WAGT, virtual and UHF digital channel 26, was an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Augusta, Georgia, United States, which operated from December 1968 until May 2017. WAGT ceased operations as a result of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s 2017 spectrum incentive auction. Its intellectual property, programming and NBC affiliation moved to WAGT-CD, a low-power station which was purchased by Gray Television. History The station began operations December 24, 1968 as WATU-TV, the third television station in Augusta. Dr. Harold W. Twisdale, a dentist from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C.–based engineer David L. Steel were the leaders of the original ownership group, operating as Augusta Telecasters Inc.<ref>[http://www.davidgleason.com/Broadcasting%201969%20Yearbook/Secton%20A%20TV%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201969-9.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1969]</ref> The Twisdale/Steel group, which had interests in other planned stations (WCTU-TV in Charlotte being the only one of their other interests to make it to air), was granted a construction permit for the Augusta outlet in late 1967. On paper, the new channel 26 became Augusta's NBC affiliate. Unfortunately, the station became one of numerous UHF start-ups of that era that failed to obtain a foothold against long-established VHF competition. Ever since WJBF (channel 6) had dropped its primary NBC affiliation in favor of a full ABC affiliation in September 1967, NBC had been relegated to off-hours clearances on WJBF and CBS affiliate WRDW-TV (channel 12). Even after WATU signed on, NBC allowed WJBF and WRDW-TV to cherry-pick its stronger shows, most likely because most Augusta-area viewers still didn't have UHF-capable sets (the FCC had only mandated all-channel tuning in 1964). WATU was thus left with most of NBC's news programming, as well as lower-rated entertainment shows. During this time, it was not unusual for tape-delayed NBC programs to air on both WJBF and WRDW between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. before the respective networks' prime-time feeds began for the evening. WJBF also aired the Today Show and WRDW-TV ran The Tonight Show. Another problem for channel 26 came from WIS-TV in Columbia, which provided at least "Grade B" coverage on VHF channel 10 to most of the South Carolina side of the Augusta market and aired the full NBC schedule. In a market that was just barely large enough to support three full network affiliates, WATU-TV was unable to make any headway, and went dark in 1970. Similar situations occurred in two other Southern markets that were "intermixed" with one UHF and two VHF channels. At the same time WATU