunday edition of The Today Show.
On October 10, 2013, Access.1 Communications agreed to sell WMGM to LocusPoint Networks for $6 million; WMGM would be LocusPoint's second station in the Philadelphia market, as the company was also in the process of acquiring WPHA-CD. As part of the deal, Access.1 would continue to manage WMGM. However, the deal was met with public controversy, over concerns that LocusPoint was only buying WMGM so it could auction off the station's license and spectrum during the FCC's 2015 spectrum incentive auction. Indeed, the company does not describe itself as a broadcaster, but as an "early stage wireless communications company". Stations in close proximity to major markets (in WMGM's case, Philadelphia) have been considered potentially valuable at auction, leaving the fate of WMGM in jeopardy. In response to the concerns (which also included viewers establishing a Save NBC 40 website), LocusPoint co-founder Bill deKay stated that they planned to continue operating the station as an NBC affiliate. The sale was completed on January 28, 2014. (WMGM was ultimately not sold in the auction.)
On April 16, 2014, Broadcasting & Cable reported that WMGM-TV would lose its NBC affiliation at the end of 2014, at the conclusion of a two-year extension of the station's most recent affiliation contract (which expired at the end of 2012). The station's former general manager, Ron Smith, claimed that the move was a result of NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast wanting to protect WCAU. Smith argued that the loss of the NBC affiliation would make it difficult for WMGM to continue operating. The loss of NBC also coincided with the end of Access.1's management agreement with LocusPoint Networks. In addition to the Philadelphia region, NBC also had an owned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C. (WHAG-TV served western Maryland, which was also served via WRC-TV), and an affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah (KENV served northeastern Nevada, which was also served via KSL-TV); both of those areas would go on to lose their secondary affiliates within the next few years.
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WMGM-TV
WMGM-TV (channel 40) is a television station licensed to Wildwood, New Jersey, United States, affiliated with the True Crime Network. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision alongside Vineland, New Jersey–licensed Univision owned-and-operated station WUVP-DT (channel 65) and Philadelphia-based low-power, Class A UniMás outlet WFPA-CD (channel 28). The stations share studios on North Delsea Drive in Vineland; WMGM-TV's transmitter is located along Avalon Boulevard in Swainton.
WMGM-TV is officially considered part of the Philadelphia television market but primarily serves southeastern New Jersey, including Atlantic City. In addition to its own digital signal, WMGM-TV is simulcast on WUVP's third digital subchannel (65.3) from a transmitter in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia; this makes WMGM-TV's programming available over the air throughout the entire Philadelphia market.
WMGM-TV was previously an affiliate of NBC, and was the only major network affiliate located within New Jersey. As such, the station's coverage area overlapped with the network's owned-and-operated station in Philadelphia, WCAU (channel 10) as well as Philadelphia's previous NBC affiliate, KYW-TV (channel 3, now a CBS owned-and-operated station) and the network's New York City flagship WNBC (channel 4). WMGM-TV's affiliation with NBC ended on December 31, 2014. The station aired various digital multicast networks, and operated as an independent, for periods after the loss of NBC. Since its acquisition by Univision, the station has carried the multicast services Justice Network (now True Crime Network) and GetTV, as well as Univision via WUVP-DT.
The station first signed on the air on January 25, 1966, known as WCMC-TV (meaning Cape May County). It was owned by Jersey Cape Broadcasting, along with the WCMC radio stations (1230 AM and 100.7 FM, now WZXL). The station initially could not get a direct network feed from NBC, forcing station engineers to switch to and from the signal of KYW-TV (channel 3) in Philadelphia for network programming. During the station's early years, even when NBC went to full-time color programming, the station still broadcast its local programming in black and white. WCMC-TV was sold to South Jersey Radio in 1977, and changed its call letters first to WAAT on April 27, 1981, and then to the current WMGM-TV on April 12, 1984, to match co-owned WMGM radio (103.7 FM). Under South Jersey Radio, channel 40 was able to obtain its own NBC affiliate feed. Upon the death of owner Howard Green in 2002, the stations were eventually sold to Access.1 Communications.
For many years, the station operated a low-powered repeater, WMGM-LP on VHF channel 7, to serve Atlantic City itself. On July 3, 2006, WMGM-LP fell silent when a fire struck its transmitter building. The building also housed the transmitters for Atlantic City's WMGM radio as well as Pleasantville's WOND (1400 AM) and WTKU-FM (98.3). While WMGM radio began broadcasting from WPUR (107.3 FM)'s auxiliary facilities atop the Trump Taj Mahal casino, the AM stations and WMGM-LP remained dark, leaving many Atlantic City residents without clear reception of NBC programs over-the-air. However, the on-air signals were eventually brought back.
Until WCAU became an NBC owned-and-operated station in September 1995, people in much of the New Jersey side of the Philadelphia market could watch the entire NBC schedule on WMGM-TV, as KYW-TV (which later became a CBS owned-and-operated station as a result of a 1994 affiliation deal involving two other Westinghouse-owned stations) preempted many of NBC's daytime programs as well as other shows. WMGM was one of the few affiliates not to carry the Sunday edition of The Today Show.
On October 10, 2013, Access.1 Communications agreed to sell WMGM to LocusPoint Networks for $6 million; WMGM would be LocusPoint's second station in the Philadelphia market, as the company was also in the process of acquiring WPHA-CD. As part of the deal, Access.1 would continue to manage WMGM. However, the deal was met with public controversy, over concerns that LocusPoint was only buying WMGM so it could auction off the station's license and spectrum during the FCC's 2015 spectrum incentive auction. Indeed, the company does not describe itself as a broadcaster, but as an "early stage wireless communications company". Stations in close proximity to major markets (in WMGM's case, Philadelphia) have been considered potentially valuable at auction, leaving the fate of WMGM in jeopardy. In response to the concerns (which also included viewers establishing a Save NBC 40 website), LocusPoint co-founder Bill deKay stated that they planned to continue operating the station as an NBC affiliate. The sale was completed on January 28, 2014. (WMGM was ultimately not sold in the auction.)
On April 16, 2014, Broadcasting & Cable reported that WMGM-TV would lose its NBC affiliation at the end of 2014, at the conclusion of a two-year extension of the station's most recent affiliation contract (which expired at the end of 2012). The station's former general manager, Ron Smith, claimed that the move was a result of NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast wanting to protect WCAU. Smith argued that the loss of the NBC affiliation would make it difficult for WMGM to continue operating. The loss of NBC also coincided with the end of Access.1's management agreement with LocusPoint Networks. In addition to the Philadelphia region, NBC also had an owned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C. (WHAG-TV served western Maryland, which was also served via WRC-TV), and an affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah (KENV served northeastern Nevada, which was also served via KSL-TV); both of those areas would go on to lose their secondary affiliates within the next few years.