WCAX-TV

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WCAX-TV
Image:Wcax.jpg
Burlington, Vermont - Plattsburgh, New York
Branding Channel 3 / Channel 3 News
Slogan Vermont's Own
Channels 3 (VHF) analog,
53 (HDTV, UHF) digital
Translators 62 W62AT Bellows Falls
69 W69AD Bennington
69 W69AR Rutland
Affiliations CBS
Owner Mt. Mansfield Television (Hasbrook family)
Founded 1954
Call letters meaning College of
Agriculture
Extension service
(Once provided by the University of Vermont) [1]
Former affiliations None
Transmitter Power 38 kW (analog)
801 kW (digital)
Website wcax.com

WCAX-TV, channel 3, is the CBS affiliated television station for the Burlington, Vermont - Plattsburgh, New York television market. Its transmitter is located at Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. The station's signal covers Vermont and large parts of northern and northeastern New York. It is owned by the Hasbrook family of Burlington.

Channel 3's longest-running local programs (both dating to the founding of the station) are a daily 15-minute agricultural-information program entitled "Across the Fence", produced in association with the University of Vermont Extension service, and a 30-minute weekly public-affairs show called "You Can Quote Me".

On cable, WCAX can be seen on Comcast Burlington and Charter Plattsburgh channel 3. On Videotron Montreal, it can be seen on channel 21 on analog cable and channel 53 on Illico digital.

In August 2006, WCAX began offering the first and only wireless news website of the market. WPTZ does not offer wireless as of yet. The website can be seen on wireless web-enabled electronics by entering the full web address of WCAX's website.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

WCAX-TV first signed on the air on September 26, 1954 as the first television station in the Green Mountain State and has since been affiliated with the CBS network. It is one of the few stations in the country (not counting owned and operated stations) that has had the same call letters, the same owner, the same channel number, and the same primary network affiliation throughout its history.

WCAX-TV originally had a sister radio station, WCAX (1230 and later 620 Burlington); under separate ownership for decades, it is now WVMT.

[edit] Montreal

WCAX also has a large viewership in southern Quebec, Canada; including Montreal, a city far larger than any of the American cities served by the station, though its news presence there has generally been limited to weather and some sports coverage, probably in large part because it is not eligible for inclusion in Nielsen ratings. Montreal has a population of 3.6 million, which makes it more populated than WCAX's primary American viewing area.

However, WCAX's ratings in that market are quite modest compared to CFCF, the undisputed market-leader. It should also be noted that viewers in Quebec might have to tune in to CBS' primetime coverage of certain shows since CFCF and CKMI do not carry all of CBS' programming.

[edit] Outlying translators

[edit] Newscasts

Sky Watch 3 weekday morning meteorologist Gary Sadowsky gives a weather forcast.
Enlarge
Sky Watch 3 weekday morning meteorologist Gary Sadowsky gives a weather forcast.

[edit] Weekdays

  • Channel 3 News Daybreak (5-6 AM)
  • Channel 3 News Early Morning (6-7 AM)
  • Channel 3 News (12-12:10 PM)
  • Across the Fence (12:10-12:30 PM)
  • Channel 3 News (6-7 & 11-11:35 PM)

[edit] Weekends

  • Channel 3 News (6-6:30 & 11-11:30 PM)

(no morning news on weekends)

WCAX has been carring Up to the Minute from October 2005 to the present, following 13 years of not being on air. WCAX also delays the weekday edition of the CBS Evening News until 7 PM (one reason for this is that there is no 5:00 PM local newscast).

[edit] News Team

Anchors

  • Roger Garrity - 11 p.m. anchor
  • Kristin Kelly - 6 and 11 p.m. anchor
  • Beth Parent (LeClair) - noon anchor/education reporter
  • Marselis Parsons - 6 p.m. anchor and news director
  • Darren Perron - weekend anchor
  • Judy Simpson - morning anchor

Reporters

  • Jessica Abo
  • Kristin Carlson - environmental reporter
  • Kate Duffy
  • Jack LaDuke - Adirondacks/Champlain Valley bureau
  • Brian Joyce
  • Tim Lewis
  • Andy Potter
  • Adam Sullivan - Upper Valley bureau
  • Anson Tebbetts
  • Jack Thurston - features reporter

Sky Watch 3 Meteorologists

  • Dave Busch - weekend
  • Dan Dowling - 11 p.m.
  • Sharon Meyer - chief meteorologist, 6 p.m.
  • Gary Sadowsky - mornings/noon

Sports

  • J.J. Cioffi - sports director, 6 p.m.
  • Shawna Lidsky - morning/noon
  • Mike McCune - 11 p.m.
  • Mike McGill - weekend

[edit] External links

Broadcast television in the Burlington, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York market  (Nielsen DMA #90)

WCAX 3 (CBS) - WPTZ 5 (NBC) (WX+ on DT2) - W16AL 16 (TBN) - W18AE 18 (MNTV) - WVNY 22 (ABC) - WWBI 27 (i) - W27CP 27 (ABC) - WNNE 31 (NBC) - WETK 33 (PBS/VPT) - WGMU 39 (MNTV) - WCWF 40 (Ind) - WFFF 44 (FOX/The CW) - WCFE 57 (PBS)
Other channels available in the Burlington / Plattsburgh market

Montreal: CBFT 2 (SRC) - CBMT 6 (CBC) - CFCF 12 (CTV)
New York City: WPIX 11 (The CW)
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