Wabi TV5

What Wabi TV5 does

WABI TV5 is a local broadcast television station licensed to and serving Bangor, Maine, and the surrounding eastern and central Maine market. Founded in 1954 and currently owned by Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN), the station operates as a CBS affiliate delivering local news, weather, sports, and community programming through over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, and digital streaming via its wabi.tv website and mobile-accessible livestream. The station's product portfolio extends beyond traditional news to include WABI 24/7 Weather, First Alert Weather severe weather alerting, WABI Investigates (accountability journalism), InvestigateTV (Gray Television's investigative unit), Local News Live streaming, and the It's Our Treat community gift certificate program operated through an e-commerce storefront.

The station's technology stack consists of standard broadcast television infrastructure supplemented by digital streaming capabilities and a proprietary content management system for wabi.tv. No proprietary AI, machine learning systems, APIs, or SDKs were disclosed. WABI's go-to-market is event-driven, anchored by live news coverage, weather events, and community programming that drives viewership and, in turn, advertising demand from local businesses.

WABI generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) television advertising sold to local Maine businesses targeting the station's viewership; (2) digital marketing services delivered through gdmBangor.com; and (3) transaction-based revenue from the It's Our Treat gift certificate e-commerce program, which charges a $1.95 shipping and handling fee per order on face-value certificates from participating local merchants. The customer base on the advertising side is fragmented across small and mid-sized Maine businesses, while the audience side serves a broad general consumer demographic across Penobscot County and adjacent regions.

Name

Wabi TV5

Legal name

Gray Television, Inc.

Website

https://wabi.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WABI TV5 is a Gray Television-owned local CBS-affiliated broadcast station serving Bangor, Maine and surrounding eastern and central Maine markets with local news, weather, sports, and community programming distributed via over-the-air broadcast and digital streaming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: The station generates revenue through the sale of advertising time on broadcast television, including news segments, weather updates, and sports programming. Local businesses advertise through the station to reach Maine audiences.
2. Digital Marketing Services: The station offers digital marketing services through gdmBangor.com, providing online advertising solutions to local businesses.
3. It's Our Treat Gift Certificates: The station operates an e-commerce store selling gift certificates from local Maine businesses, generating revenue through transaction fees and shipping charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WABI TV5 is a CBS-affiliated local television station that produces and broadcasts local news, weather, sports, and community programming for viewers in Bangor, Maine and across eastern and central Maine. It distributes content through over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, and live digital streaming on its website and apps, supplemented by a 24/7 weather channel, an investigative reporting unit (WABI Investigates), and the It's Our Treat gift certificate e-commerce program.

Product overview

WABI TV5 is a local television news station serving Bangor, Maine and surrounding communities. The station operates as part of Gray Television and delivers news through its primary broadcast channel supplemented by a 24/7 weather channel, digital streaming services, and online platforms. The product portfolio includes WABI TV5 (main news), WABI 24/7 Weather, InvestigateTV (investigative journalism), Local News Live (streaming news), and the It's Our Treat community program. Viewers access content through traditional broadcast, live streaming on the website and app, and video-on-demand services featuring weather alerts, sports coverage, and local investigative reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WABI TV5 Local Newscasts Primary local television news station providing local news, weather, sports, and breaking news coverage for Bangor, Maine and surrounding eastern/central Maine communities, distributed via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, and live digital streaming.
• WABI 24/7 Weather Continuous weather programming channel delivering around-the-clock weather forecasts, alerts, and meteorological information for Maine viewers.
• First Alert Weather Severe weather alerting service providing real-time weather warnings, forecasts, and emergency weather information for the WABI viewing area in Maine.
• WABI Investigates In-depth investigative reporting segment focusing on accountability journalism and consumer advocacy stories specific to Maine audiences.
• It's Our Treat Gift Certificate Program E-commerce program allowing viewers to purchase gift certificates from participating local Maine businesses through store.wabi.tv; WABI earns transaction revenue via per-order shipping and handling fees.
• Digital Marketing Services (gdmBangor) Digital marketing services sold through gdmBangor.com providing online advertising solutions (display, digital campaigns) to local Maine businesses.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Gray TelevisioncoreOthersWABI TV5 is owned and operated by Gray Television, a major broadcast television company. The station participates in Gray Television network programming including InvestigateTV and Local News Live, and accesses shared corporate resources for technology, advertising sales, and content syndication.
• Local Maine BusinessescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Maine businesses participate in the It's Our Treat program, selling gift certificates through WABI TV5's store platform. Business inquiries are directed to Brett Landon at [email protected].

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WVNY Burlington: ABC affiliate serving the Burlington, Vermont / Plattsburgh, New York market. Comparable mid-sized New England local broadcast station with similar news/weather/community programming orientation and scale as WABI.
• WGME Portland: CBS affiliate serving the Portland, Maine market. Direct CBS network peer to WABI and competes for the same Maine regional advertising base and audience spillover from the Bangor DMA.
• WLBZ Bangor: NBC-affiliated station serving the Bangor market, directly competing with WABI for local news viewership and regional advertising share in the same geographic footprint.
• WMTW Portland: ABC affiliate in Portland, Maine and Gray Television sister station. Operates the same business model (local news/weather/sports, network affiliate) as WABI within the same parent portfolio, making it a highly comparable peer for station economics.
• WVII Fox Bangor: Fox affiliate operating in the same Bangor, Maine DMA as WABI. Direct head-to-head competitor for local news audiences, weather coverage, and Maine SMB advertising budgets across eastern and central Maine.

Broad incumbents

• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US owner of local TV stations, operating hundreds of affiliates nationwide. Closest large-scale incumbent comparable to Gray Television and the broader operating environment WABI competes in.
• Tegna: Major US local broadcast TV station group with network affiliate portfolio. Operates with similar local news/community programming orientation and ad-revenue business model as WABI, though at significantly larger scale.
• Gray Television: NYSE-listed parent company of WABI and one of the largest US local TV broadcasters. Portfolio-wide performance, capital allocation, and shared services directly determine WABI's economics and strategic direction.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: One of the largest US local TV station operators. Comparable broadcast group with similar local affiliate strategy, advertising sales infrastructure, and exposure to structural TV ad market trends affecting WABI.

Regional players

• WAGM Presque Isle: CBS affiliate serving Aroostook County in northern Maine. Operates the same broadcast/local news model in a nearby small Maine market; a regional comparable for WABI's geographic and audience profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WABI_TV5
• Facebookfacebook.com/WABITV5
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wabi-tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wabi TV5