WCAX News: Local News, Weather, And Sports For Our Viewers
WCAX radio, Vermont's oldest radio station, started broadcasting as an experimental station operated by students at the University of Vermont on May 20, 1922 and became a full-time station on October 10, 1924.
Author:Hajra ShannonReviewer:Paula M. GrahamSep 23, 2021222 Shares221.6K Views
WCAX radio, Vermont's oldest radio station, started broadcasting as an experimental station operated by students at the University of Vermont on May 20, 1922 and became a full-time station on October 10, 1924.
UVM recognized it was in over its head running a radio station by 1931, so it sold WCAX to the Burlington Daily News, which relaunched it as a commercial radio station in November of that year. In 1939, Charles P. Hasbrook purchased the Daily News.
In 1941, he sold the Daily News (which is now defunct), but retained WCAX. Hasbrook signed on Vermont's first television station, WMVT, on September 26, 1954, which was initially licensed to the capital city of Montpelier.
WCAX Broadcasting Corporation, the stations' parent corporation, was renamed Mount Mansfield Television in December 1954, after the site of channel 3's transmitter and tower.
WMVT relocated its community of license from Montpelier to Burlington, Vermont's biggest city and only a few miles from Mount Mansfield, in May 1955. The station's call signs were changed to WCAX-TV a month later to match its radio sister station.
Dr. Stuart T. "Red" Martin Jr., an engineer by profession who helped his dad in constructing the station from the ground up, took over control of the station in 1958. Since the station's inception, Red Martin has been acting as general manager. In 1963, Red Martin sold WCAX radio, which is now WVMT.
He owned Channel 3 until his death in 2005, when his eldest son, Peter R. Martin, took it. Channel 3 became a CBS television affiliate after WCAX radio had been a CBS radio affiliate since 1940.
As a result, until 2017, WCAX-TV was one of the few stations in the United States to have the same owner, channel number, and main network affiliation throughout its existence (excluding network owned-and-operated stations).
From 1994 to 1997, the station had a secondary Fox affiliation, carrying the network's sports and children's programming; as a result of this arrangement, WCAX-TV was able to carry Fox's NFL coverage, which included the rights to NFC games that had previously been held by CBS (and thus aired on WCAX-TV) until 1994.
The Foxnet cable service in northern Vermont, New York City-based superstation WNYW in most areas of the New York side of the market (except for the far southern reaches, which were served by Albany affiliate WXXA-TV), and Rochester affiliate WUHF and later Buffalo affiliate WUTV in southwestern Quebec provided the rest of Fox's programming to cable and satellite viewers.
When WFFF-TV (channel 44) went on in 1997, the secondary Fox affiliation came to an end. WCAX-TV updated its digital signal on October 25, 2006, allowing it to transmit CBS programs in high definition.
Gray Television, headquartered in Atlanta, announced its intention to buy WCAX-TV for $29 million on May 4, 2017, a nice return on Charles Hasbrook's acquisition of WCAX radio in 1939.
Under a local marketing agreement, Gray took over operational management of the station on June 1, 2017. The 62-year management of the station by the Hasbrook/Martin family came to an end on August 1.
WCAX News; Programing
WCAX-TV airs the full CBS network schedule, but certain network shows are shown out of order.
The CBS Dream Team block airs an hour later on most CBS stations in the Eastern Time Zone, and it is split into two days (the first two hours of the block air on Saturdays and the remaining hour airs on Sunday mornings, one program airing each at different times, respectively).
Because of the hour-long 6:00 p.m. broadcast, the CBS Evening News airs on a half-hour tape delay at 7:00 p.m.; most CBS stations in the Eastern Time Zone air the network's newscast at 6:30 p.m. Rachael Ray, Family Feud, Entertainment Tonight, and The Doctors are among the syndicated shows aired on WCAX-TV.
Programming On A Local Level
A daily twenty-minute agricultural information program called Across the Fence, produced in partnership with the University of Vermont Extension Service, and a thirty-minute weekly public affairs show called You Can Quote Me, are two of WCAX's longest-running local programs (both dating back to the station's founding). Late Night Saturday, WCAX-third TV's local show, premiered in September 2006.
The video was made in collaboration with Champlain College's Media Arts Department. Tim Kavanagh presented the show, which aired once a week on Saturday evenings.
It gave local musicians and artists the opportunity to exhibit their work in front of a live studio audience. Local celebrities like Rusty DeWees and national superstars like Luis Guzman were also included. After three seasons, it was canceled.
WCAX News Sports Up-date: Post 91 Claims Legion Baseball State Title
All of the pieces fell into place for Post 91 during the Vermont American Legion Baseball State Tournament, culminating in a dominating 10-2 victory against Brattleboro to clinch the deal on Sunday at St. Peter's Field in Rutland. As a result of their victory, the lads from Essex have now won five state titles in the span of twelve years.
Post 91 defeated Brattleboro in Saturday's winner's bracket final, and it didn't take long for them to get back on track on Sunday afternoon. Essex scored three runs in the second inning to establish a commanding lead, and the team never trailed thereafter. Adrew Goodrich followed up his spectacular pitching effort on Saturday with a pair of runs scored in the first three innings, then added an RBI hit in the fifth to help Post 91 put an end to any dreams of a comeback by Post 5. Goodrich was named Tournament MVP after his performance on Saturday. Pitcher Ben Powell went the distance on the mound, striking out eight batters in the complete game triumph.
“We are certain that when this squad gets rolling, we will be the greatest team in the state,” Goodrich said. “We came in with a laser-like concentration today; we were there from the beginning, and once we started rolling, there was nothing stopping us.”
Powell acknowledged after the victory that it had been "a little difficult to breathe" prior to the game starting. “However, after we had the first couple of runs under our belts, I was able to relax and just go out there and do my thing, and it worked out. It feels great to be with my squad, and I believe we will demonstrate to the teams in the Northeast what we are made of.”
GAME 2 2021 CT AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL - GREENWICH VS. NCL
WCAX News Special Story: 20 Years After 9/11, What Is The Threat Of Terrorism?
This week, Americans are taking a moment to reflect on the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, which occurred 20 years ago. While terrorism continued to dominate news coverage and public debate for many years after the attacks, it has lately slipped from the public eye. So, what is the nature of the present terrorist threat?
Global terrorism, according to experts, was not a commonplace phrase prior to the September 11th assaults.
The Oklahoma City explosion was a wake-up call for any American who thought of terrorism as something that occurred in the Middle East or in recent memory, according to Dr. Travis Morris, a terrorism specialist at Norwich University.
Morris claims that the September 11th attacks shook the nation and brought the danger of terrorism to the forefront of people's minds. Americans were riveted to their television sets, determined to figure out what had occurred and whether or not any more assaults were imminent.
The culture of society has undergone a significant transformation. Consider the situation at the airport security checkpoint. Prior to the September 11th attacks, you were often allowed to stroll up to your gate without having to show your identification. That isn't the case any more, unfortunately.
Security was on high alert across the country, and it would remain on high alert for years to come. The Department of Homeland Security was established by Congress, and the Patriot Act was enacted, which increased monitoring and terrorist operations.
The Fusion Center was established in Vermont to gather, analyze, and distribute information. During the years that have passed, the United States has increased security, and the public has taken note.
“They have been able to determine how many terrorist acts have taken place since then, where they have taken place, and whether or not this is the most urgent danger at this time,” Morris said.
Although the country's security has improved, some have questioned if it has come at the expense of civil rights. According to a recent AP-NORC survey, public support for surveillance techniques has waned. For example, 46 percent of Americans oppose the government reading their emails, compared to 27 percent who approve it.
Top Vermont law enforcement authorities claim that the state has reached a condition of equilibrium and that the government does not monitor the overwhelming majority of the population.
“Everything that is done at the state level in law enforcement and in collaboration with our federal colleagues is subjected to rigorous court review,” Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Michael Schirling said.
While terrorist acts on American territory such as the assaults of September 11 have been rare, experts believe the danger still remains, whether from the violent far-right or instability in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, which many fear may become a sanctuary for international terrorism once again.
Though it remains to be seen, authorities believe that the shift in culture that has occurred over the last two decades is irreversible.
“We are evolving, and I believe it is necessary,” said Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican from Vermont. “I believe that some of the border controls are required. It's going to be here for a long time.”
Are we safer now from foreign terrorist attacks than before 9/11? | ABC7 Chicago
Hajra Shannon
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Paula M. Graham
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