WHAG-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WHAG-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = On Air. Online. Only
One Station Hits Home.
station_branding = NBC 25 (general)
NBC 25 News (newscasts)
analog = 25 (UHF)
digital = 55 (to be 26) (UHF)
subchannels =
affiliations = NBC
network =
founded =
airdate = January 3, 1970
location = Hagerstown, Maryland
callsign_meaning = HAGerstown
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Nexstar Broadcasting Group
licensee = Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 1350 kW (analog)
1000 kW (digital)
HAAT = 375 m (analog)
358.5 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 25045
coordinates = coord|39|39|45|N|77|57|53|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.your4state.com/ www.your4state.com]

WHAG-TV, channel 25, is the Nexstar Broadcasting Group owned-and-operated NBC affiliated television station for the Hagerstown, Maryland market. Its transmitter is located on Fairview Mountain west of Clear Spring, the station has studios in the Alexander House Hotel on East Washington Street in Downtown Hagerstown.

Despite being designated a part of the Washington, D.C. market, WHAG operates like a small market station focusing on areas west of Frederick County. Reporters are often hired directly out of college and serve as "one man band" personnel that shoot, write, and editing their stories. Most reporters and anchors stay at WHAG for a year or two before moving to a larger market.

History

In June of 1969, construction began on WHAG-TV's transmitter located on Fairview Mountain. WHAG began broadcasting at 6:30 p.m. on January 3, 1970 as an NBC affiliate, although it hoped to affiliate with ABC. "The Valley News", the station's first local news program, began with three editions at 6, 7, and 11 p.m. WHAG's original anchors were Bob Witt (also a reporter), meteorologist Bill Wolfinger, and Glenn Presgraves with sports. A weekend edition was added two years later.

The original owner of the station was Warren Adler, who also owned four radio stations at the time. Adler sold off WHAG and his other assets in 1973 and became a novelist, later publishing "Undertow" and "The War of The Roses".

Chief meteorologist Lou Scally has been doing the weeknight weather at WHAG since the early-1980s and also hosts the morning show at WJEJ-AM.

Beyond NBC programming, WHAG's line-up has been stable and consistent. Since the late eighties, WHAG has aired The Oprah Winfrey Show, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy. WHAG does not carry NBC'S "Early Today" but opts for "Shepherd's Chapel" at 4 a.m., "AG Day" at 5, and the local morning newscast at 5:30 since the mid-1990s. Dr Phil has aired at 3 p.m. since its debut in 2002 and Martha has aired since its debut in 2005. Inside Edition aired on the station for more than a decade before being replaced by NBC-produced Access Hollywood. Long blocks of infomercials have been shown on weekends since the early 1990s.

In September 2006, following the lead of other Nexstar-owned stations, WHAG switched its website's URL from "nbc25.com" to "your4state.com". Around this time, infomercials began appearing on weekdays during the daytime.

WHAG currently broadcasts over 22 hours of local news per week. In addition to their main studios, WHAG operates a "Frederick Bureau" located on East Patrick Street, and one in Cumberland.

Recently, WHAG has been added to the Dish Network lineup of local offerings and is available to subscribers that currently receive the Washington, DC market locals. It is available on channel 25, on newer set top boxes, or channel 8086 in the standard lineup.

News team

Anchors
*Angelique Gonzalez - weekday mornings
*Lena Vargas - weekdays at Noon and 5
*Pieter Bickford - Assistant News Director seen weeknights at 6
*Diana Moon - weeknights at 6 and 11

"NBC 25 AccuWeather Watch Team"
*Lou Scally - weeknights
*Chris Smith - weekday mornings and Noon
*Mike Grogan - weekends

Sports
*Doug Sampson
*Karen Loftus
*Steve Rowings

Reporters
*Kaitlin McCarthy - weekday mornings and Noon
*Megan Healey - web producer
*Erin Wolfe - web producer
*Lynne Ashminov
*Jennifer Von Reuter
*Nikki Burdine
*Sarah Hopkins
*Jackie Cutler
*Scott Hershberger

Former Personalities

*Molly Henneberg - anchor & Reporter (1995 to 1997, now at Fox News Channel)
*Desiree Berenguer - Morning Anchor/Reporter (1995 to 1998, most recently at News 12 New Jersey)
*Kim McKintyre - Anchor/Reporter (1995 to 1997, most recently at Fox News Channel)
*Jim Ossman - Reporter (now at KYW Philadelphia)
*Ken Quattrin - Weather (1996-2000, most recently at KTTC Rochester, MN)
*Mike Hill - Sports Anchor (1995 to 1996, now at ESPN)
*Julia Harding - Reporter (1995 to 1997, now at WAGA Atlanta)
*Garnet Stevens - Sports Director (now at Kaplan College-Hagerstown)
*Shawn Stepner - Sports Director (now at WKBW in Buffalo)
*Lance Barry - Reporter (2001 to 2003, now Anchor at WCPO in Cincinnati, OH)
*Melanie Woodrow - Anchor/reporter (2004 to 2006, now at WAVY in Portsmouth, VA)
*Cara Sapida - Anchoor/reporter(now atWBBH-TV)
*Marie Coronel- General Assignment/Political Reporter (2005-2007) now at (WTKR-TV)

External links

* [http://www.your4state.com/ NBC 25 Online]
*TVQ|WHAG-TV
*BIA|WHAG|TV|TV