Editing WCSH (section)

===Gannett/Tegna ownership===
{{Quote box
| quote = We made the decision as a family in response to scary terms like 'high-definition television' and '500-channel universe'.
| author = Frederic L. Thompson
| source = president of the Maine Broadcasting System, on the sale of WCSH and WLBZ<ref name="Bang971015">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120726039/gannett-buys-channels-2-6-sale-expecte/|date=October 15, 1997|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120726263/gannett-purchasing-maine-broadcasting/ A10]|first=Susan|last=Carney|title=Gannett buys Channels 2, 6: Sale expected to be completed by early 1998|newspaper=The Bangor Daily News|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref><!-- Wed -->
| align = right
| width = 250px
| salign = left
}}
The Rines-Thompson family exited the local broadcasting industry after 72 years (44 of them owning WCSH) by selling WCSH and WLBZ to the [[Gannett Company]] in 1997. It had negotiated exclusively with Gannett for several months after approaching several potential acquirers. The family had decided to sell because of deregulation in broadcasting and costly new technological mandates, such as the forthcoming conversion to [[Digital television in the United States|digital television]]. The family earned a handsome return on its original investment in WCSH radio in 1925.<ref name="Port971015">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120725760/two-maine-television-stations-to-be-sold/|date=October 15, 1997|page=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120725829/wcsh/ 7A]|first=Dean|last=Lunt|title=Two Maine television stations to be sold to Gannett Co. Inc.|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref><!-- Wed --> The transaction also marked the entry of large station groups into Maine. For most of the broadcasting era, Maine had been traditionally dominated by locally based owners, including families.<ref name="Port971015a">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120726613/family-owned-tv-stations-sale-signals-e/|date=October 15, 1997|page=7A|first=Dieter|last=Bradbury|title=Family-owned TV stations' sale signals end of era|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref><!-- Wed -->

WCSH's digital signal on UHF channel 44 signed on in April 2002,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2006-Factbook/TV-Factbook-2006-Vol%20I.pdf|title=WCSH-DT|page=A-1057|work=Television Factbook|year=2006|via=World Radio History|access-date=March 13, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131092724/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2006-Factbook/TV-Factbook-2006-Vol%20I.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> bringing high definition network television to the area. WCSH's broadcasts became digital-only, effective June 12, 2009;<ref name="Port090611">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120753513/tv-stations-to-go-all-digital-on-friday/|date=June 11, 2009|page=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120753561/digital-tv/ A10]|first=Ray|last=Routhier|title=TV stations to go all digital on Friday|newspaper=Portland Press Herald|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 13, 2023}}</ref><!-- Thu --> the station elected to continue broadcasting on channel 44 (using [[virtual channel]] 6),<ref name="Analog to Digital">{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2006 |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |access-date=August 29, 2021 |publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> which it did until being repacked to channel 31 in 2020.{{r|re}} As part of the [[SAFER Act]], WCSH kept its analog signal on the air until June 27 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of [[public service announcement]]s from the [[National Association of Broadcasters]].<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 14, 2024}}</ref>

On June 29, 2015, the Gannett Company split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. WCSH and WLBZ were retained by the latter company, named [[Tegna Inc.|Tegna]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Separation of Gannett into two public companies completed|date = June 29, 2015|url = http://www.tegna.com/separation-of-gannett-into-two-public-companies-completed/|publisher = Tegna|access-date = June 29, 2015|archive-date = July 2, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702005302/http://www.tegna.com/separation-of-gannett-into-two-public-companies-completed/|url-status = live}}</ref> The two stations adopted the brand News Center Maine in 2018 upon the rollout of a combined website for Portland and Bangor news coverage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://wjbq.com/wcsh-6-and-wlbz-2-are-re-branding-as-news-center-maine/|publisher=[[WJBQ]]|date=January 4, 2018|first=Jeff|last=Parsons|title=WCSH 6 and WLBZ 2 Are Re-branding as News Center Maine|access-date=March 13, 2023|archive-date=March 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304070245/http://wjbq.com/wcsh-6-and-wlbz-2-are-re-branding-as-news-center-maine/|url-status=live}}</ref>