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WDCW
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WDCW | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Washington, DC | |
| Branding | The CW Washington |
| Channels | 50 (UHF) analog, 51 (UHF) digital |
| Affiliations | The CW (Since 2006) The Tube Music Network DT2 |
| Owner | Tribune Company |
| Founded | January 1, 1972 |
| Call letters meaning | a portmanteau of Washington DC and the CW network |
| Former callsigns | WGSP-TV (1972) WCQR (1981-1985) WFTY (1985-1995) WBDC-TV (1995-2006) |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1972-1995) The WB (1995-2006) |
| Transmitter Power | 4168 kW/252.5 m (analog) 125 kW/252.5 m (digital) |
| Website | www.thecwdc.com/ |
WDCW channel 50 is Washington, D.C.'s CW affiliate, owned by the Tribune Company.
Channel 50 first signed on January 1, 1972 as WGSP-TV. The station ran test patterns for a while, then shut down. On April 6, 1981, channel 50 signed back on as WCQR. Beginning November 1, 1981, WCQR aired SuperTV, subscription programming at night and live pictures of Washington, DC from above its broadcasting tower by day. The live pictures were soon replaced with programming from the Financial News Network.
Hill Broadcasting purchased both Channel 50 and WHLL-TV, Channel 27 (now WUNI) in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1985. On July 1, 1985, channel 50's call letters were changed to WFTY. The station then became a full-time independent station early in 1986. Initially the station ran a lineup of classic off-network sitcoms and dramas, cartoons, movies and some religious shows. However, it was airing mostly religious shows, infomercials, low budget but copyrighted movies and a few off-network dramas by 1988. Ratings were very low, but so were the programming costs. WFTY did pick up a few cartoons for the 7-9 AM slot in June 1990 when WTTG dropped its children's block for a morning newscast.
In 1993, WFTY, along with WHLL, was purchased by the Jasas Corporation. In the fall of that year, WFTY added more cartoons, barter sitcoms, some low priced syndicated shows and cut back on paid programming. On January 11, 1995 WFTY became an affiliate of the The WB network and on September 6, 1995, the call letters were changed to WBDC-TV to reflect its status as Washington's WB affiliate. In 1996, Tribune Broadcasting began managing the station and in 1999, purchased the station outright from the Jasas Corporation.
On January 24, 2006, the WB and UPN networks announced they would merge, effective September 18, 2006. The newly combined network would be called The CW, the letters representing the first initial of its corporate parents CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner. During this announcement, it was revealed that WBDC would become the CW's Washington affiliate. On May 1, 2006, WBDC changed its call letters to WDCW to reflect this. On July 20, the station began airing a promotional item that featured both a new logo and the station's new branding: The CW Washington. The station's web address has changed to "thecwdc.com".
Today WDCW offers a lineup of off-network sitcoms, cartoons from Kids WB, prime time first-run shows from The CW, syndicated talk/court/reality shows, sports, and paid programming. WDCW also runs a community affairs program called "The Inner Loop", which premiered under the title "WB Now". There are no news programs on this station.
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Local Washington, DC television stations |
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| Local digital television channels |
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| Local cable television channels |
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| Stations serving Hagerstown, Maryland and surrounding area WHAG 25 (NBC) - WWPB 31 (PBS/MPT) - WWPX 60 (ION) - WJAL 68 (Ind) |
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| Stations serving Winchester, Virginia and surrounding area TV3 Winchester 3 (WHSV-DT3) (ABC) - WAZT-CA 10/WAZC-LP 16/WAZF-CA 28/WAZW-CA 48 (TBN) - W15AD 15/W17AL 17/W41AO 41/W48AA 48/W69AC 69 (PBS/WVPB) - WVPY 42 (PBS) |
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