WAGT (TV)
 
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Augusta, Georgia United States |
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| Branding | NBC 26 (general) NBC 26 News (newscasts) CW Augusta (DT2) |
| Slogan |
On Your Side TV Now (on DT2) |
| Channels |
Digital: 30 (UHF) Virtual: 26 () |
| Affiliations | Defunct |
| Owner |
Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC) |
| First air date | December 24, 1968 |
| Last air date | May 31, 2017 |
| Call letters' meaning | Augusta's Great Television |
| Sister station(s) | WRDW-TV, WAGT-CD |
| Former callsigns | WATU-TV (1968–1981) |
| Former channel number(s) | 26 (UHF analog, 1968–2009) |
| Former affiliations |
Dark (1970–1974) NBC (1968–1970, 1974–2017) The CW via The CW Plus (DT2, 2006–2017) |
| Transmitter power | 400 kW |
| Height | 483 m (1,585 ft) |
| Facility ID | 70699 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 33°24′20.7″N 81°50′0.5″W / 33.405750°N 81.833472°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website | 26nbc |
WAGT, channel 26, was an NBC-affiliated television station located in Augusta, Georgia, United States. WAGT was owned by Atlanta-based Gray Television, and operated as part of a duopoly with CBS affiliate WRDW-TV (channel 12). While the two stations were licensed to Augusta, their combined studio/office facility and transmitters were located across the Savannah River in South Carolina, respectively in North Augusta and Beech Island.
The station began operations December 24, 1968 as WATU-TV, the third television station in Augusta. Dr. Harold W. Twisdale, a dentist from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C.-based engineer David L. Steel were the leaders of the original ownership group, operating as Augusta Telecasters Inc. The Twisdale/Steel group, which had interests in other planned stations (WCTU-TV in Charlotte being the only of their other interests to make it to air), was granted a construction permit for the Augusta outlet in late 1967. On paper, the new channel 26 was an NBC affiliate at its launch. Unfortunately, the station became one of numerous UHF start-ups of that era that failed to obtain a foothold against long-established VHF competition.
Ever since WJBF (channel 6) had dropped its primary NBC affiliation in favor of a full ABC affiliation in 1967, NBC had been relegated to off-hours clearances on WJBF and WRDW-TV. Even after WATU signed on, NBC allowed WJBF and WRDW to cherry-pick its stronger shows, most likely because most Augusta-area viewers still didn't have UHF-capable sets. WATU was thus left with most of NBC's news programming, as well as lower-rated entertainment shows. During this time, it was not unusual for tape-delayed NBC programs to air on both WJBF and WRDW between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. before the respective networks' prime-time feeds began for the evening. WJBF also aired the Today Show and WRDW-TV ran The Tonight Show. Another problem for channel 26 came from Columbia, South Carolina, where WIS-TV (channel 10) provided at least "Grade B" coverage on VHF to most of the South Carolina side of the Augusta market, and aired the full NBC schedule. Mainly because of those situations, WATU-TV went dark in 1970.
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Wikipedia