D.C. Fox Station Launches Area's Third HD Newscast

The Washington, D.C. market (DMA No. 9) watched its third local newscast sign-on to HD last weekend. WTTG-TV, the Fox affiliate, converted its local news to 720p transmissions on Jan. 31, according to published reports, amid very little fanfare.

The broadcaster follows CBS affiliate WUSA-TV and ABC station WJLA-TV to local HD, leaving only one holdout among the big four network affiliates—WRC-TV, the NBC O&O and the market’s news-ratings leader for many years.

According to an account on the DCRTV Web site, “Everything appeared to go smoothly. The set and new HD weather graphics looked terrific. There is a slight video pop in and out of commercial breaks as the picture goes from SD to HD.”

WTTG-TV (“Fox5 News”), like many Fox stations, airs its late-evening newscast an hour earlier than the competition—at 10 p.m. But unlike most other stations, its late-night news is 90 minutes long.