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WPME
Lewiston / Portland, Maine
Branding	WPME My TV Maine Visitors Channel (on DT2)
Channels	Digital: 35 (UHF)
Subchannels	35.1 MyNetwork TV 35.2 Visitor's Channel
Affiliations	MyNetworkTV
Owner	MPS Media (operated under LMA by New Age Media, LLC) (MPS Media of Portland License, LLC)
First air date	August 13, 1997
Sister station(s)	WPXT
Former callsigns	Portland, MainE
Former channel number(s)	28 (digital)
Former affiliations	UPN (primary, 1997-2006) The WB (secondary, 1997-2001)
Transmitter Power	49.5 kW
Height	241 m
Facility ID	48408
Transmitter Coordinates	43°51′6.4″N 70°19′38.4″W / 43.851778, -70.327333
Website	ourmaine.com

WPME is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Portland, Maine that is licensed to Lewiston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35. While there is no over-the-air analog signal of the station, it can be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 17 with a high definition signal on Time Warner digital cable channel 517. WPME's transmitter is located on Dutton Hill in South Gray. Owned by MPS Media, the station is operated by New Age Media under a local marketing agreement (LMA). This makes it a sister station to CW affiliate WPXT. The two stations share studios on Ledgeview Drive in Westbrook. WPME's syndicated lineup includes: King of Queens, COPS, and King of the Hill.

Digital television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed. WPME moved its digital channel from UHF channel 28 to channel 35 following the closure of its analog signal on channel 35.

History

The station went on-the-air on August 13, 1997 under a time brokerage agreement. It was owned by New England Television Inc. as a sister station to Fox affiliate WPXT. Pegasus Communications purchased the station outright in February of 2001. WPME maintained a primary affiliation with UPN and a secondary affiliation with The WB. It aired WB primetime programming on a tape delay starting at 10 P.M. When WPXT switched its affiliation from Fox to The WB, this secondary affiliation was dropped. WPME aired Boston Celtics and Bruins games in the late-1990s and Red Sox baseball until 2002. The Red Sox, owning half of cable sports network NESN, moved their games to that network. The station's only attempt at local news was a 7 P.M. broadcast (produced by WPXT) in 2001 that was quickly canceled due to low ratings. The station did not air local news at 10 P.M. like many other UPN affiliates because it would compete with WPXT's news. However, WPXT's 10 o'clock newscast was simulcasted on WPME for a period of time. Station owner Pegasus declared bankruptcy in June of 2004 over a dispute with DirecTV over marketing of the direct broadcast satellite service in rural areas.

The Pegasus station group was sold in August of 2006 to private investment firm CP Media, LLC of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for $55.5 million dollars. CP Media eventually formed a new broadcasting company, New Age Media. Back on January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN announced that they would end broadcasting and merge. The combined network would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents, CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner. On February 22, News Corporation announced that they would start up another new network called MyNetworkTV. This new service, which would be a sister network to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division, Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created in order to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent. It was also created to compete against The CW. On March 9, it was announced that WPXT would become Portland's CW affiliate. On May 1, it was announced that WPME would affiliate with MyNetworkTV. Until December 6, 2006, WPME was the only MyNetworkTV affiliate in the state of Maine. Since then, Bangor's Fox affiliate WFVX-LP has become a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate.

At one point, it was possible, when Presque Isle's CBS affiliate WAGM-TV was in the process of creating a Fox affiliate on its first digital subchannel, that it would also be a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate. A preliminary schedule released by Time Warner Cable for the new channel indicated that WAGM-DT1 would also carry the two-hour MyNetworkTV programming block. However, the channel's current listings indicate that this is not the case. As a result, MyNetworkTV is only seen via national superstations such as WWOR-TV on DirecTV and Dish Network north of the Bangor market.

On June 27, 2008, WPME launched a public access channel for tourists and visitors on its second digital subchannel. Known on-air as the "Maine Visitors Channel", it features highlights on current events like festivals, tours, and art exhibits. There is a weather forecast given and advertising opportunities to local businesses. This station's primary target is to area motels. Currently, this channel is not offered on Time Warner Cable, at least to non-hospitality subscribers.^{[citation needed]}

Following the lead of sister station WPXT, WPME ceased broadcasting in analog more than seven months prior to the FCC digital switchover deadline of February 17, 2009.

Logos

WPME's old UPN logo used until September of 2006.

Original MyNetworkTV logo for WPME.

Online variation of original MyNetworkTV logo.

Current logo that is also used as a channel "bug".

External links

• WPME channel 35
• MyNetworkTV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WPME

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