WBDT
WBDT is a Springfield, Ohio-licensed television station serving the Dayton area as its CW network affiliate.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WBDT is a full-power television station licensed to Springfield, Ohio, and serving the Dayton, Ohio, television market. The station operates as the market's affiliate of The CW and is commonly branded as Dayton's CW. Although its license is associated with Springfield, its principal audience, programming operations, and business identity are tied to the wider Dayton area. The station is owned by Vaughan Media and operated by Nexstar Media Group under a local marketing or shared-services arrangement. It is a sister station to NBC affiliate WDTN, and the two outlets share studio facilities in Moraine, Ohio. Channel 26 has had several distinct incarnations. It first signed on in 1968 as independent WSWO-TV, offering locally produced programming including a live regional version of Bozo the Clown. Financial and affiliation difficulties led to the station leaving the air in 1970, followed by a short-lived return in 1972 and another closure. The present license history began in 1980, when Miami Valley Christian Television relaunched the facility as WTJC, a Christian-oriented station. WTJC combined religious programming with selected secular, children's, lifestyle, sports, and entertainment programs. After the launch of WRGT-TV in 1984, WTJC reduced its secular inventory and moved toward a heavily religious schedule. Financial pressure and controversies involving several ministries that purchased airtime contributed to declining donations and a change in ownership strategy. Paxson Communications acquired the station in 1995 and continued a largely religious, home-shopping, and paid-programming format. The call sign became WDPX in January 1998, and the station joined the Pax network later that year. In 1999, ACME Communications purchased the facility, changed the call sign to WBDT, and made it a primary affiliate of The WB while retaining a secondary Pax affiliation for several years. WBDT ultimately dropped the remaining Pax programming in 2004 and filled its schedule with syndicated entertainment, talk, court, and paid programming. When The WB and UPN were combined to create The CW, WBDT became the Dayton market's CW outlet on September 18, 2006. The affiliation quickly became commercially important: the network identified WBDT as its highest-rated affiliate nationally in 2007. The station also expanded its local identity through news programming produced by WDTN, including a 10 p.m. newscast launched in 2007 and a weekday morning program introduced in 2013. WBDT's ownership and operational structure changed substantially during the 2010s. LIN TV, which owned WDTN, began operating WBDT through service and sales agreements in 2010. The station moved from its former Miamisburg facility to WDTN's Moraine studios. In 2011, the license was transferred to Vaughan Media, an arrangement connected to LIN's ownership and voting interests. Media General's acquisition of LIN Media in 2014 brought WBDT and WDTN under the same corporate operating structure, although regulatory conditions required the eventual termination of the joint sales agreement. Nexstar later became the station's operator following its acquisition of Media General and subsequent broadcast portfolio changes. The station has also adapted its technical distribution. WBDT ended analog broadcasting in 2009 as part of the United States digital television transition. It later carried Bounce TV and, for a period, Ion Television on digital subchannels. Following the 2017 spectrum auction, WBDT began sharing WDTN's digital transmission facilities in June 2018 rather than maintaining a separate full-power transmission signal. Its current role is therefore primarily that of a network-affiliated local television service, combining CW entertainment programming with syndicated content, local promotional activity, digital distribution, and news supplied through its relationship with WDTN.
History
Channel 26 in southwestern Ohio first went on the air on July 14, 1968, as independent WSWO-TV. Operated by Southwestern Ohio Television, the station carried local programming, including a live version of Bozo the Clown presented by announcer Dave Eaton. WSWO-TV struggled after failing to secure Dayton's ABC affiliation, which went to WKEF. It ceased broadcasting in June 1970 and entered bankruptcy proceedings. A brief revival under Lester W. White began in June 1972, but the station went dark again later that year after White defaulted on a loan. White was subsequently arrested in connection with the theft of broadcast equipment, and a court ordered the station closed. The current license history began on September 7, 1980, when Miami Valley Christian Television returned channel 26 to the air as WTJC. The call letters represented the phrase “Witnessing 'Til Jesus Comes,” reflecting its Christian programming identity. WTJC devoted substantial portions of its schedule to religious programs, including nationally distributed ministry content, while also airing children's shows, cartoons, lifestyle programs, family entertainment, outdoor programming, and a short local newscast. After WRGT-TV launched in 1984, WTJC transferred much of its secular programming inventory to that station and became more heavily religious. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, several ministries that purchased time on WTJC became involved in controversies. The resulting decline in donations affected both those ministries and Miami Valley Christian Television. Marvin Sparks, MVCT's principal owner, bought out the other partners in 1991 and later sold the station to Video Mall Communications. Under the new arrangement, WTJC carried home-shopping and paid programming for much of the day, with religious programs occupying the remaining hours. Paxson Communications acquired WTJC in 1995. Paxson retained a format built around religious programming, infomercials, and worship music, and changed the call sign to WDPX on January 20, 1998. On August 31 of that year, the station became a charter affiliate of Pax, the network later known as Ion Television. The station's Pax affiliation was relatively short-lived as a primary identity. ACME Communications bought WDPX in June 1999, adopted the WBDT call sign on June 9, and shifted the main schedule toward The WB and syndicated programming. WBDT continued to carry selected Pax programming as a secondary affiliation until 2004, when the remaining Pax material was removed in favor of syndicated sitcoms, talk shows, court shows, infomercials, and other general-entertainment content. On September 18, 2006, WBDT became the Dayton market's outlet for The CW, created through the merger of The WB and UPN. The new affiliation strengthened the station's network position. In March 2007, The CW described WBDT as its leading affiliate nationally based on prime-time ratings. That same month, WBDT began 24-hour high-definition, widescreen digital broadcasting, making it an early adopter of the format in the local market. News and local programming have generally been produced through partnerships rather than a large independent WBDT newsroom. A short-lived local program, Springfield Newswatch, ran in 1981 and 1982. From September 2002, WBDT's studios hosted The Daily Buzz, a nationally syndicated morning program produced by ACME; the program moved to a former sister station in Florida in 2004. WDTN began producing a half-hour 10 p.m. newscast for WBDT in August 2007. The program initially performed strongly against the competing prime-time newscast. WBDT's news output was included in WDTN's transition to high-definition local news in 2012. A weekday morning block, 2 News Today on Dayton's CW, began in January 2013, and the 10 p.m. newscast expanded to an hour in September of that year. In 2010, LIN TV, owner of WDTN, announced that it would operate WBDT under shared-services and joint-sales arrangements. WBDT moved from its Miamisburg studios to WDTN's facility in Moraine. LIN later arranged for the WBDT license to be held by Vaughan Media, a company associated with LIN through an equity and voting relationship. The FCC approved the transfer in April 2011 and the transaction closed in May. In 2014, Media General announced its acquisition of LIN Media. Regulatory approval required the termination of the WBDT-WDTN joint-sales arrangement because of increasing FCC scrutiny of such agreements, although a transition waiver was granted. The Media General-LIN transaction closed in December 2014. WBDT is currently owned by Vaughan Media and operated by Nexstar Media Group. WBDT completed the United States analog-to-digital transition on June 12, 2009. Its digital platform subsequently carried Bounce TV, beginning in September 2011, and later Ion Television on a third subchannel. Ion was moved to WDTN's digital platform in 2018. After participating in the FCC spectrum reallocation process, WBDT began sharing WDTN's digital channel on June 29, 2018. The arrangement allowed the station to retain its CW service while using WDTN's transmission infrastructure.
- 2018
WBDT begins channel sharing
[1]The station moves its digital transmission to a channel-sharing arrangement with WDTN.
- 2013
Morning local news expands
[1]WBDT begins airing the weekday morning program 2 News Today on Dayton's CW.
- 2011
Vaughan Media receives the license
[1]The FCC approves the transfer of WBDT's license to Vaughan Media.
- 2010
WDTN begins operating WBDT
[1]LIN TV announces shared-services and joint-sales arrangements for WBDT and plans to consolidate operations with WDTN.
- 2006
WBDT joins The CW
[1]The station becomes Dayton's affiliate for the newly formed CW network.
- 1999
ACME changes the station to WBDT
[1]ACME Communications acquires the station, adopts the WBDT call sign, and makes The WB its primary network affiliation.
- 1998
Station becomes WDPX and joins Pax
[1]The call sign changes to WDPX, and the station becomes a charter Pax affiliate.
- 1995
Paxson Communications acquires the station
[1]Paxson purchases WTJC and maintains a schedule centered on religious and paid programming.
- 1980
WTJC begins the current license era
[1]Miami Valley Christian Television relaunches channel 26 as a Christian-oriented station.
- 1970
WSWO-TV goes dark
[1]After failing to obtain Dayton's ABC affiliation, WSWO-TV leaves the air and enters bankruptcy.
Products and positioning
A local broadcast outlet positioned around The CW's entertainment schedule and Dayton-area programming, with local news and production support supplied through its relationship with WDTN.
Broadcast television network affiliation · 2006
The CW network service
WBDT's principal offering is the Dayton-area broadcast of The CW's entertainment schedule. The service includes the network's scripted series, specials, and other scheduled programming, supported by local station branding and advertising. WBDT became the market's CW affiliate in 2006 after the merger of The WB and UPN and has remained identified with the network since then.
Television news · 2007
Local news programming
WBDT carries local news produced by sister station WDTN. The principal branded programs have included 2 News at 10 on Dayton's CW and 2 News Today on Dayton's CW. This arrangement gives WBDT local news coverage without requiring a fully separate newsroom and links its presentation, journalists, and production resources to WDTN.
Digital multicast television · 2011
Bounce TV digital subchannel
WBDT added Bounce TV to its second digital subchannel in September 2011, becoming one of the network's early affiliates. The subchannel broadened the station's distribution portfolio beyond its primary CW service. Its current carriage status is not established in the supplied material.
Controversies
1980
Controversies involving ministries carried by WTJC
During WTJC's heavily religious era, several ministries that purchased airtime on the station became involved in scandals. The controversies were associated with declining donations to the affected ministries and to Miami Valley Christian Television, contributing to later ownership and programming changes.
Brand decisions
2018
Adopt channel-sharing transmissionOtherBackground
WBDT participated in the FCC spectrum reallocation process and no longer maintained a separate full-power digital transmission operation.
Action taken
Beginning June 29, 2018, WBDT shared WDTN's digital channel and transmission facilities.
Aftermath
WBDT retained its CW service while using the sister station's transmission infrastructure.
Reported spectrum auction proceeds. 27.3 million USD (2017)
2010
Consolidate operations with WDTNStrategyBackground
LIN TV owned WDTN and was positioned to manage WBDT through service and sales agreements.
Action taken
WBDT moved its operations from Miamisburg to WDTN's Moraine facility, where the stations shared production and business resources.
Aftermath
The arrangement continued through subsequent ownership changes, subject to regulatory requirements concerning joint-sales agreements.
2006
Join The CWStrategyBackground
The WB and UPN were combined into The CW, requiring affiliates in each local market to realign.
Action taken
WBDT became the Dayton market's CW affiliate on September 18, 2006.
Aftermath
The station developed a stronger network identity and was recognized by The CW as its top-rated affiliate nationally in 2007.
1999
Shift from Pax-oriented programming to The WBStrategyBackground
ACME Communications acquired the station after its period as a Pax affiliate and sought a broader general-entertainment identity.
Action taken
ACME changed the call sign from WDPX to WBDT and made The WB the primary affiliation while retaining selected Pax programming temporarily.
Aftermath
The station later dropped the remaining Pax schedule and became a full-time general-entertainment outlet before moving to The CW.
Recent events
- 2018
WBDT begins channel sharing with WDTN[1]
Regulation
WBDT moved to a channel-sharing arrangement with sister station WDTN, ending its separate digital transmission operation.
- 2017
WBDT spectrum sold in FCC incentive auction[1]
Regulation · Other
The station was reported as a participant in the FCC spectrum reallocation auction. Although station management initially said the process would not take the station off the air, WBDT later began sharing WDTN's digital transmission facilities.
- 2011
WBDT license transferred to Vaughan Media[1]
M&A · Regulation
The FCC approved the transfer of WBDT's license to Vaughan Media in connection with LIN TV's operating relationship with the station.
- 2010
LIN TV begins operating WBDT[1]
Other
LIN TV, owner of WDTN, announced service and sales arrangements under which it would operate WBDT and move the station's operations to WDTN's Moraine facility.
- 2007
WBDT recognized as The CW's top-rated affiliate[1]
Other
The CW identified WBDT as its number-one affiliate nationally after the station performed strongly in prime-time ratings.
- 2006
WBDT becomes Dayton's CW affiliate[1]
Other
Following the consolidation of The WB and UPN into The CW, WBDT became the network's Dayton-area affiliate.
Sources2 sources
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