WMDT
WMDT is a Salisbury, Maryland television station serving the Delmarva Peninsula with ABC and The CW Plus programming.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
WMDT is a commercial television station based in Salisbury, Maryland, serving viewers across the Delmarva Peninsula. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 47 and operates a digital signal on channel 29. It is affiliated with ABC and carries The CW Plus through a digital subchannel or related service. WMDT is the flagship television property of locally based Marquee Broadcasting and is one of the two principal commercial television stations serving the Salisbury media market. The station was created to provide a second commercial television service for Delmarva. Before WMDT began broadcasting, the region was primarily served by WBOC-TV, a CBS affiliate, along with public television coverage and signals from larger markets such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. In the late 1970s, proponents of a new Salisbury station argued that the peninsula needed more locally focused programming and stronger local news competition. The Federal Communications Commission authorized the additional channel in 1978, and MDV Television Company received a construction permit in 1979. WMDT signed on April 11, 1980, after establishing facilities in a former retail and restaurant space at Salisbury's Downtown Plaza. The station secured an ABC affiliation before launch and briefly maintained a limited secondary relationship with NBC. Its first years were difficult. Technical problems, delayed construction and launch activity, limited audience share, and the costs of building a new news operation left the company undercapitalized. Local news did not begin until approximately two months after the station's launch. In 1981, First National Bank of Maryland sought court protection over unpaid obligations, reported at the time as approximately three million dollars plus interest, and a receiver was appointed less than eighteen months after WMDT began broadcasting. A court-approved sale in 1982 transferred the station to Mid-Florida Television, a company associated with the Brechner family. The Brechner ownership period lasted roughly three decades. During that time, WMDT expanded its effort to reach communities beyond Salisbury. In 1987 it established a Dover, Delaware, bureau and a translator serving the city. The following year it introduced Newswatch 27, a Dover- and Kent County-focused newscast produced locally and distributed through the translator. The initiative was intended to strengthen WMDT's presence in Delaware and potentially enlarge the station's measured television market. WMDT also developed a separate entertainment service as the American television network landscape changed. In 2000, it launched a cable-only WB affiliate through The WB 100+ Station Group. Following the 2006 merger of The WB and UPN, the service became affiliated with The CW. By 2008, the CW service was carried as a WMDT subchannel and included local midday and 10 p.m. news programming. This gave WMDT an additional outlet for local content while broadening its network programming portfolio. Marquee Broadcasting announced its acquisition of WMDT from Brechner Management Company in August 2013. The deal represented Marquee's entry into television ownership and made WMDT the company's first broadcast station. Marquee was owned by Patricia and Brian Lane, who had pursued a television acquisition for several years. WMDT remains associated with Marquee Broadcasting and continues to operate from Salisbury, with its transmitter located in Wicomico County northeast of Mardela Springs. The station's technical history includes the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. WMDT ended regular analog programming on September 22, 2008, allowing completion of work associated with moving its digital operation from its pre-transition assignment. Following the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction, the station moved its digital transmission from channel 47 to channel 29 on March 13, 2020, while retaining virtual channel 47. In local news ratings, WMDT has historically ranked behind WBOC-TV, but it remains an established local broadcaster with network programming, news, weather, community coverage, and digital distribution serving the Delmarva region.
History
WMDT emerged from a late-1970s effort to add a second commercial television station to the Salisbury, Maryland market. At the time, WBOC-TV was the only primary commercial station serving the Delmarva Peninsula, while public television and distant signals from Baltimore and Philadelphia provided additional but less locally focused options. MDV Television Company argued before the Federal Communications Commission that Delmarva needed more local programming and news competition. The FCC assigned the additional Salisbury channel in July 1978, and MDV received a construction permit in May 1979. The station's construction encountered local objections to its proposed transmission tower, but Wicomico County authorities approved the project in June 1979. WMDT announced an ABC affiliation the following month. Its investors included William Sheehan and Walter Pfister, both of whom had prior connections to ABC. The station established studios in a former Rite Aid and restaurant space at Salisbury's Downtown Plaza. It began broadcasting on April 11, 1980, although its local news operation did not start until about two months later. WMDT also carried one NBC program, Saturday Night Live, as a limited secondary affiliation at launch. The new station faced substantial operational and financial problems. Its launch was delayed, technical issues affected early service, and it had difficulty attracting viewers against the established WBOC-TV. In March 1981, management announced an additional cash infusion, while president J. Paul Audet acknowledged that the delayed launch had contributed to undercapitalization. In June, First National Bank of Maryland petitioned for the appointment of a receiver over debts reported at approximately three million dollars plus interest. The receivership occurred less than eighteen months after WMDT went on air. In 1982, a court approved the sale of the station to Mid-Florida Television, which held a partial interest in Orlando station WFTV. Although WMDT's law firm objected over unpaid fees, the transaction was completed in July. The station subsequently entered a long period of ownership connected with the Brechner family, lasting from 1982 until 2013. During the Brechner era, WMDT pursued greater reach in Delaware. It opened a Dover bureau and launched translator W27AJ in 1987. In 1988, it began Newswatch 27, a newscast focused on Dover and Kent County and produced from a Dover studio. The station hoped that stronger Delaware coverage could influence audience measurement and help associate Kent County more closely with the Salisbury market. The translator later operated under the call sign WEVD-LP and remained associated with WMDT until a 2020 transaction involving other low-power stations. WMDT expanded its network portfolio in 2000 by launching a cable-only WB affiliate through The WB 100+ Station Group. When The WB and UPN were combined to form The CW in 2006, the service became a CW affiliate. By 2008, it was carried as a WMDT subchannel and supplied local midday and 10 p.m. newscasts, giving the station another platform for local reporting. On August 8, 2013, Brechner Management Company announced the sale of WMDT to Marquee Broadcasting. The acquisition was Marquee's first television station investment. The company was owned by Patricia and Brian Lane, residents of Brookeville, Maryland, who had spent several years seeking a broadcast acquisition. WMDT became the flagship television property of the locally based group. Technically, WMDT ended regular analog broadcasting on September 22, 2008. Its digital service later moved from pre-transition channel 53 to channel 47, and then from channel 47 to channel 29 on March 13, 2020, as a consequence of the United States wireless spectrum auction and associated spectrum repacking. The station retained virtual channel 47. WMDT's transmitter is located in Wicomico County northeast of Mardela Springs, while its studios remain in downtown Salisbury. The station continues to operate as an ABC and CW Plus broadcaster serving the Delmarva Peninsula.
- 2020
Digital signal moves to channel 29
[1]WMDT moved its physical digital transmission to channel 29 while retaining virtual channel 47.
- 2013
Marquee Broadcasting acquires WMDT
[1]Marquee Broadcasting bought WMDT from Brechner Management Company, making it the group's first television station.
- 2008
Analog service ends
[1]WMDT discontinued regular analog programming during the transition to digital television.
- 2006
Secondary network service changes to The CW
[1]The station's WB service became affiliated with The CW after the WB-UPN combination.
- 2000
WB 100+ service launches
[1]WMDT added a cable-only WB affiliate through The WB 100+ Station Group.
- 1988
Newswatch 27 debuts
[1]The station introduced a Dover- and Kent County-focused newscast.
- 1987
Dover bureau and translator launch
[1]WMDT expanded its Delaware presence with a Dover bureau and translator W27AJ.
- 1982
Mid-Florida Television completes acquisition
[1]A court-approved sale transferred WMDT to Mid-Florida Television in July.
- 1981
Receivership follows early financial problems
[1]A receiver was appointed after a bank petition concerning the station's reported debt and undercapitalized launch.
- 1980
WMDT signs on
[1]WMDT began broadcasting on April 11 as an ABC-affiliated commercial television station.
Products and positioning
A locally rooted network-affiliated television station competing for news, advertising, and audience attention across the Delmarva Peninsula, with Salisbury as its primary community and market base.
Broadcast television service · 1980
WMDT ABC
The station's primary broadcast service carries ABC network programming together with WMDT's local news, weather, community coverage, syndicated programming, and commercial inventory. It serves Salisbury and communities throughout the Delmarva Peninsula.
Digital television network service · 2006
Delmarva CW
WMDT's secondary CW service developed from a cable-only WB affiliate launched in 2000. After The WB and UPN were combined, the service became associated with The CW and was later carried as a WMDT subchannel, complemented by local midday and late-evening news.
Local news program · 1988
Newswatch 27
Newswatch 27 was a Dover- and Kent County-focused newscast introduced to support WMDT's expansion into Delaware. It was produced from a Dover studio and distributed through the station's translator service.
Brand decisions
2020
Repack the digital transmissionOtherBackground
The United States wireless spectrum auction required television stations to change certain physical channel assignments.
Action taken
WMDT moved its digital transmission from channel 47 to channel 29 while preserving virtual channel 47.
Aftermath
The station continued operating under its familiar virtual channel identity with a revised physical transmission assignment.
2013
Sell WMDT to Marquee BroadcastingM&ABackground
After approximately three decades of Brechner-family ownership, WMDT was offered to a new broadcast owner.
Action taken
Brechner Management Company sold the station to Marquee Broadcasting.
Aftermath
WMDT became Marquee Broadcasting's first television property and its flagship station.
2000
Launch a WB 100+ affiliateProduct launchBackground
The WB 100+ Station Group provided a way for smaller television markets to receive WB programming through cable distribution.
Action taken
WMDT introduced a cable-only WB affiliate, later transitioning the service to The CW.
Aftermath
The service became a WMDT subchannel by 2008 and added local news programming.
1987
Expand coverage into DoverStrategyBackground
WMDT sought to strengthen its presence in Delaware and potentially improve the relationship between Kent County and the Salisbury television market.
Action taken
The station opened a Dover bureau and launched translator W27AJ, followed by a dedicated Dover newscast.
Aftermath
The Dover translator remained connected with WMDT for decades and later operated under the WEVD-LP call sign.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
WMDT named Large Business of the Year[3]
Reported:
WMDT was named Large Business of the Year at the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Luncheon.
Sources3 sources
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