WGAN

---

title: "WGAN" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["news-and-talk-radio-stations-in-the-united-states", "radio-stations-in-portland,-maine", "radio-stations-established-in-1938", "1938-establishments-in-maine"] description: "News/talk radio station in Portland, Maine" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WGAN" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary News/talk radio station in Portland, Maine ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox radio station"]

Field	Value
name	WGAN
logo	WGAN NewsRadio 560 98.5 logo (cropped).png
city	Portland, Maine
country	US
area	Portland metropolitan area
branding	Newsradio WGAN
frequency
translator
repeater
airdate
format	Talk radio
power	5,000 watts
class	B
facility_id	58544
licensing_authority	FCC
coordinates
callsign_meaning	Guy Gannett Publishing Company (previous owner)
affiliations
network	CBS News Radio
owner	Saga Communications
licensee	Saga Communications of New England, LLC
sister_stations
webcast
website
::

| name = WGAN | logo = WGAN NewsRadio 560 98.5 logo (cropped).png | city = Portland, Maine | country = US | area = Portland metropolitan area | branding = Newsradio WGAN | frequency = | translator = | repeater = | airdate = | format = Talk radio | power = 5,000 watts | class = B | facility_id = 58544 | licensing_authority = FCC | coordinates = | callsign_meaning = Guy Gannett Publishing Company (previous owner) | affiliations = | network = CBS News Radio | owner = Saga Communications | licensee = Saga Communications of New England, LLC | sister_stations = | webcast = | website =

WGAN (560 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Portland, Maine, United States, featuring a talk format. Owned by Saga Communications, this station serves the Portland metropolitan area. The studios and offices are on Western Avenue in South Portland, Maine, while the transmitter is in Portland. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WGAN is heard on low-power translator W253DA (), is relayed over the second HD Radio of WMGX, and is available online. WGAN is also Maine's primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/WGAN_logo_2013.png" caption="WGAN's logo from July 2002 until May 27, 2014"] ::

WGAN went on the air August 3, 1938. It was founded by the Portland Broadcasting System, a subsidiary of Guy Gannett Publishing, owner of the Portland Press Herald daily newspaper. WGAN was Portland's second radio station after WCSH (now co-owned WZAN) which signed on in 1925. WGAN had its studios in the Columbia Hotel and originally broadcast on 640 kHz at 500 watts. It was a daytimer, required to go off the air at sunset in Los Angeles, because it shared AM 640 with Class I-A station KFI, the dominant clear channel station.

WGAN was an affiliate of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), carrying the CBS Radio Network schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio". After the enactment of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) in 1941, WGAN moved to 560 kHz. It got a power boost to 5,000 watts and could broadcast around the clock.

In 1954, WGAN gained a companion television station, WGAN-TV (channel 13), and in 1967, a co-owned FM station, WGAN-FM 102.9 (now WBLM). When network programming moved from radio to television, WGAN began airing a full service, middle of the road format of popular music, news and sports.

Until the early 1980s, Gannett's Portland operations owned the major daily newspaper, the CBS television station, WGAN-FM and WGAN, two of the city's top radio stations. Channel 13 was later renamed WGME-TV when WGAN-AM-FM were sold to Taylor Communications in 1983. In 1987, WGAN was sold by Taylor to Saga Communications. Saga increased the talk programming and decreased the music shows, eventually evolving WGAN to a full time talk format.

On May 27, 2014, WGAN began simulcasting on FM translator W288CU 105.5 FM, via sister station WMGX's HD2 subchannel. On August 22, 2019, WGAN also began simulcasting on FM translator W253DA 98.5 FM, but antenna issues forced that facility off the air after one week and delayed plans to launch a new format on the 105.5 translator. The move was completed that November, allowing the 105.5 translator to switch to an oldies format.

In March 2020, morning co-host Ken Altshuler was fired, followed in April with weekend morning host John McDonald's termination. Altshuler had been with WGAN for 18 years, and McDonald for 25.

Programming

Matthew Gagnon hosts WGAN's local morning show, while syndicated hosts make up the balance of the schedule.

Translator

| callsign = WGAN | width = | call1 = W253DA | freq1 = 98.5 | fid1 = 201994 | watts1 = 250 | class1 = D | city1 = Portland, Maine | coord1 = | notes1 =

References

References

1. (August 3, 1938). "New Portland Radio Station Starts Today". [[The Lewiston Daily Sun]].
2. [https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1939/Radio-by-State-BC-YB-1939.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1939 page 116]
3. [https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1942/Radio-Alll-BC-YB-1942.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1942 page 136]
4. [https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/88812/wgan-adds-fm-signal/ WGAN Adds FM Signal]
5. (August 29, 2019). "Antenna Issues Press Pause On WGAN Translator Change". RadioInsight.
6. (November 1, 2019). "Saga Launches Outlaw & Pure Oldies In Portland". RadioInsight.
7. [https://wgan.com/schedule/ WGAN.com/schedule]

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::