WDCW

WDCW is a broadcast television station serving Washington, D.C., and the surrounding metropolitan area. The station is branded as DCW 50 and operates as the market's local outlet for The CW. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group and is operated alongside WDVM-TV, the Nexstar-owned independent station licensed to Hagerstown, Maryland. The two stations share studio facilities on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington's Glover Park neighborhood. The station's history began long before its first broadcast. Federal Communications Commission proceedings for Washington's channel 50 started in the 1960s, when several applicants sought the frequency. The process included comparative hearings, appeals, the death of an original permittee, bankruptcy, and prolonged disputes over financial qualifications and the proposed use of subscription television. A permit eventually moved to Channel 50 Inc., a group associated with Theodore S. Ledbetter Jr. and the Model Cities Economic Development Corporation. The station secured financing and a subscription-programming arrangement involving Subscription Television of Greater Washington, a joint venture associated with Clint Murchison Jr. and Field Enterprises. Channel 50 began broadcasting on November 1, 1981, under the call sign WCQR. Its original business model centered on Super TV, an over-the-air subscription service. During daytime hours, WCQR carried free programming, including variety and independently produced material; at night, subscribers could receive first-run movies, college sports, and other premium content through Super TV. The service expanded rapidly in the Washington and Baltimore markets, reaching a reported peak of approximately 85,000 subscribers in 1983. WCQR also briefly carried Financial News Network programming as the subscription model began to lose momentum. Following a sale to Independent American Broadcasters, the station changed its call sign to WFTY in 1985 and moved toward conventional, advertising-supported independent television. Super TV programming ended on the station at the beginning of 1986. The transition proved difficult because independent stations faced expensive syndicated-programming contracts and intense competition from established Washington outlets. WFTY experienced programming disputes, management turnover, financial strain, and weak audience performance. It also experimented with local programming, including a short-lived news partnership with WRC-TV and a youth-oriented public-affairs program. WFTY joined The WB on February 20, 1995, and soon changed its call sign to WBDC-TV to reflect the affiliation. The station added local sports programming during this period, including broadcasts involving Washington's professional basketball and hockey teams. After The WB and UPN announced their combination, WDCW became one of the original affiliates of the resulting CW network in 2006. The current WDCW identity retains the station's channel-50 heritage while presenting it primarily as a CW entertainment and programming outlet. In its more recent history, the station has made additional attempts to provide local news. The latest referenced effort, DC News Now, debuted in 2022. WDCW now transmits through a channel-sharing arrangement with Univision-owned WFDC-DT, using WFDC's spectrum from a tower in Washington's Tenleytown area. The station's role is therefore both a network-affiliate brand and a local broadcast asset within Nexstar's Washington-area portfolio.

The Washington, D.C., channel 50 allocation was contested beginning in 1964. Applicants included All American Television Features, associated with record executive Mitch Miller; Theodore Granik; Transportation Communications of America, linked to DC Transit owner O. Roy Chalk; and Colonial Television Corporation. Comparative hearings began in 1966. Although an examiner initially favored Miller, the FCC review process ultimately selected Granik's proposal in 1967, and the full commission rejected appeals in 1968. Granik planned a station called WGSP-TV, with proposed facilities at the Sheraton Park Hotel and programming focused on Washington-area public affairs and community discussion. The station never launched. Granik died in 1970, and the permit holder entered bankruptcy in 1971 after failing to obtain adequate financing. A trustee later arranged a sale to Richard S. Leghorn and Theodore S. Ledbetter Jr., who organized Trans Community Broadcasting. Their group pursued both construction of the station and authorization for subscription television. The proposed subscription model created further regulatory delays. Channel 50 Inc., associated with Ledbetter and the Model Cities Economic Development Corporation, sought to acquire the construction permit and offer subscription programming. The FCC consolidated the channel's permit and subscription-television questions with a competing proposal from WDCA-TV. The proceeding remained unresolved for several years, but a change in FCC policy in 1979 made it possible for multiple subscription services to operate in sufficiently large markets. In 1980, the FCC approved the permit transfer and the proposed subscription operation. A financing and programming arrangement was then established with Subscription Television of Greater Washington, a joint venture associated with Clint Murchison Jr. and Field Enterprises. The venture provided construction financing and planned to supply Super TV programming. After facilities were completed and the call sign was changed, channel 50 began broadcasting on November 1, 1981, as WCQR. WCQR's original schedule was built around the subscription-television business. Daytime programming was free to viewers and included variety material and programming from independent producers. At night, Super TV offered paying subscribers movies, college basketball, and an optional adult service. The service initially experienced technical and customer-service problems, but it expanded quickly across Washington and Baltimore. Subscription numbers reportedly peaked at about 85,000 in 1983. The station also carried Financial News Network programming as its daytime schedule evolved. In 1984, Independent American Broadcasters agreed to acquire WCQR and an interest in Super TV. The new owners planned to turn channel 50 into a conventional commercial independent station. The call sign became WFTY on July 1, 1985, and Super TV ended on the station at the start of 1986. WFTY entered a difficult independent-station market characterized by high costs for syndicated programs, competition from established outlets, and a soft advertising environment. Programming contracts, management disputes, and weak ratings contributed to continuing financial problems. The station made several local-programming experiments. WRC-TV produced a short-lived weekday program called 7:30 News Headlines for WFTY in 1991, but low ratings, economic conditions, and disruption from the Gulf War contributed to its cancellation. WFTY also aired a youth-oriented local program, Kids Point of View Television. Financial pressure on the station's ownership group eventually led to foreclosure proceedings in 1993. The station's former owner, Nolanda Hill, was later prosecuted for diverting funds from related companies and received a four-month jail sentence in 1999. WFTY joined The WB on February 20, 1995. Because the station joined after the network had begun operations, it temporarily scheduled accumulated WB programming across multiple evenings to bring its lineup into synchronization. The call sign changed to WBDC-TV later that year. During the late 1990s, the station expanded its local sports profile through broadcasts involving the Washington Bullets and Washington Capitals, produced with Home Team Sports. When The WB and UPN were combined to form The CW, WDCW became one of the new network's charter affiliates in 2006. The station subsequently operated under the WDCW identity and the DCW 50 brand. In the modern era, WDCW has remained a local CW outlet while participating in Nexstar's broader Washington-area broadcast operations. The station shares facilities with WDVM-TV and uses a channel-sharing arrangement with WFDC-DT for transmission. Its latest cited local-news initiative, DC News Now, began in 2022.

• 2022

  DC News Now launches

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  The station introduced the DC News Now local-news brand.

• 2006

  Charter affiliation with The CW

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  The station became an original affiliate of The CW after the merger of The WB and UPN.

• 1995

  WB affiliation and WBDC-TV identity

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  WFTY joined The WB and later changed its call sign to WBDC-TV.

• 1991

  WRC-produced local news experiment begins

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  7:30 News Headlines debuted as a local news-sharing arrangement between WRC-TV and WFTY.

• 1985

  Call sign changes to WFTY

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  The station began its transition from subscription television to conventional independent broadcasting.

• 1983

  Super TV reaches reported peak

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  Super TV reportedly reached approximately 85,000 subscribers across Washington and Baltimore.

• 1981

  WCQR launches

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  Channel 50 began broadcasting on November 1 as WCQR, with Super TV subscription programming.

• 1980

  FCC approves permit transfer and subscription plan

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC approved the transfer of the construction permit and the proposed subscription-television operation.

• 1971

  Permit holder enters bankruptcy

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  The proposed station entered bankruptcy after failing to secure sufficient financing before launch.

• 1967

  FCC review board selects Granik proposal

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC review board selected Theodore Granik's application after comparative hearings.

• 1964

  Initial applications for Washington channel 50

  [1]WDCWen.wikipedia.org

  Multiple applicants began competing for the channel 50 allocation in Washington, D.C., starting a lengthy FCC process.

A local, over-the-air entertainment and network-affiliate television brand for viewers in Washington, D.C., combining CW programming with selected local news, sports, public-affairs, and syndicated content.

• Local television station brand

  DCW 50

  The primary consumer-facing identity for WDCW, presenting The CW's entertainment schedule and selected local programming to viewers in Washington, D.C. The brand draws on the station's channel 50 heritage while functioning as a local broadcast outlet within Nexstar's Washington-area portfolio.

• Subscription television service · 1981

  Super TV

  The original premium programming service carried by channel 50 during its WCQR era. Super TV offered first-run films, college basketball, and an optional late-night adult service to subscribers. It was central to the station's launch strategy but was removed when the station converted to advertising-supported independent broadcasting.

• Broadcast network affiliation · 2006

  CW network programming

  WDCW's principal programming offering is the schedule supplied through its affiliation with The CW. The station became a charter CW affiliate in 2006 after previously carrying The WB, providing scripted entertainment and other network programming to the Washington market.

• Local news · 2022

  DC News Now

  A local-news brand introduced in 2022 as part of WDCW's continuing efforts to provide Washington-oriented news content. It represents the station's latest cited attempt to supplement network and syndicated programming with locally focused journalism.

• 1998

  Indictment of former owner Nolanda Hill

  Former owner Nolanda Hill was indicted on allegations that she diverted more than $200,000 from Corridor Broadcasting and additional funds from related companies for personal spending. She received a four-month jail sentence in 1999.

  Source

• 1993

  Financial distress and foreclosure involving Corridor Broadcasting

  Reports described severe financial problems at the station's ownership group, including substantial obligations connected to a failed savings-and-loan institution and the eventual foreclosure of the station. Questions were also raised about whether the former owner retained an improper financial interest after foreclosure.

  Source

Read more

• 2022

  Launch of DC News NowProduct launch

  Background

  WDCW had made earlier attempts to add locally produced or locally oriented news to its schedule.

  Action taken

  The station introduced the DC News Now news brand.

  Aftermath

  The launch expanded the station's local-news offering alongside its CW programming.

  Source

• 2006

  Adoption of The CW affiliationStrategy

  Background

  The WB and UPN were combined into a new national network, The CW.

  Action taken

  WDCW became one of The CW's original local affiliates.

  Aftermath

  The station retained a network-affiliate role under the DCW 50 identity.

  Source

• 1995

  Affiliation with The WBStrategy

  Background

  The station sought a stronger network relationship after operating as an independent outlet.

  Action taken

  WFTY joined The WB and subsequently adopted the WBDC-TV call sign.

  Aftermath

  The affiliation improved the station's network positioning and preceded its later role as a charter CW affiliate.

  Source

• 1985

  Shift from subscription television to commercial independent broadcastingStrategy

  Background

  The station's owners concluded that the channel needed to move beyond the Super TV subscription model and compete as a conventional advertiser-supported independent station.

  Action taken

  WCQR changed its call sign to WFTY, ended Super TV carriage on the station, and pursued syndicated and commercially supported programming.

  Aftermath

  The transition placed the station in a highly competitive independent market and was followed by programming, management, and financial difficulties.

  Source

1. 1WDCWen.wikipedia.org
2. 2WDCW official websitedcw50.com