WPXT - News Operation

News Operation

For many years, WPXT operated a news department and produced its own local newscasts. For a time, the station's nightly prime time news at 10 was simulcasted on sister station WPME. WPXT even produced a weeknight broadcast at 7 on that station at one point but the show was eventually canceled due to poor ratings and inconsistent viewership. It made national headlines a week before the 2000 Presidential election when reporter Erin Fehlau (now at ABC affiliate WMUR-TV) revealed Republican candidate George W. Bush had been convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol 24 years earlier.

On June 15, 2002 after shuttering its own news operation, WPXT entered into a news share agreement with Maine's two NBC affiliates, WCSH and WLBZ (both owned by the Gannett Company). This arrangement resulted in a nightly half-hour prime time show at 10 to debut on the station known as NewsCenter at 10 on Maine's WB 51. On weeknights, the news and sports segments originated from WCSH's studios at Congress Square in Downtown Portland while weather forecast segments came from WLBZ's facility on Mount Hope Avenue in Bangor. Weekend broadcasts aired entirely from Portland (sister station WDSI currently operates a similar production in Chattanooga, Tennessee).

As was the case with WLBZ (which largely serves as a semi-satellite of WCSH), the prime time newscasts on WPXT took on a regional feel with coverage from Portland, Bangor or wherever news occurred from across the state. However since WPXT is a Portland/Auburn market station, there was ultimately a focus on southern areas. With the affiliation switch to The CW in 2006, WPXT's news became known as NewsCenter at 10 on The CW, Portland. The station would not face any competition in the time slot until February 5, 2007 when current Fox affiliate WPFO entered into a similar arrangement with CBS affiliate WGME-TV allowing the latter to produce nightly thirty minute news at 10 on the former.

On November 6, 2008, WCSH moved the WPXT show to its second digital subchannel affiliated with NBC Weather Plus. As a result, WLBZ's production involvement in the newscast was dropped and refocused to Portland. After a six year run, the production was eventually canceled altogether. On October 31, 2011, WPXT and WCSH established another news share agreement and debuted an hour-long extension of the big three outlet's weekday morning show. Known on WPXT as NewsCenter Morning Report Xtra, this airs in full high definition from 7 until 8 and competes with WGME's morning newscast on WPFO that airs for two hours from 7 until 9. It remains to be seen if WLBZ will contribute to WPXT's new broadcast since the 4:30 to 7 a.m. edition of NewsCenter Morning Report is simulcasted statewide on WCSH and WLBZ.