WDCA
WDCA is a Washington, D.C.-area television station branded Fox 5 Plus and primarily programmed as an independent station with a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WDCA is a full-power television station serving Washington, D.C., and the surrounding metropolitan area. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 20 and is owned by Fox Television Stations alongside WTTG, the Fox network affiliate branded Fox 5. Although WDCA retains a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV, its contemporary identity is primarily that of Fox 5 Plus, an expanded service of WTTG rather than a separately operated local news brand. The station originated with Capital Broadcasting Company, led by Washington broadcaster Milton Grant. After receiving a construction permit in 1963, Capital launched WDCA-TV on April 20, 1966, as Washington's third independent station and one of the market's early UHF outlets. Its initial schedule emphasized sports, and the station subsequently developed a broad independent-station lineup consisting of movies, syndicated programming, children's shows, local public-affairs programs, and televised sports. For many years, WDCA was Washington's second-rated independent station behind WTTG and became particularly associated with coverage of the Washington Capitals, Washington Bullets, Baltimore Orioles programming, local high-school sports, and the children's character Captain 20. Ownership changed several times. Capital sold the station to Pennsylvania metal manufacturer Superior Tube Company in 1969 after encountering financial losses, although Grant remained general manager until 1980. Taft Broadcasting acquired WDCA in 1979 after a lengthy regulatory process involving concerns about station ownership limits and children's programming. Taft then sold its independent-station group to TVX Broadcast Group in 1987. The heavily leveraged TVX group entered financial difficulty, and Paramount Pictures acquired control in 1989 before completing its purchase of the remaining TVX interest in 1991. Paramount's station assets later became part of Viacom. WDCA became a charter affiliate of the United Paramount Network, or UPN, when that network launched in January 1995. In 2001, Fox Television Stations acquired WDCA from Viacom in a transaction involving other UPN properties and consolidated its operations with WTTG. When UPN and The WB were replaced by The CW in 2006, Fox-owned UPN stations were excluded from the new network. Fox therefore created MyNetworkTV, and WDCA became one of its stations. The station's identity shifted again in 2017, when Fox renamed it Fox 5 Plus and positioned it as an extension of WTTG. WDCA began carrying WTTG-produced prime-time newscasts, including an 8 p.m. program, while continuing to transmit syndicated, independent, and MyNetworkTV programming. In 2018, it added a 9 p.m. newscast. WDCA ceased operating a separate over-the-air signal on its former post-transition digital channel in July 2018 after receiving proceeds from the FCC spectrum-reallocation auction, but it continued broadcasting through WTTG's multiplex. WTTG and WDCA moved to shared studios in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2021. The station remains an active Fox-owned local television outlet.
History
Interest in Washington's UHF channel 20 emerged in the early 1950s, when several local radio operators sought the assignment. An earlier permit holder, WGMS, returned its authorization in 1956 after concluding that the proposed station would not be economically viable. Capital Broadcasting Company revived the application in 1962. The company included six investors and was led by Milton Grant, a former WTTG on-air personality who had hosted The Milt Grant Show. Capital received the construction permit in August 1963 and launched WDCA-TV on April 20, 1966. WDCA entered the market as Washington's third independent station and the area's third UHF outlet. Sports formed the core of its early schedule, including local school athletics, professional basketball, hockey, and regional football. The station also carried wrestling and later became an important local outlet for the Washington Capitals and Washington Bullets. By the late 1970s, it had developed a large cable reach extending beyond the immediate Washington market and was widely regarded as the market's second independent station behind WTTG. Capital agreed to sell WDCA to Superior Tube Company in 1968, and the FCC approved the approximately $2.2 million transaction in 1969. The sale followed substantial losses incurred by Capital despite Grant's assertion that the station had reached profitability earlier than expected. Grant stayed on as general manager until January 1980. Under Superior Tube, WDCA continued to emphasize sports and added prominent local programming, including Petey Greene's Washington and children's programming centered on Captain 20, played by Dick Dyszel. Dyszel also appeared as the horror host Gore De Vol. Superior Tube reached an agreement to sell the station to Taft Broadcasting in 1978. The transaction became entangled in objections from the Washington Association for Television and Children and in a federal policy limiting ownership of television stations in major markets. Although the FCC approved the transfer in 1979, litigation delayed final resolution. The FCC subsequently abandoned the policy, and an appeals court upheld the transaction in 1981. Taft owned WDCA until 1987, when it sold its independent-station group to TVX Broadcast Group. The TVX purchase was financed with substantial debt and quickly created financial pressure. TVX cut personnel and reduced local production at WDCA, including the cancellation of local children's and public-affairs programs. Paramount Pictures acquired control of TVX in 1989 and purchased the remaining interest in 1991, creating the Paramount Stations Group. Viacom later acquired Paramount's assets. WDCA became a charter affiliate of UPN in January 1995. The station briefly experimented with a locally focused 10 p.m. newscast produced by NewsChannel 8, but the program ended in 1996. Fox Television Stations obtained WDCA from Viacom in a 2001 station exchange. Fox consolidated WDCA's operations with WTTG and dismissed WDCA's general manager, placing both outlets under WTTG management. The arrangement became strategically important after the 2006 creation of The CW. Fox's UPN stations were excluded from The CW, so Fox launched MyNetworkTV as a programming service for those stations and WDCA joined the service. The station transitioned from analog to digital broadcasting in 2009. In 2017, Fox announced a new identity, Fox 5 Plus, designed to associate WDCA more closely with WTTG. The rebrand introduced WTTG-produced prime-time newscasts and repositioned channel 20 as an extension of the Fox 5 operation. WDCA later surrendered its separate digital-frequency assignment through the FCC's spectrum auction and moved its transmission to WTTG's multiplex. In 2021, the two stations moved to shared facilities in Bethesda. WDCA remains active as a Fox-owned station carrying a mixture of independent, syndicated, MyNetworkTV, and WTTG-produced programming.
- 2021
Shared Bethesda studios open
[1]WDCA and WTTG relocated their combined operations to new facilities in Bethesda.
- 2018
WDCA moves to WTTG's multiplex
[1]The station stopped using its separate digital transmission facility after the spectrum auction.
- 2017
Fox 5 Plus branding announced
[1]Fox repositioned WDCA as an extension of WTTG and added prime-time news programming.
- 2009
Digital television transition
[1]WDCA ended analog broadcasting and continued digitally on its pre-transition UHF channel.
- 2006
WDCA joins MyNetworkTV
[1]The station became an outlet for Fox's newly created MyNetworkTV service after the UPN-to-CW realignment.
- 2001
Fox takes ownership
[1]A transaction with Viacom brought WDCA into Fox Television Stations and created a Washington duopoly with WTTG.
- 1995
WDCA becomes a UPN charter affiliate
[1]WDCA joined UPN at the network's launch.
- 1991
Paramount completes acquisition of TVX interests
[1]Paramount's acquisition created the Paramount Stations Group, including WDCA.
- 1987
TVX Broadcast Group acquires Taft's independent stations
[1]WDCA became part of TVX's heavily leveraged station group.
- 1979
Taft Broadcasting acquires WDCA
[1]After regulatory and litigation delays, Taft took ownership of the station.
Products and positioning
A Fox-owned secondary television outlet for the Washington, D.C., market, positioned as Fox 5's expanded channel while retaining independent-station and MyNetworkTV programming.
Television station brand · 2017
Fox 5 Plus
Introduced in 2017, Fox 5 Plus is WDCA's current consumer-facing identity. It presents the station as an extension of WTTG/Fox 5 and supports a schedule combining independent programming, syndicated shows, MyNetworkTV content, and WTTG-produced local news.
Network affiliation · 2006
MyNetworkTV programming
WDCA maintains a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV, the Fox-created programming service established after Fox-owned UPN stations were excluded from The CW in 2006.
Local news · 2017
Fox 5 News on the Plus
This WTTG-produced prime-time news offering began with an 8 p.m. broadcast in 2017 and was later supplemented by a 9 p.m. newscast. It strengthened WDCA's role as a secondary outlet for the Fox 5 Washington news operation.
Children's programming · 1969
Captain 20 Club
A long-running local children's programming block built around the Captain 20 character and afternoon cartoons. Dick Dyszel portrayed the character from 1972 to 1987, making the program one of WDCA's best-known historical local productions.
Public affairs · 1972
Petey Greene's Washington
A local public-affairs program hosted by Washington civil-rights activist and broadcaster Ralph 'Petey' Greene. WDCA carried the program from 1972 until Greene's death in 1984.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Fox 5 Plus rebrand
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
Fox repositioned WDCA as Fox 5 Plus to improve recognition by linking channel 20 directly to the established WTTG/Fox 5 identity. The initiative included new WTTG-produced prime-time news broadcasts and on-air news updates.
Outcome. WDCA continued as a Fox-owned secondary outlet and increasingly functioned as an extension of WTTG rather than as a separately branded MyNetworkTV station.
Brand decisions
2017
Reposition WDCA as Fox 5 PlusStrategyBackground
Fox sought stronger consumer recognition for the station and closer integration with its Washington flagship, WTTG.
Action taken
WDCA adopted the Fox 5 Plus name and began carrying WTTG-produced prime-time newscasts.
Aftermath
The station's identity shifted toward a secondary Fox 5 service while its MyNetworkTV affiliation continued.
2017
Surrender separate spectrum assignmentStrategyBackground
The FCC's broadcast-spectrum reallocation auction created an opportunity for stations to relinquish their individual frequency assignments.
Action taken
WDCA accepted the auction outcome and later ceased its separate transmission, continuing on WTTG's multiplex.
Aftermath
WDCA remained available over the air while sharing transmission infrastructure with WTTG.
Spectrum-auction proceeds. $119 million (2016-2018)
2006
Move WDCA to MyNetworkTVStrategyBackground
The CW selected other Washington-area stations and excluded Fox-owned UPN outlets.
Action taken
Fox assigned WDCA to its newly created MyNetworkTV programming service.
Aftermath
WDCA retained a network-oriented schedule while remaining under WTTG's operational umbrella.
2001
Exchange WDCA into Fox Television StationsM&ABackground
Fox sought to expand its owned-station portfolio while Viacom and Fox managed overlapping UPN and network-station holdings in several markets.
Action taken
Fox exchanged KBHK-TV in San Francisco to Viacom for WDCA and KTXH, creating new Fox duopolies in Washington and Houston.
Aftermath
WDCA's operations were consolidated with WTTG under Fox management.
1979
Proceed with Taft Broadcasting acquisitionM&ABackground
The proposed sale faced objections concerning children's programming and FCC limits on ownership of television stations in major markets.
Action taken
The FCC approved the transfer, and after litigation the transaction was upheld while the relevant ownership policy was later repealed.
Aftermath
Taft owned WDCA until selling its independent-station group to TVX Broadcast Group in 1987.
Acquisition price. $13.5 million proposed price → $15.5 million revised price (1978-1979)
Recent events
- 2021
WTTG and WDCA move to shared Bethesda studios[1]
Other
The two Fox-owned Washington stations relocated their shared operations to new studios in Bethesda, Maryland.
- 2018
WDCA ends its separate digital transmission[1]
Regulation
WDCA stopped transmitting its own signal on its former digital channel and continued broadcasting through WTTG's multiplex.
- 2017
WDCA is awarded spectrum-auction proceeds[1]
Regulation
The FCC announced WDCA as a winner in the broadcast-spectrum reallocation auction, with the station receiving $119 million for its frequency assignment.
- 2017
WDCA adopts the Fox 5 Plus brand[1]
Campaign · Product launch · Leadership change
Fox rebranded WDCA as Fox 5 Plus and introduced WTTG-produced prime-time news programming on the station.
- 2006
WDCA joins MyNetworkTV[1]
Other
After UPN was replaced by The CW and Fox-owned UPN stations were not selected for the new network, Fox designated WDCA as a MyNetworkTV outlet.
- 2001
Fox acquires WDCA and combines its operations with WTTG[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Fox Television Stations acquired WDCA through a station transaction with Viacom and placed the station under the management of WTTG.
- 1995
WDCA becomes a charter UPN affiliate[1]
Other
WDCA joined the United Paramount Network when the network launched in January 1995.
- 1966
WDCA begins broadcasting as an independent UHF station[1]
Other
Capital Broadcasting launched WDCA-TV on April 20, 1966, with a schedule emphasizing sports programming.
Sources1 sources
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