WAGT signed on the air in 1968 under the call letters WATU. When Schurz Communications purchased the property in 1980, the call letters were changed to WAGT and the station was moved to its present downtown Augusta location. Since 1980, the NBC Augusta 26 facility has undergone several renovations and upgrades, the latest being the addition of a full-service newsroom to accommodate a 25-person news staff.
NBC Augusta 26 News first aired at 11 p.m. on September 21, 1995, and a 6 p.m. and morning newscast soon followed. In June 2003, NBC Augusta 26 Morning News expanded to become the first Augusta television station to air a two-hour morning newscast. On September 10, 2007, the station added NBC Augusta 26 Morning News at 11 a.m.
Since 1996, NBC Augusta 26 News has been honored many awards.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where is NBC Augusta 26 located?
What is the station's telephone number?
Where should I send news releases?
How do I submit a public service announcement?
What times do NBC Augusta 26 newscasts air?
If I have a comment or question about a newscast or program, who do I contact?
What is the difference between NBC Augusta 26 WAGT and the NBC network?
How do I contact a member of the NBC Augusta 26 News team?
What channel is NBC Augusta 26 WAGT-HDTV broadcast on?
How can I prepare for Digital TV?
How can I arrange a tour of the NBC Augusta 26 studios?
Where do I send a "Sketch The Sky" picture my child made?
How do I get someone's picture on the morning show for the birthday segment?
How do I request an anchor or reporter to speak at an event?
What do the ratings I see at the beginning of programs mean?
BEHIND THE SCENES
Where is NBC Augusta 26 located?
Our studios and offices are located at 905 Broad Street in downtown Augusta. Office hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
What is the station's telephone number?
The main phone number is 706-826-0026.
For breaking news, call the news desk at 706-826-0001 or 800-924-8639.
To fax an item to the newsroom, call 706-724-4028.
Where should I send news releases?
Whenever possible, we prefer that you e-mail news releases to producers@nbcaugusta.com. Please remember to include the time, date and location of your event and a contact phone number. You can also mail the information to:
NBC Augusta 26 News
905 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30901
Attn: Assignment Manager
How do I submit a public service announcement?
Please view our PSA page to find out more information.
What times do NBC Augusta 26 newscasts air?
Monday-Friday News
NBC Augusta 26 Morning News - 5 to 7 a.m.
Today - 7 to 10 a.m.
NBC Augusta 26 Morning News at 11 a.m.
Today - 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
NBC Augusta 26 News at 6 - 6 to 6:30 p.m.
NBC Nightly News - 6:30 to 7 p.m.
NBC Augusta 26 News at 11 - 11 to 11:35 p.m.
Weekend News
Today (Saturday) - 7 to 9 a.m.
Today (Sunday) - 8 to 9 a.m.
NBC Nightly News - 6:30 to 7 p.m.NBC
NBC Augusta 26 News at 11 - 11 to 11:30 p.m.
If I have a comment or question about a newscast or program, who do I contact?
For news comments, e-mail the news director, Greg Baldwin (gbaldwin@nbcaugusta.com). If you have a story idea please send it to producers@nbcaugusta.com. For comments about programming, contact the main office at 706-826-0026.
What is the difference between NBC Augusta 26 WAGT and the NBC network?
NBC Augusta 26 WAGT-TV, which is owned by Schurz Communications, is the local NBC affiliate in the Augusta area. As a local station, NBC Augusta 26 produces local programs such as NBC Augusta 26 News.
NBC is the network that serves the nation through its relationship with the affiliates that broadcast NBC programs. NBC Augusta 26 WAGT-TV does not have influence over the production of these programs. If you have comments or questions about a network program, please go to the NBC website (www.nbc.com).
How do I contact a member of the NBC Augusta 26 News team?
You can read about your favorite news team member and send e-mail to them in the Meet Our Team section of this website or you can send mail to:
NBC Augusta 26 News
905 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30901
Attn: (Reporter/Anchor's name)
What channel is NBC Augusta 26 WAGT-HDTV broadcast on?
You can watch NBC Augusta 26 WAGT-HD on channel 30.
How can I prepare for Digital TV?
We have lots of information about the transition from analog to digital television. Click here.
How can I arrange a tour of the NBC Augusta 26 studios?
Station tours can be arranged by calling the switchboard at 706-826-0026.
Where do I send a "Sketch The Sky" picture my child made?
To have your child's picture shown on NBC Augusta 26 Morning News, send it along with your name, phone number and the artist's name, age and school to sketchthesky@nbcaugusta.com. You can also send them to:
Sketch The Sky
c/o NBC Augusta 26 News
905 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30901
How do I get someone's picture on the morning show for the birthday segment?
You can e-mail pictures to birthday@nbcaugusta.com at least a week before the birthday. You can also send them to:
Birthdays
c/o NBC Augusta 26 News
905 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30901
Pictures will be shown on the birthday date between 6 and 7 a.m. If the birthday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, we'll show it the Friday before. Unfortunately, pictures cannot be returned.
How do I request an anchor or reporter to speak at an event?
To request a speaker, you should send a letter on your organization's stationery or letterhead to the news director, Greg Baldwin.
What do the ratings I see at the beginning of programs mean?
Rating labels were created to help viewers decide what to watch, and to help parents determine which programs are suitable for their children.
TV Y: Deemed appropriate for all children, including ages 2-6.
TV Y7: Designed for children age 7 and above. May include mild fantasy or comedic violence.
TV G: Suitable for all ages, although not designed specifically for young children. Contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.
TV PG: Parental guidance suggested. Contains material parents may find unsuitable for younger children, including moderate violence, sexual situations, infrequent coarse language, and/or suggestive dialogue.
TV 14: Parents strongly cautioned. Contains material many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14, including intense violence, intense sexual situations, strong coarse language, and/or intensely suggestive dialogue.
TV MA: Mature audience. Designed for adult viewing and may be unsuitable for children under 17; includes graphic violence, explicit sexual activity, and/or crude language.
Four letters may be added to each label to indicate the content the program contains:
V: Violence
S: Sex
L: Coarse language
D: Sexual dialogue
The rating labels appear in the corner of your television screen during the first 15 seconds of each program. Ratings are assigned to all television programming except news and sports. Parents can use a V-chip, cable lockbox, or a set-top box to block inappropriate television programming.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Every newscast at NBC Augusta is put together by a team of people working both on camera and behind the scenes. They begin their work many hours before the newscasts airs. Stories you see on NBC Augusta 26 News come through our reporters, wire and network news services, other affiliated stations, press releases and viewer calls.
News Director
Greg Baldwin is the manager who oversees the entire news operation. He hires and manages the staff and keeps consistency among the various NBC Augusta 26 newscasts.
Assignment Desk
Assignment Manager/Executive Producer Melody Bostic Poliard decides which reporter will cover stories each day. She makes her decisions based on the information that flows into the newsroom during the day, as well as telephone calls, faxes, and e-mails received, and the communication she hears on police scanners. She makes arrangements for camera crews to cover events, and along with the producers, she helps determine which events will be covered.
Producers
Each newscast has a producer who decides which stories to run and in what order. When things don't go as planned, producers must make split-second decisions on what to do next. The producers keep the newscast on time, so that the next program begins when it's supposed to.
NBC Augusta 26 Morning News: Rob McElmurray
NBC Augusta 26 Morning News at 11 a.m.: Erin Sweitzer
NBC Augusta 26 News at 6: Erin Sweitzer
NBC Augusta 26 News at 11: Chris Petrey
NBC Augusta 26 News Weekends: Steve Kuzj / Arielle Clay
Anchors
These are the people you see reading the news, but their job goes much further than that. In addition to reporting, they help write stories not covered by reporters. They need to have a commanding knowledge of the day's news events. In many cases they may be asked to ad lib live about a particular event or story that's breaking news.
Reporters
The reporters cover stories of local interest to Georgia-Carolina viewers. During morning and afternoon story meetings, the reporters help decide what is worth covering, and what the story really is about. Reporters write their own scripts and, along with the photographer, decide what images to put with the text of their story.
News Photographers
These are the people who operate the cameras at news events. They may go out alone to shoot pictures of a local story, or be accompanied by a reporter to cover an event in more detail. Along with the reporter, the shooter decides what every shot will look like and what items will be videotaped.
Editors
These people assemble the pictures you see on every newscast. They choose how a story is visually put together. For instance, they may start the tape with a wide shot of an accident, then follow it with close-ups from the scene.
Director
While the "news director," is responsible for the overall news operation, the newscast director coordinates all the technical people working on our live newscasts. There are many people on headsets operating the technical equipment being coordinated by the director. When things don't go as planned, directors also must make split-second decisions on what to do next.
Audio
The audio operator controls all the sounds being sent to your television. Sounds come from videotapes, microphones, pre-recorded music and live reporters in the field. In addition, they coordinate the "behind-the-scenes" communications equipment, including the earpieces worn by anchors and reporters.
Chyron Operator
This person makes is responsible for making sure the correct words appear at the bottom of your screen during the newscasts.
Camera Operators (Studio)
The studio camera operators run the cameras that focus on the anchors, sports, and weather people on the set. They also give camera and time cues to the anchors.
Teleprompter Operator
This person runs the computer that scrolls the script for the anchors to read while on-air. In addition, when the anchors are not on-camera, the TelePrompTer operator scrolls the text of stories which sends the script text to "closed captioning" so hearing-impaired people can read the script on their television screens.
Interns
At NBC Augusta 26 News, the interns assist the producers, anchors and reporters. Most interns are area college students majoring in broadcasting or related fields.
