WUSA
WUSA is a CBS-affiliated television station serving Washington, D.C., and the surrounding metropolitan area.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WUSA is television station WUSA, channel 9, in Washington, D.C. It is affiliated with CBS and serves viewers across the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia. The station operates from Broadcast House on Wisconsin Avenue in northwest Washington and is identified on air primarily through the WUSA9 brand. Its principal output consists of locally produced newscasts, weather, traffic, investigative reporting, community programming, syndicated material, and CBS network programming. The station began broadcasting in January 1949 under the call sign WOIC. It was the fourth television station to sign on in the national capital and carried CBS programming from the beginning, making its current affiliation one of the longest-running network relationships in American television. Its early owner was Bamberger Broadcasting Service, a subsidiary of R. H. Macy and Company. In 1950, CBS and The Washington Post acquired the station in a joint transaction. The call sign then became WTOP-TV, linking channel 9 with WTOP radio, which was also associated with the Post and CBS interests. The station moved into Broadcast House in 1954. The facility was designed as an integrated radio and television center and became an important part of the station's identity. In the same period, CBS sold its minority interest to The Washington Post to comply with federal ownership limits. The Post subsequently operated the station through its Post-Newsweek Stations broadcasting group. In 1978, The Washington Post exchanged the station with the Evening News Association for Detroit station WWJ-TV, now WDIV-TV. Because the Post retained WTOP radio and contemporary rules restricted common call signs between separately owned stations, channel 9 adopted the call sign WDVM-TV. Gannett acquired the Evening News Association in 1985, and the station became WUSA in 1986. The name reflected Gannett's association with USA Today and replaced the less distinctive WDVM identity. The station moved to a new Broadcast House facility on Wisconsin Avenue in 1992. WUSA has maintained a strong local-news orientation. It has covered presidential inaugurations, major weather events, transportation disruptions, regional politics, public safety, and national events with particular importance to the capital region. During the September 11, 2001 attacks, it interrupted CBS's national feed for locally focused coverage of the Pentagon attack and the resulting Washington-area emergency response, a decision that drew criticism from some media observers but demonstrated the station's emphasis on immediate regional reporting. The station has also participated in local sports broadcasting and television production. It carried early local broadcasts of Washington Capitals hockey and Washington Bullets basketball, though both teams later moved their local television packages elsewhere. From 2008 through 2016, WUSA served as the production facility for The McLaughlin Group, a nationally distributed public-affairs program. Gannett separated its publishing and broadcasting operations in 2015. WUSA became part of Tegna, the new broadcast and digital-media company. Nexstar Media Group announced an agreement to acquire Tegna in 2025, with the transaction described in the reference material as completed in March 2026. WUSA therefore became part of Nexstar's Washington-area station portfolio, alongside WDVM-TV and WDCW, although court action temporarily restricted operational integration among the stations. WUSA remains an active CBS affiliate and a major local-news outlet in the Washington market.
History
WUSA traces its history to WOIC, which began regular broadcasting on January 16, 1949. The station was established as Washington's fourth television outlet and selected CBS as its network affiliation at launch. Its original owner was Bamberger Broadcasting Service, a Macy's subsidiary that also held radio interests in New York. The station's early years coincided with the rapid development of television in the capital and with unsuccessful proposals for a Mutual television network. In June 1950, CBS and The Washington Post purchased WOIC. The new ownership structure changed the call sign to WTOP-TV, associating the television station with WTOP radio. WTOP-TV also participated in early experimental color television broadcasting. In October 1954, CBS sold its stake to The Washington Post, in part to comply with federal limits on the number of radio stations that could be held by one group. The Post then incorporated the station into its expanding broadcasting interests. A major physical and institutional milestone came in 1954, when the WTOP stations moved into Broadcast House. The building was conceived as a combined radio and television facility and served as the station's principal home for decades. In the early 1970s, WTOP-TV participated in construction of a taller joint transmission tower near the Broadcast House complex, improving transmission arrangements while retaining the older tower as a backup for a period. The station changed ownership and identity in 1978. The Washington Post exchanged WTOP-TV with the Evening News Association for Detroit's WWJ-TV. The transaction was influenced by contemporary federal concerns about newspaper and broadcast ownership in the same market. Since The Washington Post continued to own WTOP radio and call-sign rules limited the use of matching call letters by separately owned stations, the television outlet became WDVM-TV, a name representing the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. Gannett acquired the Evening News Association in 1985. The following year, after a call-sign exchange involving Gannett's Minneapolis station, WDVM-TV became WUSA. The new name was linked to USA Today, Gannett's nationally recognized newspaper brand. For a period the station used a star in printed branding between the W and USA, although the star was not technically part of the call sign. The station relocated to a new Broadcast House on Wisconsin Avenue in January 1992 and launched an early station website in 1998. WUSA's programming history reflects the tension between network obligations and local-market priorities. The station declined to carry some CBS daytime programming during earlier decades, including The Price Is Right for part of the program's initial run, while other Washington stations carried the displaced programs. WUSA also held early local television contracts for the Washington Capitals and Washington Bullets, although management's treatment of some games, including delays and joins-in-progress, generated criticism and contributed to the teams' eventual moves to other outlets. The station's local-news role was especially visible on September 11, 2001. After the Pentagon was attacked, WUSA broke from CBS's national feed to provide its own reporting from Washington. Its coverage addressed smoke at the Pentagon, the evacuation of the District, school closures, traffic, eyewitness accounts, and official briefings. A Washington Post television critic criticized the decision to emphasize local coverage, but the episode remains an example of WUSA's priority on immediate regional information. From May 2008 until the end of its original run in 2016, WUSA was the production base for The McLaughlin Group. The program was distributed nationally and also appeared on selected CBS affiliates and public television outlets. In 2015, Gannett divided its publishing company from its broadcasting and digital-media operations. WUSA moved into Tegna, the broadcast-focused successor. According to the supplied reference material, Nexstar Media Group completed an acquisition of Tegna in March 2026. The transaction placed WUSA under Nexstar ownership alongside other Washington-area stations, though subsequent court proceedings temporarily limited integration of the stations. WUSA continues to operate as a CBS affiliate and local-news broadcaster.
- 2026
Nexstar ownership begins
[1]The supplied reference states that Nexstar completes its Tegna acquisition in March 2026.
- 2015
WUSA transfers to Tegna
[1]Gannett's broadcast and digital assets are separated into Tegna.
- 2008
The McLaughlin Group production moves to WUSA
[1]WUSA becomes the program's production studio through the end of its original run.
- 1998
Station website launches
[1]WUSA establishes an online presence, later operating under the wusa9.com domain.
- 1992
New Broadcast House opens
[1]WUSA moves to its current Wisconsin Avenue facility.
- 1986
WUSA call sign adopted
[1]WDVM-TV changes its call sign to WUSA.
- 1985
Gannett acquires the station's owner
[1]Gannett purchases the Evening News Association.
- 1978
Station becomes WDVM-TV
[1]The Washington Post exchanges the station with the Evening News Association, prompting a call-sign change.
- 1954
Broadcast House opens
[1]The WTOP radio and television operations move into a purpose-built shared facility.
- 1950
Ownership changes and WTOP-TV name adopted
[1]CBS and The Washington Post acquire the station, which becomes WTOP-TV.
Products and positioning
A Washington-focused CBS affiliate emphasizing local news, weather, traffic, public-service reporting, and regional emergency coverage.
Local television news
WUSA9 Local News
The station's core local-news service covers Washington-area politics, public safety, transportation, education, community affairs, and breaking news. It is delivered through scheduled television newscasts and expanded digital publishing.
Weather service
WUSA9 Weather
A regional weather offering focused on forecasts, severe-weather alerts, school and travel impacts, and conditions across the District, Maryland, and Virginia.
Network television · 1949
CBS network programming
WUSA carries CBS programming as its primary network affiliation, a relationship that dates to the station's launch in 1949.
Public-affairs television production · 2008
The McLaughlin Group production
WUSA served as the production studio for the nationally distributed political discussion program The McLaughlin Group from 2008 until the program's original run ended in 2016.
Marketing campaigns
- 1974The One and Only
Washington, D.C.
WUSA and other Post-Newsweek stations used a group-oriented slogan built around being the singular or definitive local channel.
Outcome. The slogan was eventually retired from active use, although it remained associated with the station's historic identity.
Brand decisions
2026
Nexstar acquisition of TegnaM&ABackground
Nexstar sought to acquire Tegna and thereby add WUSA to its Washington-area station holdings.
Action taken
The supplied reference states that the transaction closed on March 19, 2026.
Aftermath
A temporary restraining order and later preliminary injunction reportedly prevented immediate integration of WUSA with Nexstar-owned WDVM-TV and WDCW.
2015
Transfer from Gannett to TegnaStrategyBackground
Gannett separated its publishing assets from its broadcasting and digital-media operations.
Action taken
WUSA was assigned to Tegna, the newly created broadcast and digital-media company.
Aftermath
The station continued as a CBS affiliate under Tegna until the reported Nexstar acquisition.
2001
Local coverage replaces part of CBS's September 11 feedOtherBackground
The Pentagon attack created an immediate need for Washington-specific information about evacuations, transportation, schools, and public safety.
Action taken
WUSA interrupted CBS's national coverage and supplied locally produced reporting before later alternating local updates with the network feed.
Aftermath
The decision received criticism from a Washington Post television critic, while the station continued its regional emergency coverage.
Recent events
NEXTGEN TV launches in Washington, D.C.[3]
Reported:
NEXTGEN TV launched in Washington, D.C., with five local stations offering the digital broadcast technology to viewers over the air.
Sources3 sources
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