WUSA-TV

What WUSA-TV does

WUSA-TV (branded as WUSA9) is a broadcast television station headquartered in Washington, D.C., serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area including the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and northern Virginia. Founded in 1949 and owned and operated by TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA), the station functions as a traditional local broadcaster producing news, weather, traffic, and sports programming for the DC DMA. Its content portfolio spans local, regional, and national news categories; an extensive weather service with multi-layer interactive radar segmented into distinct geographic zones; coverage of major DC professional sports franchises (Washington Commanders, Wizards, Capitals, Nationals, Spirit) plus high school and NCAA sports; traffic reporting including Metro transit; and investigative journalism verticals such as Federal Fallout.

The station's technology stack combines traditional over-the-air broadcast transmission with a digital ecosystem comprising the wusa9.com website, iOS and Android mobile applications, live streaming, and the WUSA9 Plus over-the-top (OTT) streaming service. Distribution extends across antenna-based broadcast, cable and satellite carriage agreements (Xfinity, DirecTV, etc.), and digital/OTT channels. Community engagement features include the Near Me user-generated content platform (weather photos, storm damage, community events) and the Weather Classroom educational program with school meteorologist visits.

WUSA-TV generates revenue through three principal streams: television advertising (local commercials, sponsored segments, branded content within news programming); digital advertising on wusa9.com and apps (display, pre-roll video, sponsored content, targeted marketing); and recurring carriage/retransmission fees from cable and satellite distributors. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with advertisers directed to an "Advertise With Us" portal. The customer base consists of fragmented local, regional, and national advertisers seeking DC metro reach, plus carriage-fee-paying distributors; the station does not appear to have disclosed enterprise customer concentration.

Name

WUSA-TV

Legal name

WUSA-TV

Website

https://wusa9.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WUSA-TV (WUSA9) is a TEGNA-owned broadcast television station in Washington, D.C. delivering local news, weather, traffic, and sports coverage across DC, Maryland, and Virginia via over-the-air, cable/satellite, mobile apps, and the WUSA9 Plus OTT streaming service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Local television broadcasting
• Local news coverage
• Weather forecasting services
• Digital streaming media
• Broadcast advertising sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Traditional broadcast television advertising including local TV commercials, sponsored segments, and branded content within news programming.
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising through wusa9.com including display ads, pre-roll video ads, sponsored content, and targeted digital marketing solutions for local and regional advertisers.
3. Cable/Satellite Carriage: Fees received from cable and satellite television providers for carrying the WUSA9 broadcast signal.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WUSA-TV (branded WUSA9) is a broadcast television station that delivers hyperlocal news, weather, traffic, sports, and investigative journalism to viewers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area (DC, Maryland, and Virginia). Its offering is distributed via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, the wusa9.com website, iOS/Android mobile apps, and the WUSA9 Plus OTT streaming service. The station generates revenue primarily through television and digital advertising, supplemented by cable/satellite carriage fees, and operates as a subsidiary of TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA).

Product overview

WUSA-TV operates wusa9.com as a comprehensive local news and media platform for the Washington DC metropolitan area, comprising a primary broadcast television station and its digital properties. The product portfolio includes a mobile streaming app for iOS and Android, live video streaming of news and special events, an extensive weather service with interactive radar and zone-specific forecasts, and broad news coverage across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and national/international stories. Additional offerings encompass traffic information, sports coverage of major DC teams, an educational Weather Classroom program for schools, and a community-driven Near Me section for user-generated content. The platform is part of TEGNA media (NYSE: TGNA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WUSA9 Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS and Android that enables users to stream WUSA9 live broadcasts, access local news, weather forecasts, traffic information, and sports coverage, and receive breaking news and weather alerts via push notifications.
• WUSA9 Live Streaming Live video streaming of WUSA9 broadcast content including news programming and special event coverage such as America 250 celebrations, accessible via the wusa9.com website.
• WUSA9 Weather Service Local weather forecasting service providing current conditions, 10-day forecasts, hourly forecasts, interactive multi-layer radar maps, and weather alerts for the Washington DC metropolitan area across multiple regional zones.
• WUSA9 News Coverage Comprehensive local news coverage including Local, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Investigations, Federal Fallout, Nation/World, and Entertainment sections serving the Washington DC metropolitan area.
• WUSA9 Traffic Information Traffic news and updates covering road closures, incidents, and Metro transit information including service alerts and shutdown guides for the Washington DC area.
• WUSA9 Sports Coverage Comprehensive sports coverage including Washington Commanders (NFL), Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Spirit (NWSL), Washington Nationals (MLB), NCAA College Sports, and high school sports sections.
• Weather Classroom Educational weather program offering school visits from WUSA9 meteorologists, downloadable coloring pages, word scrambles, bingo cards, and severe weather preparation guides for students and families.
• Near Me Community Content Community-driven section allowing viewers to submit weather photos, storm damage images, community events, and local scenery for categories including Weather Impact, News Near Me, and Gorgeous Sunsets.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TEGNA Inc.coreOthersWUSA9 is owned and operated by TEGNA Inc., a publicly traded media company (NYSE: TGNA). TEGNA operates multiple television stations and digital properties across the United States. The partnership provides WUSA9 with corporate resources, shared technology platforms, advertising sales infrastructure, and content syndication through the TEGNA network of stations. WUSA9 leverages TEGNA's centralized technology and operational support while maintaining local news coverage for its market.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• TEGNA Inc. NYSE-listed parent company of WUSA-TV. Operates a portfolio of network-affiliated local broadcast stations plus digital properties including weather apps and national sports networks — the strategic, financial, and operational context that determines WUSA9's trajectory.

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Large US broadcast group owning local TV stations and regional sports networks. Operates in similar network-affiliated local-news category with comparable over-the-air plus digital monetization.
• Gray Television: Broadcast group operating local network-affiliated stations across mid- and large-market US markets. Closely parallels TEGNA's station-portfolio model in revenue mix and local-news operating approach.
• Hearst Television: Owns a portfolio of network-affiliated local TV stations with news, weather, and sports programming. Comparable in broadcast-station operations, content syndication, and local-ad sales structure.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US television broadcaster, operating ~200 stations across many markets including DC-area affiliates. Comparable broadcast plus digital ad-sales infrastructure and multi-market diversification that contrasts with WUSA9's single-market focus.

Direct peers

• WJLA-TV (ABC 7 / NewsChannel 8): ABC-affiliated local broadcast station also serving the Washington DC metropolitan area. Directly competes with WUSA9 for the same DC/MD/VA viewer audience and local advertising dollars across news, weather, and sports.
• WRC-TV (NBC4 Washington): NBC-owned local TV station covering the Washington DC market. Same regional footprint and competing network-news franchise, with directly comparable broadcast + digital distribution and advertising products.
• WTTG (Fox 5 DC): Fox-owned local broadcast station in the Washington DC market. Competes head-to-head with WUSA9 for local news viewers, sports rights coverage, and advertisers in the same DC metro area.

Emerging players

• DCist (WAMU): Public-radio-backed hyperlocal digital news outlet serving the DC metro area. Competes with WUSA9 for time-spent on local news and undercuts digital ad pricing in select segments.
• Axios DC / Axios Local: Digital-native local-news outlet focused on Washington DC and other metros. Competes with WUSA9 for hyperlocal DC news audience and digital advertising share, particularly among younger and politically engaged readers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WUSA9news
• Xx.com/wusa9
• Facebookfacebook.com/wusa9
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wusa-tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WUSA-TV