WHAG Changes Call Letters To WDVM

Nexstar Media Group said today that its independent WHAG Hagerstown, Md., serving Central and Western Maryland, South Central Pennsylvania, the Eastern panhandle of West Virginia and Northern Virginia (in DMA 7, Washington) for over 47 years, has “significantly increased” its distribution of local news content and service. The change follows the station’s loss of NBC affiliation last year.

Effective July 1, cable and satellite providers added the station (now known under its new call letters, WDVM) to their systems resulting in 960,000 additional potential viewers in the Washington suburbs of Montgomery County, Md., and the Virginia counties of Loudoun, Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William and Fauquier.

Additionally, the station expanded its local news team in Chantilly, Va., and added new sales executives to address its expanded regional reach, which together complements its existing operations in Germantown, MD; Winchester, Va., and Hagerstown.

The additional news content has been tailored to local viewers in the newly added markets and is included as part of the station’s currently airing specialty local news programs NOVA (Northern Virginia) News (Mon.-Sat. at 7 a.m., Mon.-Fri. at 7 and 11:00 p.m.) and I-270 News (Mon.-Sat. at 7:30 a.m. and Mon-Fri at 7:30 p.m.). 

The station’s new call letters, WDVM, reflect the expanded service to West Virginia, Washington, Virginia and Maryland, Nexstar said. Nexstar and WDVM are also producing additional digital content for its new community web portal www.localDVM.com.

The station said it will continue its tradition of “bringing Four States viewers locally-produced news, lifestyle, sports, weather and community programming. Importantly, WDVM-TV’s local news expansion directly addresses the needs of the local communities outside the Beltway — particularly in Montgomery County, Md., and in Northern Virginia — by bringing viewers the only full-coverage local television news programming targeted to their local communities.”

“At Nexstar and our Four State station operations, the local communities we serve remain at the center of every decision we make,” stated Hugh Breslin, WDVM VP-GM. “Our WDVM News ‘Your Local News Leader’ (formerly WHAG News), NOVA News and I-270 News programs are crucial, relied-upon sources of essential information, breaking developments and accurate weather coverage that are important to local viewers and their families. With our geographically-focused local news content, staffing expansion and new distribution to an additional 960,000 households in Montgomery County, Maryland and in several counties across Northern Virginia, we cover more local news stories than any other station in this region.” 

The station has hired additional marketing and sales personnel. “We are grateful for the tremendous support and positive feedback we are already receiving from the local community for our enhanced and expanded local news programming and look forward to increasing our service to local viewers through WDVM-TV and localDVM.com,” Breslin added.

WDVM  will continue to be available on the same cable, satellite and over-the-air channels (25.1) as today. Montgomery County and Northern Virginia residents can watch WDVM on Dish Network ch. 25, Comcast Cable Channel 811 (HD) and 24 (SD) and on Verizon FIOS ch. 31.