View source for WCAU

{{Short description|Television station in Philadelphia}}
{{for|broadcast stations that previously used the WCAU call sign|WCAU (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| name = 
| callsign = WCAU
| logo = WCAU 2023.svg
| logo_upright = .8
| branding = NBC 10
| digital = 28 ([[UHF]]), shared with [[WWSI]]
| virtual = 10
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''10.1:''' [[NBC]]|''for others, see {{section link||Technical information and subchannels}}''}}
| owner = [[NBC Owned Television Stations]]
| licensee = NBC Telemundo License [[LLC]]
| location = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania
| country = US
| founded = {{Start date|1946|9}}
| airdate = {{Start date|1948|5|23}}
| callsign_meaning = Taken from [[WPHT|WCAU radio]], randomly assigned
| sister_stations = {{hlist|WWSI|[[NBC Sports Philadelphia]]}}
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WPEN-TV ([[construction permit|CP]], 1946–1947)|WCAU-TV (1947–1995)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 10 ([[VHF]], 1948–2009)|'''Digital:''' 67 (UHF, 1998–2009), 34 (UHF, 2009–2019)}}
| former_affiliations = [[CBS]] (1948–1995)
| erp = 745 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|399.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 63153
| coordinates = {{coord|40|2|30.1|N|75|14|10.1|W|type:landmark_region:US-PA|display=it}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com}}
}}

'''WCAU''' (channel 10) is a [[television station]] in [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, United States, serving the [[Philadelphia metropolitan area|Delaware Valley]]. It is [[owned and operated]] by the [[NBC]] television network through its [[NBC Owned Television Stations]] division. 

Under common ownership with [[Mount Laurel, New Jersey]]–licensed [[Telemundo]] outlet [[WWSI]] (channel 62) and [[regional sports network]] [[NBC Sports Philadelphia]], both WCAU and WWSI share studios in the [[Comcast Technology Center]] on [[Arch Street (Philadelphia)|Arch Street]] in [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City]], with some operations remaining at their former main studio at the corner of [[City Avenue]] and Monument Road in [[Bala Cynwyd]]. The stations broadcast from the same transmitter in the [[Roxborough, Philadelphia|Roxborough]] section of Philadelphia.

==History==
===As a CBS station (1946–January 1995)===
[[File:WTP D03 AMP 1.jpg|thumb|In 1983, the original studio at 1622 [[Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)|Chestnut Street]] was added to the [[U.S. National Register of Historic Places]].]]
[[File:Wcau70s.jpg|thumb|WCAU-TV ident from 1973 to 1976; the "10" survived with only minor changes until 1995.]]
In 1946, the ''[[Philadelphia Evening Bulletin]]'' secured a [[construction permit]] for channel 10,<ref>[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/46-OCR/1946-10-07-BC-OCR-Page-0039.pdf "Commercial video stations total 38."] ''[[Broadcasting and Cable|Broadcasting – Telecasting]]''. October 7, 1946, pg. 39.</ref> naming its proposed station WPEN-TV after the newspaper's WPEN radio stations (950 AM), now [[WKDN (AM)|WKDN]], and 98.1 FM, later WCAU-FM and now [[WOGL]]. The picture changed dramatically in 1947, when ''[[The Philadelphia Record]]'' folded.

The ''Bulletin'' inherited the ''Record''{{'}}s "[[Goodwill (accounting)|goodwill]]", along with the rights to buy the radio station WCAU (1210 AM, now [[WPHT]]) and the original WCAU-FM (102.9 FM, now [[WMGK]]) from their longtime owners, brothers Isaac and Leon Levy. The ''Bulletin'' sold the less-powerful WPEN and WCAU-FM, with the latter being renamed WPEN-FM; it is now [[WMGK]]. The ''Bulletin'' kept its FM station, renaming it WCAU-FM to match its new AM sister. The newspaper also kept its construction permit for channel 10, renaming it WCAU-TV.

WCAU-TV went on the air March 1, 1948, as Philadelphia's third television station with an initial test pattern on Channel 10. It carried its first CBS network show on a "sneak preview" basis on March 3,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/48-OCR/1948-03-08-BC-OCR-Page-0094.pdf|title=WCAU-TV STARTS|page=88|last=Brandschain|first=Herman|magazine=Broadcasting|date=March 8, 1948|access-date=December 3, 2019}}</ref> but the official opening of the station was not until May 23, 1948.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.broadcastpioneers.com/5-23-48.html | title=The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia}}</ref> It secured an affiliation with [[CBS]] through the influence of the Levy brothers, who continued to work for the newspaper as consultants. WCAU radio had been one of CBS' original 16 affiliates when the network launched in 1927. A year later, the Levy brothers persuaded their brother-in-law, [[William S. Paley]], to buy the struggling network. The Levy brothers were shareholders and directors at CBS for many years. Due to this long relationship, channel 10 signed on as CBS's third television affiliate.

In the late 1950s, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) collapsed northern [[Delaware]], [[South Jersey]], and the [[Lehigh Valley]] into the Philadelphia market. The ''Bulletin'' realized that channel 10's original tower, atop the [[PSFS Building]] in Center City, was not nearly strong enough to serve this larger viewing area. In 1957, WCAU-TV moved to a new {{convert|1200|ft|m|0|adj=on}} tower in Roxborough, which added most of Delaware, the [[Jersey Shore]] and the Lehigh Valley to its city-grade coverage.

Also in 1957, the ''Bulletin'' formed a limited partnership with the Megargee family, owner of CBS affiliate WGBI-TV (channel 22) in [[Scranton]]. As part of the deal, channel 22's call letters were changed to WDAU-TV (WDAU's call letters were changed again to [[WYOU]] in 1986). Soon afterward, the FCC ruled that the ''Bulletin'' could not keep both stations due to a large signal overlap in the Lehigh Valley. Although the ''Bulletin'' had only bought a minority stake in channel 22, the FCC ruled that this stake was so large that the two stations were effectively a [[Duopoly (broadcasting)|duopoly]]. The ''Bulletin'' could not afford to get a waiver to keep both stations, so it opted to keep its stake in WDAU-TV and sell the WCAU stations to CBS. CBS had to seek a waiver to buy the WCAU stations, as the signals of WCAU's AM and television stations overlapped with those of [[WCBS (AM)|WCBS radio]] and [[WCBS-TV]] in [[New York City]] (in the case of the AM outlets, both were [[clear-channel stations]]; the FCC at the time usually did not allow common ownership of clear-channel stations with overlapping nighttime coverage areas). However, in its application for a waiver, CBS cited NBC's then-ownership of WRCV-TV in Philadelphia (channel 3, now [[KYW-TV]]) and WRCA-TV in New York City (now [[WNBC]]). The FCC readily granted the waiver, and CBS took control in 1958.

===Switch from CBS to NBC (1994–January 1995)===
{{further|1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment}}
[[File: WCAU-TV logo.png|thumb|upright=1|WCAU's boxed 10 logo was adopted upon its new affiliation with NBC in September 1995, and its use lasted until February 2012.]]
In July 1994, CBS entered into a long-term affiliation agreement with [[Westinghouse Broadcasting|Westinghouse (Group W) Broadcasting]], owners of Philadelphia's longtime NBC affiliate, KYW-TV, and its sister stations in [[Baltimore]] ([[WJZ-TV]]) and [[Boston]] ([[WBZ-TV]]). Westinghouse converted all three of those stations into CBS affiliates. CBS was reluctant to include KYW-TV in the deal since it had been a very distant third in the Philadelphia ratings for more than a decade. In contrast, WCAU was a solid runner-up to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]-owned station [[WPVI-TV]] (channel 6). Ultimately, CBS decided to affiliate with channel 3 and sell channel 10, ending a 47-year relationship (including 37 years of ownership) with the station.

NBC and [[New World Communications]] then emerged as the leading bidders for WCAU.<ref>{{cite news|title=CBS, FOX may swap stations, paper says|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=RM&p_theme=rm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4DEA31EBE1729&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|access-date=April 2, 2013|newspaper=[[Rocky Mountain News]]|date=July 26, 1994}}{{closed access}}</ref> NBC had wanted to own a station in Philadelphia for many years; for most of the broadcasting era, Philadelphia was the largest market where NBC didn't own a station. It briefly succeeded in 1956, when it [[extorted]] Westinghouse into exchanging channel 3 (then called WPTZ-TV) and KYW radio for NBC's [[Cleveland]] stations, [[WTAM-AM]]-[[WMJI|FM]] and [[WNBK-TV|WNBK television]]. However, after Westinghouse complained, the FCC and the [[U.S. Justice Department]] nullified the swap in June 1965. New World got into the bidding because it had just signed a multi-year affiliation deal with [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]], and intended to make WCAU a Fox station had it emerged as channel 10's owner. Fox's affiliate in Philadelphia, [[WTXF-TV]], was about to become an affiliate of the United Paramount Network ([[UPN]]), which was to be programmed mostly by WTXF's owner, [[Paramount Stations Group]]. New World found the chance to give Fox a VHF station in the nation's fourth-largest market too much to resist. Had WCAU become a Fox station, it would have retained its status as the "home" station of the [[NFL]]'s [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. The station had carried Eagles games since 1950, and had carried the majority of Eagles games since [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] won the rights to NFL games in 1956. Indeed, Fox had cut its affiliation deal with New World because it had recently [[NFL on Fox|won the rights]] to the [[National Football Conference]], where the Eagles play; New World owned a large number of CBS affiliates. Fox jumped into the bidding as well in case New World's bid fell through.

However, [[Viacom (1952–2005)|Viacom]], which bought Paramount in mid-1994, opted instead to sell WTXF-TV to Fox, making WTXF-TV a Fox O&O—and hence the new "home" of the Eagles. This led New World to pull out of the bidding war for WCAU as well, effectively handing channel 10 to NBC.

===As an NBC-owned station (January 1995–present)===
While KYW-TV's sister stations in [[Boston]] and [[Baltimore]] switched to CBS in January 1995, the swap was delayed in Philadelphia when CBS discovered that an outright sale of channel 10 would have forced it to pay [[capital gains tax]]es on the proceeds from the deal.<ref>{{cite web|title=From the official archives of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia |url=https://www.broadcastpioneers.com/kenmatz.html|access-date=September 2, 2012}}{{Clarify|reason=ambiguous date format|date=April 2016}}</ref> To solve this problem, CBS, NBC and Group W entered into a complex ownership and affiliation deal in November 1994. To make the deal for WCAU an even trade, NBC transferred [[KCNC-TV]] in [[Denver]] and [[KUTV]] in [[Salt Lake City]] (a station that NBC had only acquired earlier that year) to CBS in exchange; additionally, the [[WTVJ|NBC]] and [[WFOR-TV|CBS]] stations in [[Miami]] traded broadcasting facilities, with CBS moving to the stronger of the two signals. CBS then traded controlling interest in KCNC and KUTV to Group W in return for a minority stake in KYW-TV. The deal officially took effect on September 10, 1995. Group W's parent, the [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation]], purchased CBS two months later, making CBS' Philadelphia radio stations sisters to WCAU-AM/WPHT's longtime rival, KYW radio. The last CBS network program to air on channel 10 was a repeat of ''[[Walker, Texas Ranger]]'', which began at 10&nbsp;p.m. on September 9, 1995.

Although the radio stations had dropped the WCAU calls some years before, NBC dropped the ''-TV'' suffix from channel 10's callsign soon after it assumed control.

In January 2011, the Philadelphia-based cable and media company [[Comcast]] acquired a 51% majority stake in WCAU's parent company, by then known as NBC Universal, which effectively makes the station locally owned.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703293204576105392747186936 Vivendi Wraps Up Sale of NBC Universal Stake], ''Wall Street Journal'', January 27, 2011</ref> Comcast bought the other 49% in early 2013.

In March 2013, NBCUniversal announced that it would buy [[Telemundo]] affiliate [[WWSI]] from [[ZGS Communications]] for $20&nbsp;million, giving WCAU a duopoly partner, as with several other NBC O&Os.<ref>{{cite news|title=NBCUniversal doubles in Philadelphia with Telemundo outlet|url=https://rbr.com/nbcuniversal-doubles-in-philadelphia-with-telemundo-outlet/|access-date=July 2, 2013|newspaper=Radio & Television Business Report|date=March 21, 2013}}</ref> The sale was completed on June 2 of that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Telemundo closes on purchase of WWSI; The addition of the full-power station in Philadelphia gives NBCU's Hispanic group 16 stations.|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/68674/telemundo-closes-on-purchase-of-wwsi|access-date=July 2, 2013|newspaper=TVNewsCheck|date=July 2, 2013}}</ref> In August 2012, NBC Owned Stations Group rebranded channel 10, to reflect the Look F package.

On February 14, 2014, WCAU, along with nearby NBC affiliate [[WBAL-TV]] in Baltimore, began to be shown on Comcast cable systems in the [[Susquehanna River|Susquehanna Valley]] after [[WGAL]], the NBC affiliate in that market, was knocked off the air after a portion of the roof at the station's Columbia Avenue studio facility collapsed due to heavy accumulations of snow and ice caused by a [[February 2014 North American winter storm|winter storm that moved through the Eastern United States]] earlier that week.<ref>[http://lancasteronline.com/lancaster/news/snow-and-ice-collapses-roof-at-wgal/article_fcf12404-95b9-11e3-aba7-0017a43b2370.html Snow and ice collapses roof at WGAL], ''LancasterOnline'', February 14, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://lancasteronline.com/lancaster/news/snow-on-roof-forces-evacuation-at-wgal/article_fcf12404-95b9-11e3-aba7-0017a43b2370.html Snow and ice collapses roof at WGAL, knocks local station off the air], ''LancasterOnline'', February 14, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.wgal.com/news/susquehanna-valley/lancaster/roof-collapses-at-wgals-lancaster-studio/24491112 Roof collapses at WGAL's Lancaster studio], WGAL, February 14, 2014.</ref><ref name=tpn-wgalroofwbalcomcast>{{cite news|last=Arias|first=Jeremy|title=Comcast to substitute WGAL Lancaster with Baltimore affiliate following roof collapse|url=https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/comcast_to_substitute_wgal_lan.html|access-date=February 15, 2014|newspaper=[[The Patriot-News]]|date=February 14, 2014}}</ref>

On April 16, 2014, [[WMGM-TV]] (channel 40), the NBC affiliate in nearby [[Atlantic City]], announced that the station would drop its NBC affiliation and shut down its news operation on [[New Year's Day|January 1]], 2015, presumably due to WCAU claiming market exclusivity (Atlantic City is part of the Philadelphia market). Following an hour-long documentary focusing on the station's history and staff entitled ''NewsCenter 40: The Stories Behind the Station'', WMGM-TV then began carrying programs from the [[Soul of the South]] network, while WCAU became the sole NBC affiliate in the market. WMGM-TV was sold to [[Univision Communications]] in 2017 and is now a primary [[True Crime Network]] affiliate; it also relays sister station and [[Univision]] network O&O [[WUVP-DT]] (channel 65) on its third digital subchannel.

==Studios==
<!--- Redirect target --->
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = WCAU Studios
| nrhp_type =
| image =
| caption =
| location = 1622 [[Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)|Chestnut St.]], [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
| coordinates = {{coord|39.95114|-75.16814|format=dms|display=inline}}
| locmapin = Pennsylvania#USA
| area =
| built = 1931
| architect = Harry Sternfeld; Multiple
| architecture = Modern Movement, Art Deco
| added = January 27, 1983
| refnum = 83002281<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
}}

Channel 10 was originally located at 1622 [[Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)|Chestnut Street]] in [[Center City Philadelphia|Center City]] along with its sister radio stations. The building, which was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1983, now houses [[Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia|Institute of Contemporary Art]]. In 1952, WCAU-AM-FM-TV moved to a new facility in the [[Philadelphia Main Line|Main Line]] suburb of [[Bala Cynwyd]]. The studio, located on Monument Road at City Avenue, was a state-of-the-art television center, and the first building in the nation to be constructed specifically for mainly television productions, though WCAU's radio stations were also based out of the facility until the 1995 sale to NBC.

On January 16, 2014, it was announced that WCAU and sister station WWSI would move to the then-under-construction [[Comcast Technology Center]] on Arch Street in Center City, which was built by NBC parent Comcast. This 59-story building became the tallest building in Philadelphia, and is now recognized as the tallest building in the United States outside of New York and Chicago.<ref>[http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/business/Comcast-Seeks-to-Redefine-Philadelphia-Itself-240313291.html WCAU-TV webpage about new Comcast building] Retrieved January 17, 2014</ref> After several weeks of off-air tests, WCAU and WWSI officially moved all on-air operations to the new facility on October 21, 2018. However, some technical and other operations, and the base and staging for the station's live news vehicles, will remain in Bala Cynwyd for the time being.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www2.philly.com/philly/business/comcast/nbc-comcast-new-television-studios-telemundo-20181011.html|title=In Bala Cynwyd since '52, WCAU in final stages of downtown move to new Comcast Center|last=Fernandez|first=Bob|date=October 11, 2018|work=[[Philadelphia Media Network]]|access-date=October 23, 2018}}</ref>

==Programming==
From 1965 to 1986, WCAU-TV was the only network-owned station in Philadelphia. As such, it was the only station in the city that did not heavily or moderately preempt network programming. Channel 10 did, however, run an hour of [[Saturday morning cartoon]]s during the 7 a.m. hour on a one-week delay to run the hour-long locally produced children's program, ''[[Gene London|The Gene London Show]]'', which ended in 1977. Beginning in 1978, WCAU-TV began preempting an hour of Sunday morning cartoon reruns and in the beginning of 1979 the station preempted an hour of the Saturday morning cartoons. By 1980, the station was running the entire Saturday morning cartoon lineup again and by early in 1981, the Sunday morning hour of children's programs was brought back.

===''Wawa Welcome America''===
In July 2016, Comcast announced that they would take over as presenting sponsor of the ''[[Wawa (company)|Wawa]] [[Philadelphia Welcome America Festival|Welcome America]]'' [[4th of July]] festivities, particularly the Philly July 4 Jam and Grand Finale Fireworks; WCAU and WWSI assumed the local broadcast duties beginning in 2016, thus ending 32 years of broadcast rights with ABC owned-and-operated WPVI, while the Philly July 4 Jam concert was also broadcast nationally on [[VH1]]. By airing the event, the station preempts the live national NBC telecast of the ''[[Macy's 4th of July Fireworks]]'' from New York City, though it carries the condensed replay immediately after both ceremonies end.

===Sports programming===
Since Comcast acquired the station's parent NBCUniversal in 2011, WCAU has aired Philadelphia's major sports teams in many years. Because of those commitments to air these major sports teams, they reschedule NBC network programs preempted on the station. WCAU, as both a CBS and NBC station, has also aired Philadelphia's pro sports teams through their network coverage as well.

====Philadelphia Phillies====
On January 2, 2014, Comcast and the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] announced a 25-year, $2.5&nbsp;billion TV contract, including WCAU and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia (now [[NBC Sports Philadelphia]]); although it averaged $100&nbsp;million a year, it was structured to begin below the average and end above it. As part of its 25-year TV contract, WCAU took over free-to-air broadcast rights for Phillies baseball games from [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate [[WPHL-TV]] beginning in the [[2014 Philadelphia Phillies season|2014 season]], including its Opening Day game and selected games aired on the station.<ref>{{cite web|last=Axisa|first=Mike|title=Phillies agree to long-term television deal with Comcast SportsNet|url=http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24395890/phillies-agree-to-longterm-television-deal-with-comcast-sportsnet|work=Eye on Baseball – CBSSports.com|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=February 9, 2014|date=January 2, 2014}}</ref> Some games may air on [[WTXF]], per the national broadcast agreement between [[Major League Baseball]] and [[Fox Major League Baseball|Fox Sports]]. As a CBS station, WCAU also aired select Phillies games as part of [[Major League Baseball on CBS|CBS' broadcast contract with Major League Baseball]] from [[1990 Philadelphia Phillies season|1990]] to [[1993 Philadelphia Phillies season|1993]], including the [[1993 World Series]], in which the Phillies lost to the [[1993 Toronto Blue Jays season|Toronto Blue Jays]].

====Philadelphia Eagles====
Philadelphia Eagles games primarily aired on Channel 10 back when it was a CBS station and that network carried the National Football Conference, a relationship that began in 1956 when CBS took on the broadcast rights to the pre-merger National Football League. That arrangement lasted until [[1994 Philadelphia Eagles season|1994]], when [[Fox NFL|Fox]] acquired the NFC contract and with it, the Eagles games to WTXF. After being traded to NBC, only select games where the Eagles hosted an [[American Football Conference]] opponent would air on WCAU from [[1995 Philadelphia Eagles season|1995]] to [[1997 Philadelphia Eagles season|1997]], when CBS regained the NFL. Since [[2006 Philadelphia Eagles season|2006]], Eagles games broadcast nationally by [[NBC Sports]] have aired on WCAU, mostly ''[[NBC Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'' contests but also [[Super Bowl LII]], which saw the Eagles clinch their first NFL championship in the modern Super Bowl era.

In the summer of 2015, Comcast and the Eagles announced a new TV contract; WCAU began airing the preseason games in the [[2015 Philadelphia Eagles season|2015 season]] after ending its contract with ABC owned-and-operated station WPVI in the [[2014 Philadelphia Eagles season|2014 season]]. Pre-season games are sub-licensed to other stations during [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] years.

====Philadelphia Flyers====
WCAU has free-to-air rights to the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] hockey games beginning with the [[2017–18 Philadelphia Flyers season|2017–18 season]] with NBC Sports Philadelphia. Flyers games were also broadcast nationally on the station through [[NHL on NBC|its broadcast package of the National Hockey League]] until the contract's expiration at the end of the [[2020–21 NHL season|2020–21 season]], including the team's appearance in the [[2010 Stanley Cup Finals]].

====Philadelphia 76ers====
Beginning in the [[2017–18 Philadelphia 76ers season|2017–18 season]], WCAU began displaying its in-court advertisements during all of the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] [[NBA]] franchise home games held at the Wells Fargo Center (now [[Xfinity Mobile Arena]]); the home games of the 76ers are currently broadcast on its sister regional sports network NBC Sports Philadelphia. Prior to the launch of the station's in-court advertisement campaign, the station carried these 76ers games as part of [[NBA on NBC|the network's broadcasting package of the NBA]] from 1995 until 2002 and since 2025 (including the team's appearance in the [[2001 NBA Finals]]). During its run as a CBS station, all 76ers games that were broadcast as part of [[NBA on CBS|that network's NBA broadcast contract]] from 1973 to 1990 aired on channel 10, including the team's victory in the [[1983 NBA Finals]].

====Broad Street Run====
In 2015, WCAU assumed the local English broadcast rights of the [[Broad Street Run|Blue Cross Broad Street Run]], held every first Sunday of May, taking over from ABC O&O WPVI after the 36th annual event in 2014.

===News operation===
WCAU presently broadcasts 47 hours, 55 minutes of locally produced newscasts each week (with 7 hours, 35 minutes each weekday, four hours on Saturdays and six hours on Sundays). News has been produced at WCAU from when the station went on the air on in 1948. [[Charles Shaw (journalist)|Charles Shaw]], who had worked with [[Edward R. Murrow]] as a CBS correspondent in London during World War II, was the station's news director from 1948 until he left the station in the early 1960s. [[John Facenda]], who later gained fame as the voice of [[NFL Films]], was the station's main anchorman from shortly after it signed on until 1973. At the time he retired, he had been a main anchor longer than anyone in Philadelphia; he has since been passed by WPVI's [[Jim Gardner (broadcaster)|Jim Gardner]].

Soon after joining the station, Facenda sold the ''Bulletin'' on the idea of a local 11 p.m. newscast—the first in the country. It aired for the first time on September 8. In 1950, WCAU became the first station with a four-man news team. The 6 p.m. newscast was anchored by Facenda, with Philadelphia radio legend Phil Sheridan handling weather, [[Jack Whitaker]] on sports and [[Ed McMahon]] as announcer. In 1965, channel 10 introduced the "Big News" format from Los Angeles sister station KNXT (now [[KCBS-TV]]).

The station's news operation was the ratings leader in Philadelphia for most of the time from the late 1940s until the 1960s, when it was surpassed by KYW-TV's ''[[Eyewitness News]]''. The station then remained a strong second until the 1970s, when WPVI-TV's ''[[Action News]]'' bumped channel 10 down to third place. WCAU struggled through the late 1970s while most of its CBS sister stations dominated the ratings, but has since recovered and has been a solid runner-up to longtime leader WPVI for over a quarter century. WCAU managed to pass WPVI in the 5 p.m. time slot for a time in the early 1980s with its original ''Live at 5'', anchored by Larry Kane and Deborah Knapp (now at [[KENS]] in [[San Antonio]]). In 2001, WCAU made national news when its 11 p.m. newscast (anchored by Larry Mendte and Renee Chenault-Fattah) knocked WPVI from the top spot in the local news ratings for the first time in decades. Since 2003, WCAU has had to fend off a spirited challenge from a resurgent KYW-TV for second place in the Philadelphia ratings; Channel 3's resurgence was fueled in part by luring Mendte away from channel 10.

WCAU used music based on "Channel 2 News", written by [[Dick Marx]] for [[WBBM-TV]] in Chicago (the ''de facto'' official music for CBS' O&O stations) and variations on it from 1982 until the 11 p.m. newscast on September 9, 1995, hours before the switch to NBC.<ref>{{Citation |title=WCAU NewsCenter10 Last Newscast | date=November 14, 2008 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgU1h0gAdw4 |language=en |access-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref> When Facenda retired and ''The Newsroom'' went on-air with Jack Jones and Mike Tuck, WCAU used theme music produced in Philadelphia by deLise & Miller. It used Marx's original 1975 version from 1982 to 1987, a synthesized version produced by a local composer during the 1987–88 season and the "Palmer News Package" composed by [[Shelly Palmer#Work as a Composer|Shelly Palmer]] from 1988 to 1995. KYW-TV has used variants on this theme in recent years.

Shortly after CBS agreed to sell the station to NBC in the fall of 1994, WCAU began to slowly remove CBS references from the station's branding; in January 1995, the longtime moniker of ''Channel 10 News'' was eliminated in favor of ''NewsCenter 10'', which coincided with the debut of a reconstructed newsroom facility. During this time, new cuts of the Palmer News Package were used alongside an aqua blue and purple graphical package, and a black-and-white logo with no references to any network affiliation.<ref>{{Citation |title=WCAU - NewsCenter 10 - April 1995 | date=December 15, 2008 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-smnWGgpLo |language=en |access-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref> After the sale closed, NBC changed the name to ''News 10'', with anchors Ken Matz, Renee Chenault and reporter Siani Lee anchoring a special newscast the morning of September 10, 1995, explaining the station's new identity and the affiliation switch.<ref>{{Citation |title=Philly CBS and NBC 1995 On Air Swap | date=November 14, 2008 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SBdyozNvJM |language=en |access-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref>

The station's news operation was renamed again, this time to ''NBC 10 News'', beginning with the 11 p.m. newscast on September 11, 2000. On December 10, 2005, WCAU took over production of WPHL-TV (channel 17)'s nightly half-hour 10 p.m. newscast after that station shuttered its in-house news department and laid off its entire news and production staff; this new newscast was called ''WB 17 News at 10, Powered by NBC 10''. On July 25, 2006, the program was renamed ''My PHL 17 News, Powered by NBC 10'' to correspond with WPHL's then-pending switch to MyNetworkTV. This newscast competed with the 10 p.m. newscasts on WTXF (channel 29, which is produced in-house) and [[WPSG]] (channel 57, which is produced by KYW-TV). On September 14, 2012, WCAU produced its final edition of WPHL's newscast. The next day WPVI officially took over production and rebranded the newscast as ''Action News at 10 on PHL 17''.

From 2001 to 2005, [[WPPX-TV]] rebroadcast some of WCAU's newscasts.

On November 13, 2008, [[Fox Television Stations]] and NBC Local Media entered into an agreement to test a system that would allow Fox-owned stations and NBC-owned stations to pool their news resources ranging from shared video to any aerial video from a helicopter. WCAU and Fox owned-and-operated station WTXF were the first stations to undertake the plan (known as a "[[Local News Service]]" agreement) as an effective way to deal with the difficulties in costs in news operations.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.philly.com//philly/business/homepage/20081114_Fox__NBC_to_pool_news_video_in_Phila__area.html |title = Fox, NBC to pool news video in Phila. Area| date=November 14, 2008 }}</ref> WCAU later announced in September 2012, that it would be leaving the Local News Service agreement with WTXF and KYW-TV (which entered the agreement by 2010) and use its own helicopter. The new helicopter, dubbed "SkyForce 10", debuted on February 25, 2013.

WCAU became the fourth and last English-language television station in the Philadelphia [[media market|market]] to begin broadcasting its local news programming in [[high-definition television|high-definition]] on December 10, 2008, starting with its 4 p.m. newscast.<ref>http://www.tvpredictions.com/localhdtoday121008.htm {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> On September 12, 2011, WCAU expanded its weekday morning newscast to 4:30&nbsp;am, along with the launch of a new midday newscast at 11&nbsp;am, and the reduction of ''The 10! Show'' to a half-hour program. On December 6, 2011, the station announced a partnership with [[public broadcasting]] stations [[WHYY-FM]]-[[WHYY-TV|TV]] as part of a larger effort by [[NBCUniversal]] to partner with nonprofit news organizations following its acquisition by Comcast.<ref name=lat-wcauwhyy>{{cite news|title=Quick Takes: NBC, nonprofits to team|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-quick-20111206,0,7267633.story|access-date=December 10, 2011|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 6, 2011}}</ref> On September 15, 2012, ''The 10! Show'' ended its run after ten years. On September 17, 2012, WCAU's midday newscast expanded to one hour.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/celebrities_gossip/NBC10-ending-10-show-after-8-years-Last-broadcast-is-Friday.html |title = NBC10 ending '10!' show after 10 years, last broadcast is Friday| date=September 12, 2012 }}</ref> Their morning newscast starts at 4&nbsp;a.m.

Former morning anchor [[Vai Sikahema]] may be the station's most recognizable current personality. A former Philadelphia Eagle, Sikahema is one of several former NFL stars who have gone on to become sports news anchors (other notable examples include [[Jim Hill (American football)|Jim Hill]] of KCBS-TV in Los Angeles and [[Len Dawson]] of [[KMBC-TV]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]). While Sikahema anchored the sportscasts on WCAU-TV weeknights, on-air personalities from NBC Sports Philadelphia have anchored sports on weekends in recent years, owing to Comcast owning NBC through NBCUniversal since the start of the 2010s.

In February 2014, WCAU became the second television station in Philadelphia (behind Fox O&O WTXF-TV) to expand its weekday morning newscast to three hours, with addition of a half-hour at 4&nbsp;am; this newscast was canceled in 2016 but revived on July 31, 2017. In conjunction with this, they switched its music to the "L.A. Groove" theme that has been in use by sister stations KNBC in Los Angeles, KNSD in San Diego, KNTV in San Francisco and by WNBC in New York City (in the case of WNBC, it no longer uses "L.A. Groove" as its news theme as of 2016).

On July 11, 2016, beginning with the 4&nbsp;p.m. newscast, WCAU became the seventh NBC-owned station to begin using ArtWorks' "Look N" graphics package following WNBC, WTVJ, WVIT, KXAS-TV, WMAQ-TV and WRC-TV.

On October 21, 2018, WCAU moved to their new studios within the Comcast Technology Center, beginning with the 6&nbsp;p.m. newscast. The logo was also simplified to remove the redundant "NBC" text and streamline the [[NBC Peacock]] and the "10" numeral together more closely, as had been done with sister station [[WBTS-LD]]'s new "10" logo upon their numerical rebranding to "NBC 10 Boston" at the start of 2018.

In August 2019, WCAU announced that the last 15 minutes of its 11&nbsp;a.m. newscast would be cut in favor of their lifestyle show ''Philly Live'' beginning September 9.

In February 2020, WCAU announced a content partnership with Philadelphia-based company Entercom Communications (which in 2021 officially became known as [[Audacy, Inc.|Audacy]]) and its AM radio station [[KYW-AM]] along with its sister stations [[WIP-FM]], [[WTDY-FM]], [[WOGL-FM]], [[WPHT-AM]] and [[WBEB-FM]] for use of WCAU's on-air talent on the radio stations; it is the second station partnership between Entercom/Audacy and NBC (following KXAS-TV and [[KRLD (AM)|KRLD]] in Dallas beginning in 2018). Fellow NBC O&O stations had already partnered with radio stations in markets including Washington, D.C. (WRC-TV and [[WTOP-FM]]), New York City (WNBC and [[WOR (AM)|WOR]]), Los Angeles (KNBC and [[KABC-AM]]), Hartford (WVIT and [[WILI (AM)|WILI]]), and Miami (WTVJ and [[WIOD]]).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/business/nbc10-telemundo62-announce-new-partnership-with-entercom-radio-stations/2292521/|title=NBC10, Telemundo62 Announced New Partnership With Entercom Radio Stations|work=WCAU|publisher=NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations|date=February 10, 2020|access-date=February 11, 2020}}</ref>

On February 17, 2020, WCAU added a half-hour 7 p.m. newscast on weekdays.

It was announced in July 2020 that Sikahema would be retiring from NBC10 in November of that year after a 26-year run at the station, stepping away from the anchor position but still being active around the station until fully retiring.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fusion.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/nbc10-vai-sikahema-retiring-retires-tracy-davidson-news-20200730.html#loaded |title = Vai Sikahema is leaving NBC10| date=July 30, 2020 }}</ref> Additionally, co-anchor Tracy Davidson would be shifting away from the morning editions to anchor the 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts alongside Jacqueline London and Jim Rosenfield respectively. It was also revealed that previous 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. anchor team Keith Jones and Erin Coleman would take over the anchoring duties for the morning show. Sikahema and Davidson's last day anchoring the broadcast was on September 17, 2020, with Jones and Coleman taking over the next day. On December 23, 2022, Jim Rosenfield left NBC10 after nine years at the station to head home to New York and pursue other opportunities.<ref>{{cite news |title=NBC10 anchor Jim Rosenfield leaving the station after 9 years |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2022/12/08/jim-rosenfield-nbc10-leaving-station.html |access-date=April 7, 2023 |work=Philadelphia Business Journal |date=December 8, 2022}}</ref>

In July 2021, WCAU testing its "Look S" graphics package in their sponsor plugs; but the new graphics package officially premiered on July 19 of the same year, beginning with the 11&nbsp;a.m. newscast (sister Telemundo station WWSI also debuted the same package on that date).

On January 22, 2022, WCAU launched a new 24-hour streaming channel made exclusively for NBCUniversal's streaming service [[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]], dubbed as "NBC Philadelphia News" featuring the simulcasts and encores of the station's newscasts as well as the station's original content made for the channel. The new streaming channel comes following the announcement they would have a simultaneous rollout of streaming news channels with its sister stations in Chicago, Miami and Boston beginning on that date, with channels in New York and Los Angeles followed suit on March 17. Prior to the launch of the streaming channel, the station had a curated playlist made available on the streaming service since its April 2020 launch.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Peacock to Launch 24/7 Local News Channels from NBC Owned Television Stations|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2022/01/20/peacock-to-launch-24-7-local-news-channels-from-nbc-owned-television-stations-23312/20220120peacock01/|publisher=[[NBC Owned Television Stations]]/[[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock]]|date=January 20, 2022|accessdate=January 20, 2022|via=The Futon Critic|quote=Beginning today, all users have 24/7 free access to the award-winning coverage from NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ), NBC 10 Philadelphia (WCAU), NBC10 Boston (WBTS) and New England Cable Network (NECN), and NBC 6 Miami (WTVJ).}}</ref>

In March 2023, the station officially announced that Fred Shropshire, an anchor with [[WCNC-TV]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], had been hired to take over the 6, 7 and 11 p.m. anchor spots left open due to Rosenfeld's departure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/community/fred-shropshire-to-join-nbc10-as-evening-news-anchor/3513531/|title=Fred Shropshire to join NBC10 as evening news anchor|date=March 3, 2023}}</ref> However, he would not begin at the station until July 4 co-hosting the station's coverage of the Wawa Welcome America events alongside Jacqueline London and then would officially debut as London's co-anchor on July 10, a few days after his original announced debut date of June 26.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/about-nbc10/on-air/meet-nbc10s-new-evening-anchor-fred-shropshire/3603082/|title=Meet NBC10's new evening anchor, Fred Shropshire!|first=Joelle|last=DelPrete • •|date=July 12, 2023}}</ref> In the interim period between Rosenfeld's departure and Shropshire's arrival, morning anchor Keith Jones shifted down to weeknights to co-anchor with London at 6 and 11 p.m. while either he or London would anchor the 7 p.m. edition solo.

On December 19, 2025, the host of ''Philly Live'', Aunyea Lachelle, announced that she would be leaving the station after nearly seven years to pursue other interests; the show aired its final episode that day, as the 11 a.m. newscast returned to a full hour-long edition the following Monday.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video/news/local/philly-lives-aunyea-lachelle-says-goodbye-to-viewers-and-fans/4320283/|title=Philly Live's Aunyea Lachelle says goodbye to viewers and fans|website=NBC Philadelphia|date=December 19, 2025|accessdate=December 24, 2025}}</ref>

====Notable current on-air staff====
* [[Keith Jones (broadcaster)|Keith Jones]] – anchor

====Notable former on-air staff====
On June 26, 1972, three news correspondents were killed in a helicopter crash in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where they had been covering the [[flood]]ing stemming from [[Hurricane Agnes]]. The victims were Del Vaughn of [[CBS News]] and Sid Brenner and Louis Clark of WCAU, and the pilot, Mike Sedio.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/12043/harrisburg-pa-helicopter-crash-june-1972|title=Four Die in 'Copter Crash, June 27, 1972|publisher=The Morning Herald, Uniontown, Pennsylvania|access-date=June 5, 2014|archive-date=June 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607002349/http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/12043/harrisburg-pa-helicopter-crash-june-1972|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Diane Allen]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI">{{cite web |url=http://geocities.com/tvnews1.geo/alumni_wcau.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025183339/http://geocities.com/tvnews1.geo/alumni_wcau.html|archive-date=October 25, 2009 |title=WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI|publisher=[[Internet Archive]]|access-date=July 9, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Donald Barnhouse]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Suzanne Bates]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Pat Battle]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[John Bolaris]]
* [[Tom Brookshier]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Tom-Brookshier-Dies-at-78-83156357.html|title=Former Eagles Star Brookshier Dies at 78|last=Beh|first=Asha|date=January 30, 2010|publisher=WCAU|access-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Ron Burke (sportscaster)|Ron Burke]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Bill Campbell (sportscaster)|Bill Campbell]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Renee Chenault-Fattah]]
* [[Herb Clarke (weatherman)|Herb Clarke]] – meteorologist (1958–1997)<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Gene Crane]]
* [[Tracy Davidson]]
* [[Lori Delgado]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/Lori_Delgado_resigns_from_NBC10.html|title=Lori Delgado resigns from NBC10|last=Klein|first=Michael|date=October 7, 2008|publisher=[[Philadelphia Media Network]]|access-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Vince DeMentri]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/feuding-philly-anchors-making-not-breaking-news|title=Feuding Philly Anchors Making, Not Breaking, News|date=November 13, 2008|work=[[Fox News Channel]]|agency=Associated Press|access-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2015-03-05/entertainment/59772601_1_anchor-newscaster-united-nations|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416185725/http://articles.philly.com/2015-03-05/entertainment/59772601_1_anchor-newscaster-united-nations|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 16, 2015|title=Ex-Philly anchor fired, yet again, from midwest TV station|last=DeHuff|first=Jenny|date=March 5, 2015 |publisher=philly.com |access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Herb Denenberg]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Howard Eskin]]
* [[John Facenda]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Frank Ford (broadcaster)|Frank Ford]]
* [[Amy Freeze]]
* [[Doreen Gentzler]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Mike Golic]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Judd Hambrick]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Edie Huggins]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillygossip/Veteran_broadcaster_Edie_Huggins_dies_at_72.html|title=Veteran broadcaster Edie Huggins dies at 72 |last=Gross|first=Dan|date=July 29, 2008|publisher=[[Philadelphia Media Network]]|access-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Jack Jones (reporter)|Jack Jones]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Larry Kane]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Tim Lake]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillygossip/Anchor-Tim-Lake-is-out-at-NBC10-Station-did-not-renew-his-contract.html#ixzz2EaF93DcH | title=Anchor Tim Lake is out at NBC10. Station did not renew his contract| date=December 9, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Siani Lee]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Don Lemon]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/lemon.don.html|title=Don Lemon|publisher=CNN|access-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Gene London]] – children's entertainer
* [[J. J. Maura]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Voice-Over-Artist-JJ-Maura-Dies-99644374.html|title=Longtime Voice of NBC10 Dies|last=Stamm|first=Dan|date=July 20, 2010|publisher=WCAU|access-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Jade McCarthy]]
* [[Ed McMahon]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Jillian Mele]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=Jillian Mele: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know  |newspaper=[[Heavy.com]]|date=September 2018 |url= https://heavy.com/news/2018/09/jillian-mele/}}</ref>
* [[Al Meltzer]] – sports anchor (1978–1998)
* [[Larry Mendte]] – anchor (1996–2003)<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Barney Morris]]
* [[Kathy Orr (meteorologist)|Kathy Orr]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Ralph Penza]]
* [[Terry Ruggles]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Jim Rosenfield]] – anchor
* [[Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz]] – meteorologist
* [[Phillip Sheridan]]
* [[Fred Sherman (business commentator)|Fred Sherman]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2009/09/14/daily5.html|title=Business commentator Fred Sherman dies at 85|last=Blumenthal|first=Jeff|date=September 14, 2009|work=[[Philadelphia Business Journal]]|publisher=[[American City Business Journals]]|access-date=July 10, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Vai Sikahema]] – former sports anchor and morning anchor
* [[Tammie Souza]]
* [[Stephanie Stahl (reporter)|Stephanie Stahl]]<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
* [[Chuck Stone]]
* [[Mike Strug]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sct.temple.edu/web/alumni/notable-alumni/mike-strug/|title=Mike Strug|publisher=[[Temple University]]|access-date=July 10, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730193620/http://sct.temple.edu/web/alumni/notable-alumni/mike-strug/|archive-date=July 30, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Michael Tuck (journalist)|Michael Tuck]] – news anchor (1974–1978)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=August 21, 2022 |title=Michael Tuck Dies: Former Los Angeles And San Diego News Anchorman Was 76|url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/michael-tuck-dead-kcbs-anchorman-was-76-obituary-1235097057/|access-date=January 13, 2023|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Bill Vargus]]
* [[Jane Velez-Mitchell]]
* [[Lou Wagner]]
* [[Kristen Welker]] – reporter and weekend anchor (2005–2010)
* [[Jack Whitaker]]
* [[Brian Williams]] – New Jersey correspondent (1985–1987)<ref name="WCAU-TV NEWS ALUMNI" />
{{div col end}}

==Technical information and subchannels==
<section begin=subs />
WCAU and WWSI transmit using WCAU's spectrum from a tower in the [[Roxborough, Philadelphia|Roxborough]] section of Philadelphia.{{r|FCC-LMS-{{#ifeq:{{PAGENAME}}|WWSI|23142|63153}}}} The stations' signals are [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WCAU and WWSI<ref name=rei>{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WCAU|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WCAU#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|access-date=January 26, 2017}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | License
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! rowspan = "4" scope = "row" style="border-right: 4px solid #00387a;" | WCAU
! scope = "row" | 10.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=6| [[16:9]] || WCAU-TV || [[NBC]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 10.2
| rowspan=3|[[480i]] || COZI-TV || [[Cozi TV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 10.3
| CRIMES ||[[NBC True CRMZ]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 10.4
| OXYGEN || [[Oxygen (TV network)|Oxygen]]
|-
! rowspan = "2" scope = "row" style="border-right: 4px solid #c0141e;" | WWSI
! scope = "row" | 62.1 
| 1080i || WWSI-TV || [[Telemundo]] 
|-
! scope = "row" | 62.2 
| 480i || EXITOS || [[TeleXitos]]
|}
<section end=subs />
On October 25, 2010, WCAU introduced its own version of WNBC's [[New York Nonstop]] channel, ''NBC Philadelphia Nonstop''. This subchannel featured various news and entertainment programs, and a locally produced newscast at 7&nbsp;p.m. On December 20, 2012, digital subchannel 10.2 became an affiliate of [[Cozi TV]], which replaced the Nonstop network. 34.5 (virtual 62.1) carries WWSI, as described below, with 34.6/62.2 carrying [[TeleXitos]], under a channel share agreement.

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WCAU signed on its digital signal on December 4, 1998. The station shut down its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 10, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal moved from its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 67 to channel 34 for post-transition digital operations, because ABC affiliate [[WHTM-TV]] in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]], continued broadcasting on channel 10 after ceasing channel 27 analog transmission that day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref><ref name="FCCForm387">{{Cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101309596&formid=387&fac_num=63153|title=CDBS Print|website=licensing.fcc.gov|accessdate=April 7, 2023}}</ref> Digital television receivers continue to display WCAU's [[virtual channel]] as its former VHF analog channel 10.

===Channel share with WWSI===
On April 13, 2017, it was revealed that the over-the-air spectrum of sister station WWSI had been sold in the FCC's [[spectrum reallocation]] auction, fetching $125.9&nbsp;million. As a result, WWSI's signal is now co-located with WCAU; NBC stated that the WCAU transmitter provided "superior coverage".<ref name="tvnc-nbcspectrum">{{cite web|title=NBC Makes Over $480 Million From Auction|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/103245/nbc-makes-over-480-million-from-auction|website=TVNewsCheck|access-date=April 13, 2017|date=April 13, 2017}}</ref>

==Out-of-market carriage==
WCAU is carried in central and southern New Jersey on certain cable systems that generally receive local channels from New York. It is available from Comcast in select towns in southern [[Middlesex County, New Jersey|Middlesex County]], on digital channel 253, being moved there in December 2007 from analog channel 10 to "preserve bandwidth".{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}} In [[Monmouth County, New Jersey|Monmouth County]], WCAU is carried on [[Altice USA|Optimum]] Monmouth and Monmouth/[[Wall Township, New Jersey|Wall]]. All of [[Ocean County]] receives WCAU on Comcast and Cablevision systems, and for Ocean County Comcast subscribers, WCAU is on digital channel 253, for the same reasons above.

Comcast transmits WCAU to most of [[Sussex County, Delaware|Sussex County]] in Delaware, except for [[Fenwick Island, Delaware|Fenwick Island]] as the town uses former TCI (now Comcast) service, on channel 10. It is the only Philadelphia local channel remaining on the Limited Analog Service. [[Mediacom]] and [[Verizon FiOS]] do not broadcast WCAU in Sussex County.

Comcast and [[Blue Ridge Communications]] also carry WCAU in [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania]].

==References==
{{reflist|33em}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Philadelphia}}
{{commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/}}

{{Navboxes
| list1={{Philly TV}}
{{Pennsylvania TV}}
{{New Jersey TV}}
{{Delaware TV}}
{{NBCUniversal}}
{{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}}
{{Major League Baseball on NBC}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wcau}}
[[Category:1948 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Cozi TV affiliates]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:NBC Owned Television Stations]]
[[Category:NFL primary television stations]]
[[Category:Telecommunications buildings on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1948]]
[[Category:Television stations in Philadelphia|CAU]]