WGME-TV - News Operation

News Operation

Appropriately for a station with roots in a newspaper, channel 13's newscasts dominated the ratings in Portland for many years. However, WCSH overtook WGME in 1989 and has dominated the ratings ever since.

Starting February 5, 2007, WGME began producing a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on Fox affiliate WPFO after establishing a news share agreement. Known on-air as News 13 on Fox, it is currently the only prime time broadcast in the market. In 2010, due to a revenue share agreement with the Fox station, WPFO, the station expanded the weeknight 10 o'clock broadcast to an hour and launched a two-hour long morning show on WPFO called Good Day Maine. WPFO pays WGME a fee along with a share of revenue realized from the newscast.

The station has entered into a news partnership with Maine Today Media, owner of its former newspaper sisters-- the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel, and Maine Sunday Telegram. In addition to its main studios, WGME operates a Lewiston/Auburn Bureau on Main Street (across the street from WCSH's bureau). A second bureau is in Augusta near the Maine State House.

In December of 2011, WGME converted its broadcasts into full HD (including new slogans and a new set)

The High Definition Transition

WGME began broadcasting in 720p High Definition on December 18th, 2011 with a new set designed by Devlin Design Group. The newscasts also premiered a new graphics package, though opting to keep the standard Sinclair grey and black lower third. All other graphics were changed to a new, high-tech Sinclair standard package. Only two Sinclair stations (WZTV and WGME) use this new package. WGME's new High Definition set includes two video display monitors on either end of the set for anchor stand up reporting, a 12 monitor video wall which can display 3 video feeds (2x2 each), 2 videos feeds (2x3 each), one large panoramic video feed (2x6 which they use for a graphic of the Portland skyline), or 12 individual video feeds (one per monitor). WGME also has a small anchor desk at the video wall for their Fox 23 broadcasts, "Good Day Maine" and "News 13 on Fox" at 10PM. Their main anchor desk is larger than the Fox 23 anchor desk, though includes a similar style of a light box base with wood carved around it, as well as over the light box. The anchor desk includes a large monitor behind the anchors which shows a skyline image of Portland, ME, or during weather tosses, the "News 13" logo with clouds behind it in blue and red colors. The entire set includes an array of light panels and light boxes. Behind the anchors on top of the light boxes are square black panels that zig-zag behind the anchor TV monitor. The set includes a wood style from a brand native to Maine. The weather office is now open and fully visible to the viewers. The weather office is to the viewer's right, which includes a similar sized desk as to the Fox 23 anchor desk, for the meteorologist to open and close weathercasts with. Behind the desk includes 9 computers to operate the weather graphics and forecasting system which are on a raised platform so that viewers can see the station's other meteorologists working on severe weather reports live. Above these computers are another four monitors which can either broadcast a single video feed (1x4) for a panoramic view of the Portland Skyline, or can be individually manipulated to show weather graphics above the meteorologist. The set also includes a larger green screen to the viewer's right of the weather set.

Graphics have been heavily changed due to the release of HD newscasts on the station, including transitions from one graphic to another, or one video clip to another. Shows open with a large "Coming Up" graphic that spins and below the lettering shows a video panel with an L-Shape graphic (text below the video clip and glass panels moving up and down to the left of the video feed). This graphic is seen on WGME's HD commercials for upcoming newscasts as well, though instead using the opening logo as the WGME logo (and similarly the "Good Day Maine" logo on Fox 23 commercials). This graphic is followed by a new HD open that shows the Portland Head Light (either during the day or during the evening depending on which broadcast) with the text lines "News 13" and "Now in High Definition", and brings viewers to a shot of downtown Portland with a variety of buildings behind the WGME logo, and then shows the broadcast's on-air anchors (Although these new openers do show the meteorologist of each broadcast, sports anchors have not been yet shown in the opening—although both sports anchors do appear on the nightly broadcasts.) Behind the anchors in the opening are large "13" logos rotating with a 3D CBS Eye logo, which is also seen in the Portland Skyline graphics, behind the lighthouse and 13 logo in the opening as well. After the anchors are shown, the WGME 13 logo is shown floating in the Portland harbor with the skyline in 3D behind it with the reflection of the logo in the animated water, with the voice over saying "This is News 13 (insert newscast name)" and then a light flash transition to the anchor desk. A longer lower third graphic is used with an updated 3rd bar in red with a line going through it. During live shots, the "Live" text box on the lower third has a light flare going across the top of the box. During "News 13 Daybreak" broadcasts, a newly updated ticker is shown, new to any Sinclair stations. During the morning broadcast a new logo is presented "CBS 13 News HD", with the "News" text pushed over to allow the text line "HD". Transitions during all broadcasts include for video clips zooming in, rather than a fade out as used before, and for graphics a slide to the right. WGME has also updated their anchor graphics from a glass slider on either the left or right hand side of the anchors to simple glass panels moving up and down with an updated black graphic box. The generic backgrounds to display information also received a tune up with dotted lines moving towards the outer screen on the left, arrows going across the bottom of the screen, and lines shown throughout the background. It also includes several light flares. They have not changed their map graphics and still use either Bing Maps, or their own system's generic green and blue road maps. When weather is presented, they open with the show's open of "Your Weather Authority Forecast" and then show the meteorologist. A similar open is used during sports presentations. Sports graphics have been updated as well (During each sportscast, a cornucopia of sports balls float behind the Portland skyline).

WGME's weather department recently changed their slogan from "Storm Team 13" to "Your Weather Authority—News 13", seen in the upper left hand corner of every weather graphic. This change occurred right before airing in HD on December 18th. Above the weather set, during anchor/weather tosses, viewers can still see a panel that says "Storm Team 13". No word yet on when or if that panel will change to accompany the new branding. WGME's weather system, "Doppler HD" was presented in broadcasts during August 2008, but was shown by the station in Standard Definition. After December 18th, the station now shows the system in full HD. Often, the meteorologists use 4 monitors of the 12 monitor video wall to present a quick forecast at the start of each newscast.