WABI-DT2 is the CW-affiliated television station for Central and Eastern Maine. It is part of The CW Plus which a special CW feed broadcasting on cable and/or over-the-air on a digital signal. The station is a second digital subchannel of CBS affiliate WABI-TV owned by Diversified Communications. Over-the-air, WABI-DT2 broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 13.2 (PSIP virtual channel 5.2) from a transmitter on Peaked Mountain in Dixmont. It can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 10 (in most areas), DirecTV channel 14, and Dish Network channel 19. Known on the air as The CW of Eastern and Central Maine, its parent station has studios on Hildreth Street in West Bangor.

History [link]

WABI-DT2 started broadcasting in late-1998 and had the fictional call letters "WBAN". It was part of The WB 100+ cable group as The WB required over-the-air affiliates above the top 100 markets to be on cable. WBAN gradually replaced low-powered WBGR-LP as the WB affiliate in Bangor. That station is now with America One and Ion Television. On Adelphia systems, this station was on channel 4 and known on-air as "Bangor's WB 4". In early-2006, it swapped channel positions with low-powered Fox affiliate WFVX-LP but continued using the same branding.

On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced the two networks would end broadcasting and merge. The new combined service would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of corporate parents "C"BS (the parent company of UPN) and the "W"arner Bros. unit of Time Warner. There was no UPN station in the market so Boston's WSBK-TV and Portland's WPME were piped in through cable.

On July 28, WABI announced it was creating a new second digital subchannel to become part of The CW. On the station's website, an announcement said Time Warner (which was in the process of taking over cable coverage in the Bangor area for bankrupt Adelphia) would have "WBAN" on its system. This station would then become a simulcast of WABI-DT2 to provide off-air viewers access to the new network. The arrangement was part of a three year deal with WABI which also let the main station be on the system as well. The CW launched on WABI-DT2 (call sign used officially) September 18. On January 10, 2007, WABI introduced redesigned websites for itself and WABI-DT2.

The CW Plus is a similar operation to The WB 100+. The service provides the affiliate with programming 24/7 but allows the station to preempt certain blocks for local programs or locally-acquired syndicated programs. In addition to morning and prime time pre-emptions designated for local news, WABI-DT2 preempts the allowed two hours in daytime (noon to 2) for syndicated fare. The channel also pre-empts some CW Plus overnight infomercials in order to provide additional syndicated shows and movies. It occasional preempts on Saturday afternoons in the fall to air SEC on CBS college football games preempted for local programming on the main station.

Newscasts [link]

Corresponding with the launch of The CW on September 18, 2006, WABI-DT2 added local news and weather cut-ins during its airing of the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz from 6 until 8. A simulcast of the weekday noon news was also added. This was subsequently shifted to a rebroadcast at 12:30 in September 2008. A new half-hour weeknight newscast at 10 known as WABI-TV 5 Prime Time News on The CW debuted on its schedule featuring a modified set and "CW" labeled mics. That show competes with a 35 minute broadcast seen at the same time on WFVX which is produced by WVII.

In January 2008, WABI-DT2 replaced the first half hour of the second hour of The Daily Buzz with a thirty minute extension of the main station's weekday morning show. Known as WABI-TV 5 Morning News on The CW, this production is taped in advance and competes with live local news seen at the same time on WFVX (which is also produced by WVII). On October 11, 2010, WABI became Maine's first station to upgrade newscasts to high definition level. Unlike sister station WCJB-TV in Gainesville, Florida which revamped its on-air appearance when it converted to high definition newscasts back in January 2009, WABI's newscast elements stayed the same except for slightly updated on-screen graphics. Newscasts seen on WABI-DT2 were not included in the upgrade because the subchannel only airs in standard definition. In addition to its main studios, WABI operates a Central Maine Bureau on Main Street in Waterville.

Anchors

• Joy Hollowell - weekday morning news
• Wayne Harvey - weekday morning news
• Carolyn Callahan - weekday news at 12:30 and reporter
• Lauren Morrison - weeknight news and reporter
• Todd Simcox - Chief Meteorologist seen weekday mornings and weekdays at 12:30
• Chris Ewing - weeknight meteorologist
• Tim Throckmorton - Sports Director seen weeknights

Reporters

• Chelsey Anderson - occasional and "Take This Job and Love It" segment producer
• Rob Poindexter - Central Maine Bureau Chief and Lead Political
• Cathy Speronis - "Cookin' with Cathy" segment producer
• Tracey Marceron - "Arts & Crafts" segment producer
• Meghan Hayward - three days a week
• Caroline Connolly - photographer
• Nick Coit - sports
• Laura Roberts
• Diana Bosch

External links [link]

• WABI-DT2 "The CW of Eastern and Central Maine"
• WABI-TV
• The CW