WAGT

WAGT
Brand	NBC 26 (former)
City of License	Augusta, Georgia
Market	Augusta, Georgia
Channel	Digital 30 Virtual 26 Subcarrier: 26.2 (The CW) Formerly: 26 analog (1968-2009)
Network Affiliation	Current: Silent Previous: NBC (1968-2017)
Founded	December 24, 1968 (ended May 31, 2017)
Company	Gray Television
President
Current Popular Non-Network Shows

WAGT was the call sign for the NBC affiliate for Augusta, Georgia. It broadcasts on digital 30, displayed via PSIP on virtual 26. Its subcarrier carried the CW.

The station started on analog 26 as WATU on December 24, 1968 as WATU and was the market's first self-contained NBC station. Previously, NBC was secondary on WJBF/channel 6 (ABC) and WRDW/channel 12 (CBS). It changed calls to WAGT in 1981. The station was an also-ran even with NBC programming as viewers with strong aerials could get Columbia, South Carolina's WIS which was one of NBC's strongest affiliates. It had slowly gained traction since.

On September 14, 2015, it was announced that Gray Television (owner of WRDW) would buy WAGT's parent company Schurz. As a result, since Gray also owns low-powered WAGT-CD/channel 16 (previously WBEK-CD and WRDW-CD), WAGT's license would be surrendered to the FCC for the upcoming spectrum auction. WAGT would be shut down with NBC moving to a subcarrier of WRDW and the CW possibly going to WAGT-CD. Gray has applied to move WAGT-CD to WAGT's channel 26 once WAGT shuts down. WAGT/channel 26 will remain on the air under Gray Television ownership with a waiver over duopoly rules until after the incentive auction. In case WAGT does not surrender its license in the auction, Gray will divest themselves of it to an independent trust. In the meantime, Gray has discontinued WAGT's local newscasts and replaced many of those time periods with simulcasts of WRDW's newscasts. The reasoning is because Media General (owner of ABC affiliate WJBF/channel 6) controlled WAGT and they refused to allow the WAGT on-air staff to make the transfer.

Media General had filed an injunction against Gray, accusing them of trying to unwind their shared sales agreement with WJBF which is to extend to 2020 and apply to all and any owners henceforth. A separate injunction was filed to delay or null the sale of WAGT to Gray. The FCC is now conducting an investigation as to whether or not Media General is trying to usurp Gray which would constitute section 312 of the Communications Act--revocation of Media General's license--to be invoked. On March 23, 2016, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously struck down Media General's injuction, allowing Gray to re-assume control of WAGT. In 2017, WAGT sold its spectrum and license to the FCC in the incentive auction and shut down its broadcasting. WAGT-CD, a low-powered station on channel 16 and also owned by Gray, assumed the NBC affiliation and relocated its digital signal to 30.4 and virtual to 26 where full-power WAGT had been.