WUDT-LD
A low-power Daystar religious television station serving the Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, area.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WUDT-LD is a low-power television station serving the Detroit, Michigan, market and nearby communities in southeastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario. The station is associated with the Daystar Television Network, a Christian television network operated by the Word of God Fellowship. Its transmitter is located near Eight Mile Road and Meyers Road in Oak Park, a Detroit suburb. The station’s signal has historically covered the immediate Detroit and Windsor areas, substantial portions of Oakland and Macomb counties, smaller portions of Wayne County, and parts of Essex County, Ontario. The station has operated under several call signs, channel assignments, license classifications, owners, and network affiliations. It first went on the air on January 4, 1989, as W05BN on VHF channel 5. In 1995 it became WBXD-LP, reflecting its relationship with The Box, a music-video television service. The Box was acquired by Viacom in 1999 and later absorbed into MTV2. During the Viacom period, the station was part of a broader corporate television portfolio that also included Detroit stations such as WKBD-TV and, following Viacom’s merger with CBS, WWJ-TV. The station changed frequencies several times. It moved to channel 35 in January 2001 and to channel 23 in July of the same year. In June 2002 it received Class A status and adopted the call sign WBXD-CA. Viacom sold the station to Equity Broadcasting in November 2004. Equity changed the call sign to WUDT-CA and affiliated it with Univision, making it a Spanish-language television outlet for Detroit. During this period, WUDT was notable as one of the relatively few Univision affiliates serving a United States market adjacent to Canada. Together with English- and French-language stations in the Detroit–Windsor region, its presence contributed to an unusually multilingual terrestrial television environment. Equity’s operation relied heavily on centralized infrastructure. Master control was provided remotely from Equity’s Little Rock, Arkansas, headquarters, while local news and advertising functions were based at an office in Troy, Michigan. The station’s technical and financial resources were limited, and weather-related transmission problems sometimes resulted in a blank screen or a no-signal message. Comcast added WUDT to its Detroit-area lineup in 2007, although carriage differed among cable systems in southeastern Michigan and Windsor. Equity discontinued WUDT’s locally oriented newscast in June 2008 as part of a wider reduction affecting several of its Univision affiliates. After Equity entered bankruptcy proceedings, WUDT was sold at auction to the Daystar Television Network on April 16, 2009; the transaction closed in July. The station initially displayed a Univision identification slide after the ownership change, but switched to Daystar programming on August 26, 2009. Comcast then removed the station and returned to carrying Univision’s national feed, leaving Detroit without a full-time terrestrial Spanish-language station. WUDT underwent several digital transmission changes. It began digital broadcasting on VHF channel 8 in 2010, later moved its digital operation to UHF channel 23, and increased effective radiated power substantially. It briefly held the Class A digital designation WUDT-CD before returning to a conventional low-power license. The station went silent at various points, including a period in 2010, and was later merged operationally with another Daystar facility in the Detroit area. Although the license remained active, the station’s identity and facilities were affected by the related operation and subsequent license changes. WUDT-LD therefore represents both a continuing broadcast authorization and a station history shaped by frequency moves, ownership transfers, digital conversion, network realignment, and periods of silence.
History
WUDT-LD traces its history to a low-power television authorization that began broadcasting in Detroit on January 4, 1989, as W05BN on channel 5. The facility later became WBXD-LP on September 1, 1995, under an affiliation with The Box, a music-video network. The Box was acquired by Viacom in 1999 and was eventually folded into MTV2. As a result, the station became part of a corporate television environment that included Viacom-controlled Detroit outlets and later stations associated with the Viacom–CBS combination. The station changed frequencies twice in 2001, moving first to channel 35 on January 30 and then to channel 23 on July 12. On June 27, 2002, it obtained Class A status and adopted the call sign WBXD-CA. Viacom sold the station to Equity Broadcasting in November 2004. Equity renamed it WUDT-CA and affiliated it with Univision. This made WUDT a Spanish-language television station in the Detroit market and one of a small number of Univision affiliates in markets bordering Canada. Its presence was especially significant in the Detroit–Windsor region, where terrestrial audiences could receive English-, Spanish-, and French-language television services. Equity operated WUDT through a centralized model. Master control originated by satellite from the company’s headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, while local news production and advertising sales were supported from an office in Troy, Michigan. The station’s local transmission infrastructure was relatively limited; the station sometimes displayed a blank screen or a no-signal message during severe weather or technical interruptions. Comcast added WUDT to its Detroit lineup on March 28, 2007, although other cable systems in southeastern Michigan and Windsor did not uniformly carry either the station or Univision. From 2005 to June 2008, WUDT presented a nightly newscast produced and anchored from Denver, with Detroit-area stories developed through the station’s local office. Equity discontinued the newscast on June 6, 2008, along with local news operations at five other Univision affiliates. The decision reflected Equity’s broader financial and operating difficulties. Following the company’s 2008 bankruptcy, WUDT was sold at auction to the Daystar Television Network on April 16, 2009. The sale closed in July. During the transition, the station showed a Univision logo and identification slide, and Comcast removed it from its lineup. WUDT switched to Daystar programming on August 26, 2009, ending its role as a full-time Spanish-language outlet for Detroit. The station’s digital development was complicated by its low-power status and by reception concerns associated with its initial VHF assignment. A construction permit for digital channel 8 was granted in 2007, and WUDT began digital broadcasting in 2010 after shutting down its analog signal. The station subsequently obtained authorization to use UHF channel 23, its former analog frequency. It moved the digital signal back to channel 23 on May 3, 2012, increasing power from roughly 300 watts to 15 kilowatts. On May 10 it briefly became WUDT-CD after upgrading to Class A digital status, but Daystar surrendered that status in 2013 and returned the facility to a low-power license. Daystar later pursued transactions involving WUDT and another station, WSVT-CD in Tampa, with LocusPoint Networks in December 2012. Separately, Daystar arranged in 2014 to receive a translator facility formerly associated with Ion Media Networks and requested authority to place the related operation on UHF channel 23. WUDT-LD went silent during 2015 and was operationally merged into the related Daystar station W48AV-D. The related license was later cancelled, and the WUDT-LD identity was subsequently restored. The station’s technical history illustrates the effects of low-power television regulation, digital conversion, frequency coordination, ownership consolidation, and the use of shared or related facilities in a constrained metropolitan broadcast market.
- 2015
Station goes silent
[1]WUDT-LD goes silent and becomes operationally associated with another Daystar facility in the Detroit area.
- 2013
Class A status is surrendered
[1]Daystar elects to return the station from Class A status to a traditional low-power authorization.
- 2012
Digital operation returns to channel 23
[1]The station moves its digital signal to UHF channel 23 and raises its effective radiated power to approximately 15 kilowatts.
- 2010
Digital broadcasting begins
[1]WUDT ends analog transmission and begins digital operation on channel 8.
- 2009
Daystar ownership begins
[1]Daystar acquires the station following Equity Broadcasting’s bankruptcy and changes its programming to the Daystar service.
- 2008
Local newscast is discontinued
[1]Equity ends the station’s nightly newscast as part of a broader reduction at its Univision affiliates.
- 2007
Comcast carriage begins
[1]Comcast adds WUDT to its Detroit-area cable lineup.
- 2004
Equity acquires the station
[1]Viacom sells the station to Equity Broadcasting, which renames it WUDT-CA and affiliates it with Univision.
- 2002
Class A authorization begins
[1]The station receives Class A status and adopts the WBXD-CA call sign.
- 2001
Frequency moves to channels 35 and 23
[1]The station moves from channel 5 to channel 35 and later to channel 23.
Products and positioning
A local low-power religious television outlet affiliated with the Daystar Television Network, focused primarily on Christian programming and over-the-air service in the Detroit–Windsor region.
Religious television service · 2009
Daystar television programming
WUDT-LD’s principal programming identity is supplied by the Daystar Television Network. The service is centered on Christian religious programming distributed through terrestrial television and other broadcast and digital platforms. After Daystar acquired the station in 2009, WUDT transitioned away from its previous Univision affiliation and became a local over-the-air outlet for Daystar content in the Detroit market.
Broadcast station · 1989
WUDT-LD over-the-air television service
The station provides low-power digital terrestrial television service from the Detroit area. Its technical operation has used several channels and license classifications, including channel 23 and a temporary digital operation on channel 8. The signal is designed primarily for Detroit and nearby communities, with coverage extending toward Windsor, southern Oakland and Macomb counties, parts of Wayne County, and portions of Essex County.
Local television news · 2005
WUDT local newscast
From 2005 through June 2008, the station carried a nightly newscast associated with its Univision operation. Production and anchoring were based in Denver, while Detroit-area stories were developed through WUDT’s Troy office. The newscast was discontinued when Equity reduced local news operations at several Univision affiliates.
Brand decisions
2013
Daystar relinquishes Class A statusStrategyBackground
The station had briefly operated under the WUDT-CD Class A digital designation after its 2012 technical upgrade.
Action taken
Daystar surrendered Class A status and returned the station to a traditional low-power license.
Aftermath
The station continued under the WUDT low-power identity while related Daystar facilities were developed in the market.
2012
Digital signal moves to UHF channel 23Generation changeBackground
Daystar sought a more suitable digital assignment after the station’s VHF operation presented reception and potential interference concerns.
Action taken
The station moved its digital signal to channel 23 and increased effective radiated power from approximately 300 watts to 15 kilowatts.
Aftermath
The change aligned the digital facility with the station’s long-standing channel 23 identity and expanded its intended coverage.
2010
Transition from analog to digital broadcastingGeneration changeBackground
The station pursued digital facilities while operating under low-power television rules and facing reception concerns related to its initial VHF assignment.
Action taken
WUDT ended analog broadcasting and began digital transmission on channel 8.
Aftermath
The station later moved the digital operation back to UHF channel 23 and substantially increased its power.
2009
Daystar converts WUDT to a religious stationM&ABackground
The station was sold at auction after Equity Broadcasting’s bankruptcy, with Daystar acquiring it in April and closing the transaction in July.
Action taken
Daystar replaced the Univision service with Daystar programming beginning August 26, 2009.
Aftermath
Comcast dropped the station and returned to Univision’s national feed, while Detroit lost its full-time Spanish-language over-the-air outlet.
2008
Equity ends local news productionStrategyBackground
Equity Broadcasting discontinued local newscasts at six Univision affiliates while experiencing broader financial and operating pressures.
Action taken
The company stopped WUDT’s nightly newscast on June 6, 2008.
Aftermath
WUDT continued as a Univision affiliate for a limited period but without its previous locally oriented news program.
2004
Equity acquires the station and adopts the WUDT identityM&ABackground
Viacom sold the Detroit low-power station during a period when Equity Broadcasting was expanding its portfolio of local television outlets.
Action taken
Equity renamed the facility WUDT-CA and affiliated it with Univision, repositioning the station as a Spanish-language broadcaster.
Aftermath
WUDT became Detroit’s over-the-air Univision outlet and developed a local news and advertising operation.
Recent events
- 2015
WUDT becomes silent and is operationally associated with W48AV-D[1]
Other
WUDT-LD went silent and was merged operationally into the related Daystar station W48AV-D, while the WUDT license remained active according to the referenced station history.
- 2014
Daystar requests a channel-23 relocation associated with W48AV[1]
Regulation
In connection with Daystar’s planned acquisition of a translator facility in St. Clair Shores, the network requested authority to relocate the facility to UHF channel 23, matching WUDT’s channel.
- 2013
WUDT returns from Class A status to a low-power license[1]
Regulation
Daystar surrendered the station’s Class A status, returning it to a traditional low-power television authorization.
- 2012
WUDT moves its digital signal back to channel 23[1]
Regulation
The FCC authorized a digital operation on UHF channel 23, and the station subsequently increased its effective radiated power from approximately 300 watts to 15 kilowatts.
- 2012
Daystar reaches agreement to sell WUDT[1]
M&A
Daystar reached an agreement to sell WUDT-CD and WSVT-CD to LocusPoint Networks, although later station and licensing developments affected the final operating structure.
- 2010
WUDT begins digital broadcasting[1]
Other
The station switched off its analog signal and began digital transmission on VHF channel 8, later returning to UHF channel 23.
- 2009
Daystar acquires WUDT after Equity bankruptcy[1]
Bankruptcy · M&A
WUDT was sold at auction to the Daystar Television Network after Equity Broadcasting’s bankruptcy. The station subsequently replaced Univision programming with Daystar programming.
- 2008
Equity discontinues WUDT’s local newscast[1]
Leadership change
Equity ended local newscasts at WUDT and several other Univision affiliates as part of a broader reduction in local news operations.
- 2007
Comcast adds WUDT to its Detroit lineup[1]
Other
Comcast added WUDT to its Detroit-area cable lineup, expanding the station’s distribution beyond its terrestrial low-power signal.
- 2004
Equity changes the station to WUDT and affiliates it with Univision[1]
M&A
Following its acquisition of the station from Viacom, Equity Broadcasting renamed it WUDT-CA and made it a Univision affiliate serving Detroit’s Spanish-speaking audience.
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