WDCO-CD
A low-power Class A television station licensed to Woodstock, Virginia, serving the Washington, D.C. market and carrying Roar programming.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WDCO-CD is a low-power Class A television station licensed to Woodstock, Virginia, and serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan television market. The station transmits from a site in northwest Washington and is owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. It is a sister station of ABC affiliate WJLA-TV and WJLA 24/7 News. Co-owned WIAV-CD, licensed to Washington, relays WDCO-CD's Roar programming using the ATSC 3.0 standard, while WDCO-CD continues to provide the associated ATSC 1.0 service. The station began broadcasting on September 30, 1985, as W10AZ, a religious independent station established by Ruarch Associates, LLC. Its later WAZT identity was derived from its original call sign and became the basis for a small group of Shenandoah Valley stations and translators. The early service combined programming from religious networks such as Cornerstone with secular syndicated programs and classic television series. It also produced a local program called News 10, which aired weekday evening newscasts at 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. That local newscast ended on December 26, 2005. In January 2006, the station added CBN's NewsWatch. Ownership and market strategy changed repeatedly. Ruarch sold the station to JLA Media & Publications in 2006, and Jones Broadcasting acquired it through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding in 2011. A proposed 2012 purchase of WEFC-TV, intended to make that Danville-based station the group's flagship in the Roanoke–Lynchburg market, was not completed. Jones subsequently sold the WAZT group to Venture Technologies Group in December 2013. Venture repositioned the operation toward the much larger Washington market. The station moved through a series of transmitter and construction-permit arrangements, including a proposed site near Front Royal, a digital facility near The Plains, Virginia, and later a Washington facility shared with WIAV-CD. Under Venture, the station and its relays were branded Faith Television Network. That religious format ended in January 2018, when the remaining stations became full-time affiliates of Jewelry Television. The station adopted the WDCO-CD call sign on October 11, 2017. Following the FCC's 2016–17 spectrum reallocation incentive auction, WDCO-CD pursued facilities that would place it more directly within Washington. The station temporarily shared facilities at the WRC-TV tower in northwest Washington after the loss of its earlier transmission arrangements. In June 2020, Venture agreed to sell WDCO-CD and WIAV-CD to Sinclair for $8.5 million; the transaction closed on October 15, 2020. The stations initially affiliated with Sinclair's TBD multicast network. Sinclair planned to use WIAV-CD as Washington's ATSC 3.0 outlet, while WDCO-CD remained an ATSC 1.0 station and continued a channel-sharing arrangement with UniMás affiliate WMDO-CD. WIAV-CD began ATSC 3.0 operations on March 25, 2021. WDCO-CD and WIAV-CD meet the Class A local-programming requirement by carrying delayed broadcasts of WJLA's weekday 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts. The station's present identity is therefore shaped by its role within Sinclair's Washington cluster, its relationship with WJLA-TV, its continuing ATSC 1.0 service, and its distribution of Roar programming.
History
WDCO-CD began broadcasting on September 30, 1985, as W10AZ, a religious independent station licensed to Woodstock, Virginia. Ruarch Associates, LLC established the station and later developed a related group of Shenandoah Valley translators and stations. The operation used programming from Cornerstone and other religious sources but also carried secular syndicated shows and classic television programs. In the 1990s it adopted the WAZT identity, apparently derived from the original W10AZ call sign, and at one point had a radio sister station, WAZR, in nearby Harrisonburg. The station produced a weekday local newscast known as News 10, with editions at 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. That service was discontinued on December 26, 2005. In January 2006, the station began carrying CBN's NewsWatch. Ruarch sold the operation to JLA Media & Publications in 2006. Jones Broadcasting later acquired it through Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2011. Jones attempted to expand into the Roanoke–Lynchburg market by arranging to purchase WEFC-TV in 2012. The proposed acquisition would have moved operations toward Roanoke and made WEFC the group's flagship, but the transaction collapsed in spring 2013. Liberty University acquired WEFC instead. Jones sold the WAZT group to Venture Technologies Group in December 2013. Venture pursued a major geographic repositioning. The former WAZT operation had transmitted from a hill near Toms Brook, Virginia, but Venture obtained approval to move the analog signal toward a WZRV tower near Front Royal. It later filed for a digital facility near The Plains, Virginia, which began operating in March 2015. Venture also acquired Washington-based WIAV-CD in 2014, extending the group's footprint into Washington itself. The stations were subsequently branded Faith Television Network rather than simply WAZT. The station became WDCO-CD on October 11, 2017. In January 2018, Faith Television Network ceased broadcasting, and the remaining stations became Jewelry Television affiliates. The station's later Washington-market development was influenced by the FCC's 2016–17 incentive auction and the reassignment of spectrum in the region. WDCO-CD sought facilities associated with the former WNVC operation and ultimately used temporary low-power facilities at the WRC-TV tower in northwest Washington while pursuing a permanent arrangement. On June 25, 2020, Venture filed an agreement to sell WDCO-CD and WIAV-CD to Sinclair Broadcast Group for $8.5 million. The FCC-approved transaction closed on October 15, 2020. Both stations initially switched to Sinclair's TBD multicast network. Sinclair intended to convert WIAV-CD into Washington's first ATSC 3.0 broadcaster, while WDCO-CD continued ATSC 1.0 service and retained a channel-sharing relationship with WMDO-CD. WMDO-CD shifted its channel sharing from WIAV-CD to WDCO-CD at the end of 2020. WIAV-CD began ATSC 3.0 operation on March 25, 2021. WDCO-CD and WIAV-CD carry WJLA-TV's weekday 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts on a two-hour delay, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., satisfying the local-programming requirement applicable to Class A stations. WDCO-CD is currently associated with Roar programming, while the same programming is relayed through WIAV-CD's ATSC 3.0 service.
- 2021
Associated ATSC 3.0 service launches
[1]Co-owned WIAV-CD began ATSC 3.0 operation on March 25, carrying the related network service.
- 2020
Sinclair acquisition closes
[1]Sinclair completed its acquisition of WDCO-CD and WIAV-CD on October 15.
- 2018
Religious network ends and Jewelry Television affiliation begins
[1]Faith Television Network ended service, and the remaining stations became full-time Jewelry Television affiliates on January 31.
- 2017
Station becomes WDCO-CD
[1]The WAZT-CD call sign was changed to WDCO-CD on October 11.
- 2015
Digital facility near The Plains begins operation
[1]A digital signal from a new facility near The Plains, Virginia, signed on in March.
- 2013
WAZT group sold to Venture Technologies
[1]After the failed WEFC-TV transaction, Jones Broadcasting sold the WAZT group to Venture Technologies Group in December.
- 2005
News 10 local newscast discontinued
[1]The weekday 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. local newscasts ended on December 26.
- 1994
WAZT calls introduced
[1]The station adopted the WAZT identity, linking it with its original W10AZ call sign and later regional station group.
- 1985
Station signs on as W10AZ
[1]Ruarch Associates, LLC placed the Woodstock-licensed religious independent station on the air on September 30.
Products and positioning
A Washington-market low-power television outlet within Sinclair Broadcast Group's WJLA station cluster, combining multicast-network programming with required local-news carriage.
Multicast television network programming
Roar programming
WDCO-CD's current programming affiliation is Roar, a digital multicast network carried over its low-power television service. The associated programming is also relayed by co-owned WIAV-CD using ATSC 3.0, giving the service distribution across the Washington market.
Local television news
WJLA delayed newscasts
WDCO-CD carries WJLA-TV's weekday 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts on a two-hour delay, airing them from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This carriage helps meet the local-programming requirement for Class A television stations.
Religious television programming
Faith Television Network
Under Venture Technologies ownership, the station and related relays used the Faith Television Network brand for religious programming. The network ceased broadcasting in January 2018.
Shopping television · 2018
Jewelry Television affiliation
After Faith Television Network ended, WDCO-CD became a full-time Jewelry Television affiliate on January 31, 2018. This affiliation preceded the station's sale to Sinclair and subsequent transition into Sinclair's multicast operations.
Brand decisions
2021
ATSC 3.0 distribution strategy implementedProduct launchBackground
Sinclair intended WIAV-CD to become an ATSC 3.0 broadcaster, while WDCO-CD retained ATSC 1.0 service.
Action taken
WIAV-CD began ATSC 3.0 operation on March 25, 2021, with WDCO-CD continuing as the related ATSC 1.0 outlet.
Aftermath
The arrangement created complementary next-generation and legacy digital broadcast distribution in the Washington market.
2020
Sinclair acquires WDCO-CD and WIAV-CDM&ABackground
Venture Technologies Group agreed to sell the two stations as part of Sinclair's expansion of its Washington broadcasting assets.
Action taken
Sinclair purchased the stations for $8.5 million; the transaction closed on October 15, 2020.
Aftermath
The stations joined Sinclair's Washington cluster, initially carrying TBD programming, while WIAV-CD was developed for ATSC 3.0 service.
Purchase price. $8.5 million (Agreement filed June 25, 2020; transaction completed October 15, 2020)
2018
Religious programming is discontinuedStrategyBackground
Faith Television Network announced that it would cease broadcasting.
Action taken
WDCO-CD and the other remaining stations in the network became full-time Jewelry Television affiliates.
Aftermath
The station later moved into Sinclair's multicast-network portfolio after the 2020 acquisition.
2013
Venture shifts the station group toward WashingtonStrategyBackground
The WAZT group had historically served Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, while Washington represented a substantially larger television market.
Action taken
Venture pursued new transmitter facilities and acquired Washington-based WIAV-CD to expand the group's coverage into Washington.
Aftermath
The operation progressively moved its technical facilities and branding toward the Washington market.
Recent events
- 2021
WIAV-CD begins ATSC 3.0 operation[1]
Product launch
WIAV-CD began ATSC 3.0 broadcasting on March 25, 2021, supporting Sinclair's next-generation television strategy in the Washington market while WDCO-CD continued ATSC 1.0 service.
- 2020
Venture Technologies agrees to sell WDCO-CD and WIAV-CD to Sinclair[1]
M&A
Venture Technologies Group filed an agreement to sell the two Washington-area stations to Sinclair Broadcast Group. The transaction closed on October 15, 2020.
- 2020
WDCO-CD and WIAV-CD join Sinclair multicast operations[1]
M&A
On completion of the Sinclair transaction, the stations switched to Sinclair's TBD multicast network, while Sinclair developed WIAV-CD as an ATSC 3.0 facility.
- 2018
Faith Television Network ends broadcasting[1]
Other
Faith Television Network announced that it would cease broadcasting. The remaining stations, including WDCO-CD, moved to full-time Jewelry Television affiliation on January 31, 2018.
- 2017
WDCO-CD changes call sign from WAZT-CD[1]
Other
The station adopted the WDCO-CD call sign on October 11, 2017, as part of a broader restructuring of the former WAZT station group.
Sources2 sources
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