WPMT (Maine)

WPMT
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerPortland Telecasting Corporation
History
First air date
August 30, 1953 (1953-08-30)
Last air date
December 15, 1954 (1954-12-15)
(1 year, 107 days)
Technical information
ERP17,400 watts[1]
HAAT260 feet (79 m)
Transmitter coordinates43°39′13″N 70°15′56.5″W / 43.65361°N 70.265694°W / 43.65361; -70.265694
Satellite station — WLAM-TV
Channels
Ownership
WLAM
History
First air date
November 26, 1953
Last air date
March 15, 1955
(1 year, 109 days)
Technical information
ERP15,800 watts[2]
HAAT370 feet (110 m)
Transmitter coordinates44°9′13″N 70°16′36″W / 44.15361°N 70.27667°W / 44.15361; -70.27667 (WLAM-TV)

WPMT (channel 53) was a television station in Portland, Maine, United States. It operated from August 30, 1953, to December 15, 1954, and was the first television station in Portland.[3] Much of its programming was also rebroadcast on WLAM-TV (channel 17) in Lewiston–Auburn, which broadcast from November 26, 1953, to March 25, 1955; the two stations were known as the Maine Television Network. Like many early UHF television stations, the arrival of VHF stations—in this case WCSH-TV, WGAN-TV, and WMTW-TV—took away network programming and economic viability from the UHF outlets.

  1. ^ "WPMT" (PDF). Telecasting Yearbook. 1954. pp. 148–149. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ "WLAM-TV" (PDF). Telecasting Yearbook. 1954. pp. 147–148. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ Thompson, Ellie (1990). The History of Broadcasting in Maine: The First 50 Years. Augusta, Maine: Maine Association of Broadcasters. p. 70.