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{{Infobox Broadcast | {{Infobox Broadcast |
call_letters = WDCA-TV| call_letters = WDCA-TV|
city = Washington, D.C.| city = |
station_logo = ]| station_logo = ]|
station_slogan = ''That Looks Good!''| station_slogan = ''That Looks Good!''|
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digital = 35 (])<br>]: 20 (])|| digital = 35 (])<br>]: 20 (])||
other_chs = | other_chs = |
subchannels = |
affiliations = ]<br>] (DT2)<br>] (DT3)| affiliations = ]<br>] (DT2)<br>] (DT3)|
subchannels = ]| subchannels = ]|
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callsign_meaning = '''W'''ashington, '''D'''istrict of '''C'''olumbia '''A'''rea ("'''DCA'''" is also the ] for ])| callsign_meaning = '''W'''ashington, '''D'''istrict of '''C'''olumbia '''A'''rea ("'''DCA'''" is also the ] for ])|
former_callsigns = | former_callsigns = |
former_channel_numbers = '''Analog''':<br>20 (UHF, 1966-2009)| former_channel_numbers = '''Analog''':<br>20 (UHF, 1966–2009)|
owner = ]| owner = ]|
licensee = Fox Television Stations Inc.| licensee = Fox Television Stations Inc.|
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}} }}


'''WDCA''', ] 20, is a television station in ]. Owned by ], a division of the ], WDCA is a sister station to ] outlet ] (channel 5), and is an ] of the co-owned ] programming service. The two stations share studio facilities in the ] section of Washington, which is also where WDCA's transmitter is located.<ref>{{cite news |title=Digital Signal Sources |work=The Washington Post |date=2008-05-20 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2008/05/20/GR2008052000207.html?sid=ST2008051902978 }}</ref> '''WDCA''', ] 20, is a ] ] ] in the ] capital city of ]. The station is owned by the ] division of the ], and is part of a ] with ] owned-and-operated station ] (channel 5). The two stations share studio facilities in the ] section of Washington's northwest side, which is also where WDCA's transmitter is located.<ref>{{cite news |title=Digital Signal Sources |work=The Washington Post |date=2008-05-20 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2008/05/20/GR2008052000207.html?sid=ST2008051902978 }}</ref>

From January 1995 to August 2006, WDCA was affiliated with the ]. Prior to 1995, WDCA was an independent station.


==History== ==History==
===As an independent station===
===1960s-1970s===
] ]
WDCA-TV signed on as an ] on April 20, 1966, owned by the Capitol Broadcasting Corporation. It was Washington's third independent station, nearly 20 years younger than its future sister station WTTG, which had been founded as a ] affiliate, and after ], the nation's first African-American-oriented TV station. Veteran Washington broadcaster ], who previously worked at WTTG, was president of Capitol Broadcasting, and thus was WDCA's founding general manager. Grant would sell channel 20 three years later in 1969 to the Superior Tube Company, although he would stay on as WDCA's general manager for the next decade.<ref>"$20 million in TV sales approved." '']'', May 12, 1969, pg. 48. </ref> WDCA-TV signed on as an ] on April 20, 1966; it was originally owned by the Capitol Broadcasting Corporation. Channel 20 was Washington's third independent station, nearly 20 years younger than its future sister station WTTG, which had been founded as a ] affiliate, and after ], the nation's first ]-oriented television station. Veteran Washington broadcaster ], who previously worked at WTTG, was president of Capitol Broadcasting, and also served as WDCA's founding general manager. Grant would sell channel 20 three years later in 1969 to the Superior Tube Company, although he would stay on as WDCA's general manager for the next decade.<ref>"$20 million in TV sales approved." '']'', May 12, 1969, pg. 48. </ref>


In 1979 Superior Tube sold WDCA to ]-based ], but only after an earlier proposed sale to the ]-based ] fell through.<ref>"'']'', John Blair buy television outlets." ''Broadcasting'', January 16, 1978, pg. 32. </ref><ref>"Taft's turn to buy WDCA-TV; price this time is $13.5 million." ''Broadcasting'', May 1, 1978, pg. 50. </ref><ref>"FCC stays on course, just barely, with top-50 policy; grants waiver for Taft buy of WDCA-TV." ''Broadcasting'', August 20, 1979, pp. 25-26. </ref> In the 1970s and 1980s, WDCA's best-known personality was ], who played '']'', horror movie host "]", kids show host "]", and also served as the station's main announcer. The station was also home to ''Petey Greene's Washington'', an ] award-winning show featuring the witicisms and observations of ], civil-rights activist and native Washingtonian. In 1979, Superior Tube sold WDCA to ]-based ], but only after an earlier proposed sale to the ]-based ] fell through.<ref>"'']'', John Blair buy television outlets." ''Broadcasting'', January 16, 1978, pg. 32. </ref><ref>"Taft's turn to buy WDCA-TV; price this time is $13.5 million." ''Broadcasting'', May 1, 1978, pg. 50. </ref><ref>"FCC stays on course, just barely, with top-50 policy; grants waiver for Taft buy of WDCA-TV." ''Broadcasting'', August 20, 1979, pp. 25-26. </ref> In the 1970s and 1980s, WDCA's best-known personality was ], who played '']'', horror movie host "]", kids show host "]", and also served as the station's main announcer. The station was also home to ''Petey Greene's Washington'', an ] award-winning show featuring the witicisms and observations of ], civil-rights activist and native Washingtonian.


⚫ ]
===1980s-1990s===
⚫ Under Taft's stewardship, channel 20 became very profitable. As Taft upgraded the programming (much of which was distributed by new sister company ], especially ] cartoons), WDCA gained higher ratings but still trailed WTTG overall. For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, WDCA was the flagship broadcaster of the ] and ]. It was also the Washington, D.C. home of the ].
⚫ ]
⚫ Under Taft's stewardship, channel 20 became very profitable. As Taft upgraded the programming (much of which was distributed by new sister company ], especially ] cartoons), WDCA gained higher ratings but still trailed WTTG overall. Channel 20 also became a regional superstation appearing on ] systems up and down the East Coast. At one point, it was available on nearly every cable system in ] and ], and was carried as far south as ] and as far north as ].


As early as 1987—when it was displaced on Charlotte-area cable systems by now-sister station ]--WDCA began losing most of its large cable audience as more independent stations signed on in the areas where it was carried. However, it is still available on several cable systems in Maryland and Virginia. Channel 20 also became a regional ] appearing on ] systems up and down the East Coast. At one point, it was available on nearly every cable provider in ] and ], and was carried as far south as ] and as far north as ]. As early as 1987 – when it was displaced on Charlotte-area cable providers by upstart independent station ] (now a ] to WDCA under Fox ownership) – WDCA began losing most of its out-of-market cable audience as more independent stations signed on in the areas where it was carried. However, it is still available on several cable providers in Maryland and Virginia.


In February 1987, Taft sold WDCA and its other independent and Fox-affiliated stations to the ]-based ]. At the same time, the station dropped its longtime branding of "TV20" and became known as "DC20." In February 1987, Taft sold WDCA and its other independent and ]-affiliated stations to the ]-based ]. At the same time, the station dropped its longtime branding of "TV20" and became known as "DC20". The Taft purchase created a debt load for TVX and the sale of their smaller-market stations did not fully reduce the debt. In mid-1989, TVX sold a minority interest in the company to ]. Two years later, in 1991, Paramount bought TVX's remaining shares and became full owner of the stations, which were renamed as the ] and as a result, WDCA changed its branding to "Paramount 20", like its ] sister station ]. ] purchased the group as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1993.


===As a UPN station===
The Taft purchase created a debt load for TVX and the sale of their smaller-market stations did not fully reduce the debt. In mid-1989, TVX sold a minority interest in its company to ] (whose ] would eventually absorb Worldvision, but only after Worldvision ]). Two years later, in 1991, Paramount bought TVX's remaining shares and became full owner of the stations, which were renamed the ] and as a result, WDCA changed its branding to "Paramount 20", like its sister station in ], ]. ] purchased the group as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1993.

On January 16, 1995, WDCA became a charter affiliate of the ] (UPN), which was originally co-owned by Viacom and ].

⚫ In July 1995, WDCA experimented with a 10:00 p.m. newscast to compete with WTTG. ''UPN 20 News at 10'' was a half-hour nightly newscast produced by, and featuring on-air talent from ]' ]. The newscast was discontinued in the summer of 1996.

For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, WDCA was the flagship station of the ] and ]. It was also the Washington, D.C. home of the ].

===2000s===
] ]
In 1994, ] and its broadcasting subsidiary, ], partnered with Viacom's newly-acquired subsidiary ] to form the ]. WDCA became the network's Washington area station, when the network debuted on January 16, 1995. At the network's launch, WDCA was an ] of UPN as Chris-Craft had wholly owned the network at the time; the following year, Viacom (whose relationship to UPN was initially in the form of a programming partnership) bought a 50% ownership stake in UPN from Chris-Craft, this effectively turned channel 20 into a UPN ] through Viacom's part-ownership (Viacom later bought Chris-Craft's remaining 50% interest in UPN in 2000).
⚫ On October 29, 2001, Viacom traded WDCA to the ]'s ] unit (along with ] in ]) in return for ] in ], resulting in the first television duopoly in the Washington D.C. market. Fox merged the two stations' operations, with WDCA moving from its longtime studios in ], into WTTG's facilities on Wisconsin Avenue NW in ], DC. WTTG was itself once related to Paramount Pictures - it was originally an O&O of the ], which Paramount had owned in part.


⚫ On October 29, 2001, Viacom traded WDCA to the ]'s ] unit (along with ] in ]) in exchange for ] in ], resulting in the creation of the first television ] in the Washington D.C. market. Fox merged the two stations' operations, with WDCA moving from its longtime studios in ], into WTTG's facilities on Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington's ] neighborhood. WTTG was itself once related to Paramount Pictures - it was originally an O&O of the ], which Paramount had owned in part.
⚫ ]
On January 24, 2006, UPN and the ] announced that they would merge to form a new network, known as the ]. WB affiliate WBDC (channel 50, now ]), owned by ], was announced as Washington's CW station. On the day following the announcement of the creation of the CW, WDCA changed its branding from ''UPN 20'' to ''DCA 20'', and revamped its logo to highlight the brand change. The station also stopped promoting UPN programming. Similar changes were also made to Fox's other UPN affiliates, as The CW did not name any of the Fox-owned UPN stations as affiliates. The formation of ], of which WDCA and the other Fox-owned UPN stations have become affiliates, was announced on February 22, 2006, less than a month later.


===As a MyNetworkTV station===
⚫ ]
] ]
On January 24, 2006, ] and ] announced that UPN and ] would be shut down, to be replaced by a new network that would feature some of the higher-rated programs from both networks called ].<ref>, ], January 24, 2006.</ref><ref>, '']'', January 24, 2006.</ref> WB affiliate WBDC (channel 50, now ]) was announced as Washington's CW station, due to its owner ] having signed a 10-year affiliation agreement for 16 of the company's 19 WB stations. The day after the announcement of The CW's formation (January 25, 2006), Fox removed all network references from the on-air branding of its UPN affiliates, and stopped promoting UPN programs altogether. WDCA accordingly changed its branding from "UPN 20" to "DCA 20", and altered its logo to replace UPN's logo with the "DCA" lettering.
Channel 20 began its on-air transition towards MyNetworkTV affiliation on May 5, 2006, when WDCA changed its branding again, this time from "DCA 20" to "My 20".


Despite the announced launch date of MyNetworkTV on September 5, 2006, UPN continued to broadcast on stations across the country until September 15, 2006. While some UPN affiliates who switched to MyNetworkTV aired the final two weeks of UPN programming outside its regular primetime period, the Fox-owned stations, including WDCA, dropped UPN entirely on August 31, 2006. The formation of ], with WDCA and the other Fox-owned UPN stations as the nuclei, was announced on February 22, 2006, less than one month later.<ref>, '']'', February 22, 2006.</ref> With the impending switch to MyNetworkTV, channel 20's on-air branding was changed to "My 20" beginning on May 5, 2006. Despite MyNetworkTV's announcement that its launch date would be September 5, 2006, UPN continued to broadcast on stations across the country until September 15, 2006. While some UPN affiliates that switched to MyNetworkTV aired the final two weeks of UPN programming outside its regular primetime period, WDCA and the rest of the network's Fox-owned affiliates dropped UPN's programming entirely on August 31, 2006.


⚫ ==Digital television==
⚫ WDCA's digital signal on UHF channel 35 had been very weak due to a problem with Washington D.C. in constructing a new transmitter tower. However, around August 10, 2006, it was operating at full power and receivable in the suburbs.
⚫ ===Digital channels===



⚫ == Digital television ==

⚫ === Digital channels ===
{| class="wikitable" {| class="wikitable"
|- |-
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! ] ! ]
! ] ! ]
! ] ! ]
! Programming<ref></ref>
! Programming
|- |-
| 20.1 || ] || rowspan=3| ] || WDCA DT || Main WDCA programming / MyNetworkTV | 20.1 || ] || rowspan=3| ] || WDCA DT || Main WDCA programming / MyNetworkTV
|- |-
| 20.2 || ] || Movies || ]<ref></ref></small> | 20.2 || ] || || ]<ref></ref></small>
|- |-
| 20.3 || ] || MundoFx || ] | 20.3 || ] || MundoFx || ]
|} |}


In 2012, the station became an affiliate of the ] network, which officially launched on August 13. MundoFox programming was carried on sub-channel 20.2<ref>{{cite news|last=Marcucci|first=Carl|title=MundoFox launches across the country|url=http://rbr.com/mundofox-launches-across-the-country/|accessdate=15 August 2012|newspaper=RBR.com|date=13 August 2012}}</ref> from October of 2012 to May of 2013, at which time it was moved to sub-channel 20.3. In 2012, the station became an affiliate of the ] network, which officially launched on August 13. MundoFox programming has been carried on subchannel 20.2<ref>{{cite news|last=Marcucci|first=Carl|title=MundoFox launches across the country|url=http://rbr.com/mundofox-launches-across-the-country/|accessdate=15 August 2012|newspaper=RBR.com|date=13 August 2012}}</ref> beginning in October of 2012.

In 2013, the station became an affiliate of the ] network, which officially launched on May 23. Movies! programming has been carried on sub-channel 20.2 since that time.


===Analog-to-digital conversion=== ===Analog-to-digital conversion===
On June 12, 2009, WDCA left channel 20 and continued broadcasting on channel 35 to complete its analog to digital conversion.<ref>http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf</ref> However, through the use of ], digital television receivers still display WDCA's ] as "20". WDCA shut down its analog signal, over ] channel 20, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States ] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 35.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-03-24}}</ref> Through the use of ], digital television receivers display the station's ] as its former UHF analog channel 20.

⚫ WDCA's digital signal had been very weak due to a problem with Washington D.C. in constructing a new transmitter tower. However, around August 10, 2006, it was operating at full power and the signal became receivable in the suburbs.


===Mobile DTV=== ===Mobile DTV===
In July 2009, Washington, D.C. became a test market for ], and WDCA was one of the participating stations.<ref name=Special>{{cite news|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/314792-Special_Report_Mobile_DTV_Heats_Up.php |title=Special Report: Mobile DTV Heats Up |last=Dickson |first=Glen |date=2009-07-13 |work=] |accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref> In July 2009, Washington, D.C. became a test market for ], and WDCA was one of the participating stations.<ref name=Special>{{cite news|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/314792-Special_Report_Mobile_DTV_Heats_Up.php |title=Special Report: Mobile DTV Heats Up |last=Dickson |first=Glen |date=2009-07-13 |work=] |accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref>


Like all of the DC-area Mobile DTV broadcasters, WDCA commenced ] broadcasting on February 27, 2011. WDCA also has a Mobile DTV feed of sister station ], displaying as subchannel 5.1, labelled "WTTG Fox5" and a feed of WDCA on 35.2, with two encrypted video feeds of ] (5.3) and the ] (5.4), broadcasting at 5.5 Mbit/s. This is tied with ] for the highest bit rate of any DC-area television station mobile feed.<ref>http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=atscmph</ref><ref>http://www.mdtvsignalmap.com/</ref> Like all of the DC-area Mobile DTV broadcasters, WDCA commenced full-time ] broadcasting on February 27, 2011. WDCA also has a Mobile DTV feed of sister station ], displaying as subchannel 5.1, labelled "WTTG Fox5" and a feed of WDCA on 35.2, with two encrypted video feeds of ] (on 5.3) and the ] (on 5.4), broadcasting at 5.5 Mbit/s. This is tied with ] for the highest bit rate of any D.C.-area television station's mobile feed.<ref>http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=atscmph</ref><ref>http://www.mdtvsignalmap.com/</ref>

==Newscasts==
⚫ In July 1995, WDCA experimented with a a half-hour nightly 10:00 p.m. newscast called ''UPN 20 News at 10'' to compete with WTTG's longer-running primetime newscast. The newscast was produced by regional cable news channel ]. The newscast was discontinued in the summer of 1996.

In October 2006, while WTTG aired ]' coverage of the 2006 ] postseason, the first half-hour of that station's 10 p.m. newscast was broadcast by WDCA under the title ''Fox 5 News at Ten: Special Edition''; this also occurred in 2007, with the WDCA broadcast of the program being titled ''My 20 News at 10''.


==References== ==References==
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==External links== ==External links==
* - Official Website * - Official website
*{{TVQ|WDCA}} *{{TVQ|WDCA}}
*{{BIA|WDCA|TV|TV}} *{{BIA|WDCA|TV|TV}}


{{Washington TV}} {{Washington TV}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Articles and topics related to WDCA
|state=collapsed
|list1=</span>
{{MNTV Maryland}} {{MNTV Maryland}}
{{News Corporation}} {{News Corporation}}
{{Fox Entertainment Group}} {{Fox Entertainment Group}}
{{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}} {{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}}
{{Superstations}}
}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Wdca}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wdca}}
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WDCA, virtual channel 20, is a MyNetworkTV owned-and-operated television station in the American capital city of [[Washington, D.C.|Washington, District of Columbia. The station is owned by the Fox Television Stations division of the News Corporation, and is part of a duopoly with Fox owned-and-operated station WTTG (channel 5). The two stations share studio facilities in the Tenleytown section of Washington's northwest side, which is also where WDCA's transmitter is located.

History

As an independent station

WDCA's logo under Superior Tube ownership used throughout the 1970s.

WDCA-TV signed on as an independent station on April 20, 1966; it was originally owned by the Capitol Broadcasting Corporation. Channel 20 was Washington's third independent station, nearly 20 years younger than its future sister station WTTG, which had been founded as a DuMont affiliate, and after WOOK, the nation's first African American-oriented television station. Veteran Washington broadcaster Milton Grant, who previously worked at WTTG, was president of Capitol Broadcasting, and also served as WDCA's founding general manager. Grant would sell channel 20 three years later in 1969 to the Superior Tube Company, although he would stay on as WDCA's general manager for the next decade.

In 1979, Superior Tube sold WDCA to Cincinnati, Ohio-based Taft Broadcasting, but only after an earlier proposed sale to the Chicago-based Tribune Company fell through. In the 1970s and 1980s, WDCA's best-known personality was Dick Dyszel, who played Bozo the Clown, horror movie host "Count Gore de Vol", kids show host "Captain 20", and also served as the station's main announcer. The station was also home to Petey Greene's Washington, an Emmy award-winning show featuring the witicisms and observations of Ralph "Petey" Greene, civil-rights activist and native Washingtonian.

File:WDCA 1985.jpg
A 1985 station ID on WDCA, featuring Taft's branding.

Under Taft's stewardship, channel 20 became very profitable. As Taft upgraded the programming (much of which was distributed by new sister company Worldvision Enterprises, especially Hanna-Barbera cartoons), WDCA gained higher ratings but still trailed WTTG overall. For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, WDCA was the flagship broadcaster of the Washington Bullets and Washington Capitals. It was also the Washington, D.C. home of the Baltimore Orioles.

Channel 20 also became a regional superstation appearing on cable television systems up and down the East Coast. At one point, it was available on nearly every cable provider in Maryland and Virginia, and was carried as far south as Charlotte, North Carolina and as far north as Pennsylvania. As early as 1987 – when it was displaced on Charlotte-area cable providers by upstart independent station WJZY (now a sister station to WDCA under Fox ownership) – WDCA began losing most of its out-of-market cable audience as more independent stations signed on in the areas where it was carried. However, it is still available on several cable providers in Maryland and Virginia.

In February 1987, Taft sold WDCA and its other independent and Fox-affiliated stations to the Norfolk, Virginia-based TVX Broadcast Group. At the same time, the station dropped its longtime branding of "TV20" and became known as "DC20". The Taft purchase created a debt load for TVX and the sale of their smaller-market stations did not fully reduce the debt. In mid-1989, TVX sold a minority interest in the company to Paramount Pictures. Two years later, in 1991, Paramount bought TVX's remaining shares and became full owner of the stations, which were renamed as the Paramount Stations Group and as a result, WDCA changed its branding to "Paramount 20", like its Houston sister station KTXH. Viacom purchased the group as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1993.

As a UPN station

File:Wdca.jpg
WDCA logo used from September 2002 to January 2006.

In 1994, Chris-Craft Industries and its broadcasting subsidiary, United Television, partnered with Viacom's newly-acquired subsidiary Paramount Pictures to form the United Paramount Network. WDCA became the network's Washington area station, when the network debuted on January 16, 1995. At the network's launch, WDCA was an affiliate of UPN as Chris-Craft had wholly owned the network at the time; the following year, Viacom (whose relationship to UPN was initially in the form of a programming partnership) bought a 50% ownership stake in UPN from Chris-Craft, this effectively turned channel 20 into a UPN owned-and-operated station through Viacom's part-ownership (Viacom later bought Chris-Craft's remaining 50% interest in UPN in 2000).

On October 29, 2001, Viacom traded WDCA to the News Corporation's Fox Television Stations unit (along with KTXH in Houston) in exchange for KBHK-TV in San Francisco, resulting in the creation of the first television duopoly in the Washington D.C. market. Fox merged the two stations' operations, with WDCA moving from its longtime studios in Bethesda, Maryland, into WTTG's facilities on Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington's Friendship Heights neighborhood. WTTG was itself once related to Paramount Pictures - it was originally an O&O of the DuMont Television Network, which Paramount had owned in part.

As a MyNetworkTV station

Logo as "DCA 20" following the CW announcement, January to May 2006.
WDCA's first My 20 logo used from May to June 2006.

On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Time Warner announced that UPN and The WB Television Network would be shut down, to be replaced by a new network that would feature some of the higher-rated programs from both networks called The CW Television Network. WB affiliate WBDC (channel 50, now WDCW) was announced as Washington's CW station, due to its owner Tribune Broadcasting having signed a 10-year affiliation agreement for 16 of the company's 19 WB stations. The day after the announcement of The CW's formation (January 25, 2006), Fox removed all network references from the on-air branding of its UPN affiliates, and stopped promoting UPN programs altogether. WDCA accordingly changed its branding from "UPN 20" to "DCA 20", and altered its logo to replace UPN's logo with the "DCA" lettering.

The formation of MyNetworkTV, with WDCA and the other Fox-owned UPN stations as the nuclei, was announced on February 22, 2006, less than one month later. With the impending switch to MyNetworkTV, channel 20's on-air branding was changed to "My 20" beginning on May 5, 2006. Despite MyNetworkTV's announcement that its launch date would be September 5, 2006, UPN continued to broadcast on stations across the country until September 15, 2006. While some UPN affiliates that switched to MyNetworkTV aired the final two weeks of UPN programming outside its regular primetime period, WDCA and the rest of the network's Fox-owned affiliates dropped UPN's programming entirely on August 31, 2006.

Digital television

Digital channels

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming
20.1 720p 16:9 WDCA DT Main WDCA programming / MyNetworkTV
20.2 480i Movies!
20.3 480i MundoFx MundoFox

In 2012, the station became an affiliate of the MundoFox network, which officially launched on August 13. MundoFox programming has been carried on subchannel 20.2 beginning in October of 2012.

Analog-to-digital conversion

WDCA shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 20, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 35. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 20.

WDCA's digital signal had been very weak due to a problem with Washington D.C. in constructing a new transmitter tower. However, around August 10, 2006, it was operating at full power and the signal became receivable in the suburbs.

Mobile DTV

In July 2009, Washington, D.C. became a test market for Mobile DTV, and WDCA was one of the participating stations.

Like all of the DC-area Mobile DTV broadcasters, WDCA commenced full-time ATSC-M/H broadcasting on February 27, 2011. WDCA also has a Mobile DTV feed of sister station WTTG, displaying as subchannel 5.1, labelled "WTTG Fox5" and a feed of WDCA on 35.2, with two encrypted video feeds of Fox News Channel (on 5.3) and the Fox Business Network (on 5.4), broadcasting at 5.5 Mbit/s. This is tied with WFDC-DT for the highest bit rate of any D.C.-area television station's mobile feed.

Newscasts

In July 1995, WDCA experimented with a a half-hour nightly 10:00 p.m. newscast called UPN 20 News at 10 to compete with WTTG's longer-running primetime newscast. The newscast was produced by regional cable news channel News Channel 8. The newscast was discontinued in the summer of 1996.

In October 2006, while WTTG aired Fox Sports' coverage of the 2006 Major League Baseball postseason, the first half-hour of that station's 10 p.m. newscast was broadcast by WDCA under the title Fox 5 News at Ten: Special Edition; this also occurred in 2007, with the WDCA broadcast of the program being titled My 20 News at 10.

References

  1. "Digital Signal Sources". The Washington Post. 2008-05-20.
  2. "$20 million in TV sales approved." Broadcasting, May 12, 1969, pg. 48.
  3. "Chicago Tribune, John Blair buy television outlets." Broadcasting, January 16, 1978, pg. 32.
  4. "Taft's turn to buy WDCA-TV; price this time is $13.5 million." Broadcasting, May 1, 1978, pg. 50.
  5. "FCC stays on course, just barely, with top-50 policy; grants waiver for Taft buy of WDCA-TV." Broadcasting, August 20, 1979, pp. 25-26.
  6. 'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September, CNNMoney.com, January 24, 2006.
  7. UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network, The New York Times, January 24, 2006.
  8. News Corp. Unveils MyNetworkTV, Broadcasting & Cable, February 22, 2006.
  9. RabbitEars TV Query for WDCA
  10. Movies!: Where to Watch
  11. Marcucci, Carl (13 August 2012). "MundoFox launches across the country". RBR.com. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  12. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  13. Dickson, Glen (2009-07-13). "Special Report: Mobile DTV Heats Up". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  14. http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=atscmph
  15. http://www.mdtvsignalmap.com/

External links

Broadcast television in the National Capitol Region (DMV)
This region includes the following cities: Washington, D.C.
Landover/Bethesda/Frederick/Hagerstown, MD
Arlington/Fairfax/Fredericksburg/Winchester, VA
Martinsburg, WV
McConnellsburg, PA
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television
Full power
Low power
ATSC 3.0
Cable
Outlying areas
Dover, DE
Hagerstown, MD
Winchester, VA
Martinsburg, WV
WHSV-TV (3.1 ABC, 3.2 NBC, 3.3 Ion, 3.4 MNTV/MeTV, 3.5 CBS)
W08EE-D (24.1 PBS/WVPB, 24.2 World, 24.3 PBS Kids)
WWPX-TV (60.1 Ion, 60.2 Bounce, 60.3 Court, 60.4 Laff, 60.5 Mystery, 60.6 Ion+, 60.7 Scripps, 60.8 HSN)
Defunct
  • Nominally a low-power station; shares spectrum with full-power WRC-TV.
Virginia broadcast television areas by city
Bristol
Bluefield
Charlottesville
Harrisonburg
Norfolk
Richmond
Roanoke
Washington, D.C.
Pennsylvania broadcast television
Erie
Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York (Susquehanna Valley)
Johnstown/Altoona/State College (Happy Valley)
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
See also
Maryland TV
West Virginia TV
Articles and topics related to WDCA

Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state of Maryland and Washington, D.C.
ABC
CBS
Fox
NBC
The CW
MyNetworkTV
Ion
PBS
Baltimore market (MPT)*
Salisbury market*
Washington, D.C. market*
Pittsburgh market**
Spanish
stations
Other
stations
Regional
stations
Religious
stations
(*) – indicates station is in one of Maryland's primary TV markets
(**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of Maryland
News Corp
Sister company: Fox Corporation
Dow Jones & Company
National consumer products
Enterprise products
HarperCollins
United States
United Kingdom
Australia
Christian
Canada
News Corp Australia
Newspapers
Metropolitan
Regional
Queensland
Other
News Corp Australia community newspapers
NewsLocal (NSW)
Messenger (SA)
Quest (Qld)
Victoria
Television
Sky News Australia
Channels
Active
Defunct
Programming
Sky News Australia programming
Current
Daytime
Primetime
Former
Daytime
Primetime
Magazines
Other
Former
holdings
News UK
Newspapers
Daily
Former Daily
Sunday
Former Sunday
Regional
Magazine
Radio
News Broadcasting (2016)
Streaming
Other assets
The Walt Disney Company
Company
officials
Key
Board of
directors
Entertainment
Studios
General
Entertainment
Disney Branded
Television
ABC Entertainment
Group
FX Networks
National Geographic
Global Networks
Production studios
Other units
Streaming
Distribution
International
ABC TV Stations
Other assets
Experiences
Parks and
resorts
Experiences
Consumer
Products
ESPN Inc. (80%)
Other assets
Former/defunct
units and
predecessors
Related
Owned and/or operated stations of the major television networks in the United States
ABC
(Walt Disney Co.)
CBS
(Paramount)
Fox
(Fox Corporation)
NBC
(Comcast)
Telemundo
(Comcast)
The CW
(Nexstar Media Group,
Paramount Global
and Warner Bros. Discovery)
Nexstar
Paramount
Univision
(TelevisaUnivision)
These stations are owned by Mission Broadcasting but operated by Nexstar under an LMA.
These stations are owned by Londen Media Group but operated by Nexstar under a TBA.
Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery still own a combined 25 percent stake in The CW, however the network is operated entirely by Nexstar.
These stations are owned by Vaughan Media but operated by Nexstar under an LMA.
TelevisaUnivision owns the licenses to these stations but the stations themselves are operated by Entravision Communications (of which the company owns a 10 percent stake) under an LMA.
Superstations in North American markets
Current
Television
Radio
Former
Television
Radio
  • Subject to availability; all currently operating as superstations are distributed in the United States through the Dish Network satellite service.
  • Available on select cable and satellite providers in the Southwest United States as a regional superstation.
  • Available on most Canadian cable and satellite providers.
  • Available nationally through SiriusXM Satellite Radio.
  • Broke off from local feed to become a separate channel.
  • Station originally included Detroit as part of its focus and was seen on cable throughout Michigan and northern Ohio.
  • Available on select cable providers in Michigan and the Northeastern United States as a regional superstation.
  • Available on select cable providers in New England as a regional superstation.
Additional resources on North American television
North America
  • List of local television stations in North America
  • DTV transition
  • North American TV mini-template
    • Canada
    Mexico
    United States
    Categories: