WDAZ-TV
ABC-affiliated television station serving the northern portion of the Fargo–Grand Forks market from its Devils Lake, North Dakota, license.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WDAZ-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Devils Lake, North Dakota, and serving the Grand Forks area and the northern portion of the Fargo–Grand Forks television market. The station is affiliated with ABC and is owned by Forum Communications Company, the North Dakota media group that also owns WDAY-TV in Fargo and the Grand Forks Herald. Although Devils Lake is its official city of license, WDAZ has no current physical facility there. Its news bureau and advertising office are in Grand Forks, while core operations are based at WDAY-TV’s studios in Fargo. The station’s transmitter is near Dahlen, North Dakota, between Devils Lake and Grand Forks. WDAZ was created to solve a geographic coverage problem affecting WDAY-TV. For many years, WDAY’s channel 6 signal had to protect Winnipeg’s CBC station, CBWT, which also used channel 6. The resulting signal limitations left much of Grand Forks and northern North Dakota with weak or unavailable WDAY reception. WDAZ’s channel 8 facility filled that gap and became a northern-market counterpart to WDAY. It began test transmissions in December 1966 and entered regular service on January 29, 1967. The station initially carried NBC programming, but it switched to ABC on August 22, 1983, at the same time as WDAY-TV. WDAZ operates as a semi-satellite of WDAY-TV rather than as a fully autonomous station. It generally simulcasts network and syndicated programming supplied by WDAY, while inserting its own commercials and station identifications. Local news is produced through the WDAY operation and distributed across the group’s stations. This arrangement allows Forum Communications to cover a broad, sparsely populated region with shared production resources while retaining a recognizable WDAZ presence in northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The station has historically maintained a strong local-news and sports identity. It was nationally recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage of the 1997 Red River Flood and received two Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Awards in 2014. WDAZ also carried University of North Dakota hockey, football, and basketball coverage for many years, including programming distributed through the University of North Dakota Sports Network. That sports network was folded into Midco Sports Network in 2012. WDAZ’s relationship with Canadian viewers has been unusually important for a local American station. Cable providers in southern Manitoba, including the Winnipeg area, have carried the station for decades, and the signal has also been distributed in Kenora, Ontario. The Canadian footprint has brought WDAZ additional viewers and some Winnipeg advertising, although simultaneous-substitution rules can replace its signal with a local Canadian station when the same program airs at the same time. The station also operates or has operated digital subchannels and translators serving parts of Minnesota and North Dakota. The station’s independent local-news operation was gradually consolidated with WDAY-TV. Weekend news had moved to WDAY in 2011, the weekday 5 p.m. newscast followed in 2014, and WDAZ’s separately produced 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. programs ended on December 21, 2018. WDAZ continues as an ABC outlet and regional news brand, with programming and production integrated into the broader Forum Communications television structure.
History
WDAZ-TV was established to improve television coverage in the northern part of the Fargo–Grand Forks region. WDAY-TV in Fargo had historically faced restrictions because its channel 6 signal needed to protect CBWT, Winnipeg’s channel 6 CBC station. Those restrictions weakened WDAY reception across Grand Forks and left substantial parts of northern North Dakota without reliable service. The new channel 8 station at Devils Lake addressed the coverage gap and created a northern counterpart to WDAY. WDAZ conducted test broadcasts in December 1966 and began regular broadcasting on January 29, 1967. It initially operated as an NBC affiliate. The station introduced local color programming in July 1969, reflecting the broader transition of American television production and transmission to color. On August 22, 1983, WDAZ and WDAY-TV changed affiliations together, moving from NBC to ABC. The coordinated switch reinforced the stations’ shared identity and programming relationship. From its early years, WDAZ was treated as a separate licensed station but functioned increasingly as a semi-satellite of WDAY-TV. It carried WDAY’s network and syndicated schedule while maintaining separate advertising and legal identifications. News, technical operations, and much of the programming infrastructure were shared. WDAZ’s coverage area included Grand Forks, Devils Lake, northeastern North Dakota, and portions of Minnesota, and its signal was also distributed by cable systems in southern Manitoba and parts of Ontario. The station developed a significant local-news operation in Grand Forks. During the late 1990s and 2000s it produced its own newscasts while also carrying WDAY programs. WDAZ received national recognition for continuing coverage of the 1997 Red River Flood, an event that affected communities in North Dakota and Manitoba. Its sports department was also prominent, particularly through University of North Dakota athletics. WDAZ produced and carried UND hockey, football, and basketball broadcasts, many of which were distributed through the Fighting Sioux Sports Network, later renamed the University of North Dakota Sports Network. That network became part of Midco Sports Network in 2012. News production was progressively centralized. WDAY assumed WDAZ’s weekend news in 2011 and took over the weekday 5 p.m. newscast in July 2014. The changes generated viewer opposition, including a petition asking Forum Communications to restore a local early-evening broadcast. Management described the restructuring as a move toward producing more broadly distributed content rather than maintaining separate programs for every station. WDAZ began airing a WDAY-produced 4 p.m. weekday newscast in September 2017. On December 21, 2018, WDAZ ended its separately produced 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts. The Grand Forks operation remained as a WDAY news bureau and sales office, while the stations’ news departments were merged. The company cited changes in television distribution, emerging technology, and regional economics. WDAZ retained its ABC affiliation and continued to carry local and regional programming produced through the WDAY group. Technically, WDAZ ended analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009, and moved its digital signal to VHF channel 8 after the United States digital television transition. Its tall guy-wired mast near Dahlen, measuring approximately 445 meters, supports coverage over a large rural territory. Translators have extended service into communities in Minnesota and North Dakota. Digital multicast services have included WDAY Xtra, Justice Network, and later True Crime Network, while an Ion Television service returned to a WDAZ digital subchannel in 2017. Canadian carriage is a distinctive part of WDAZ’s history. Winnipeg-area cable systems have carried the station for decades, despite the distance between the transmitter and Manitoba’s population centers. In the 1980s, WDAZ and Prairie Public Television arranged a microwave link to strengthen service into Winnipeg after cable-carriage changes threatened the station’s distribution. Canadian simultaneous-substitution regulations can replace WDAZ programming with Winnipeg stations when identical programs run at the same time, but the station remains a familiar American signal in southern Manitoba. WDAZ is therefore both a local North Dakota broadcaster and a cross-border regional television service.
- 2018
Separate WDAZ newscasts end
[1]The station ended its separately produced 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts on December 21 after a merger with WDAY’s news operation.
- 2017
Ion service returns
[1]A WDAZ digital subchannel returned to service as an Ion Television affiliate.
- 2016
Digital specialty services expanded
[1]WDAZ’s digital subchannels carried WDAY Xtra and Justice Network programming.
- 2014
Local news and technical upgrades
[1]The station’s weekday 5 p.m. news was shifted to WDAY, while WDAZ also received two Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Awards.
- 2012
University sports network folded into Midco Sports
[1]The University of North Dakota Sports Network was incorporated into Midco Sports Network, ending WDAZ’s role in that dedicated regional distribution system.
- 2009
Digital transition completed
[1]WDAZ shut down its analog channel 8 signal and moved its digital transmission to VHF channel 8.
- 1998
WBFG cable service begins
[1]WDAY/WDAZ began operating a cable-only WB affiliate known as WBFG.
- 1997
Red River Flood coverage recognized
[1]WDAZ received an Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage of the Red River Flood.
- 1983
Affiliation changes from NBC to ABC
[1]WDAZ and sister station WDAY-TV switched their network affiliation to ABC on August 22.
- 1969
Local color programming introduced
[1]WDAZ began broadcasting local programs in color during July.
Products and positioning
Regional ABC television affiliate and semi-satellite of WDAY-TV, focused on news, weather, sports, and syndicated programming for northeastern North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota, and parts of southern Manitoba.
Network television · 1983
ABC network service
WDAZ’s principal offering is its ABC-affiliated broadcast schedule, supplemented by programming supplied through its relationship with WDAY-TV. The station carries network entertainment, news, and other scheduled programming for viewers in northeastern North Dakota and adjacent areas.
News broadcasting · 1967
Local and regional news
WDAZ distributes WDAY-produced newscasts and regional reporting focused on Grand Forks, northern North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota, weather, emergencies, and community affairs. Its former independent news department was consolidated with WDAY-TV in 2018, but the Grand Forks bureau continues to support coverage.
Digital multicast television · 2013
WDAY Xtra
WDAY Xtra is a digital subchannel service carried on WDAZ and other Forum stations. Its schedule has included syndicated programs, North Dakota and Minnesota high-school sports, state tournaments, selected college athletics, and overnight weather radar and storm-tracking material.
Digital multicast television · 2016
True Crime Network
True Crime Network programming has been carried on WDAZ’s second digital subchannel as part of a shared Forum Communications multicast arrangement serving several North Dakota stations.
Sports broadcasting · 1984
University of North Dakota sports broadcasts
For many years WDAZ produced or carried University of North Dakota hockey, football, and basketball telecasts. The broadcasts were distributed through the Fighting Sioux Sports Network and later the University of North Dakota Sports Network, with Pat Sweeney among the associated play-by-play voices.
Brand decisions
2018
Full news-department merger with WDAY-TVStrategyBackground
The stations faced changing television distribution, new production technologies, and economic pressures in a relatively small regional market.
Action taken
WDAZ ended its separate 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts and retained a Grand Forks bureau under the WDAY-TV news operation.
Aftermath
WDAZ continued carrying regional news but no longer maintained a fully separate local news department.
2014
Consolidation of early-evening newsStrategyBackground
Forum Communications was restructuring programming and production across its related stations.
Action taken
The weekday 5 p.m. WDAZ newscast was replaced by a WDAY-produced broadcast, ending that separately scheduled local program.
Aftermath
The change drew viewer criticism and a petition, while management defended a greater emphasis on shared content production.
2009
Digital television transitionStrategyBackground
United States full-power television stations were transitioning from analog broadcasting to digital transmission.
Action taken
WDAZ ended analog transmission on VHF channel 8 and relocated its digital signal from pre-transition UHF channel 59 to channel 8.
Aftermath
The station continued digital broadcasting from its historic VHF channel while releasing the former high-band UHF allocation.
1983
Switch from NBC to ABCStrategyBackground
WDAY-TV and WDAZ were operating as sister stations with closely coordinated schedules and coverage areas.
Action taken
Both stations changed their network affiliation from NBC to ABC on August 22.
Aftermath
ABC became WDAZ’s long-term primary network affiliation.
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