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EnglishWho Owns DCist and How Is It Connected to WAMU 88.5?
Updated
DCist is owned by WAMU 88.5, the public radio station licensed to American University in Washington, D.C. The site's own description states this ownership directly, and the page footer repeats it with WAMU's branding, mailing address (PO Box 98101, Washington, DC 20090-8101), station address (4401 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington DC 20008), and Combined Federal Campaign number (#91855). That makes DCist a publication of a public radio newsroom rather than an independent commercial outlet.
What the ownership means for readers
The connection is more than a credit line. WAMU's name appears in the site's copyright notice and terms of use, so editorial and business responsibility for DCist sits with the station. For a reader judging whether to trust or cite a DCist story, the practical takeaway is that the content comes from a public media organization with a named institution behind it.
How to verify it yourself
- Open dcist.com and read the site description near the top of the page — it names WAMU 88.5 as owner.
- Scroll to the footer and check the copyright line, terms of use, and privacy notice, all attributed to WAMU.
- Confirm the contact details match WAMU's published addresses if you need to reach the newsroom.
Expected result: you can trace the site to a specific station and university affiliation without relying on secondhand claims.
What DCist publishes
The ownership context matters because it explains the site's mix of coverage. DCist describes itself as covering news, city politics, arts, events, culture, and curiosities in Washington, D.C. The homepage bears this out with headlines on regional policy and institutions alongside lighter service pieces:
| Category | Example headlines from the site |
|---|---|
| Local news and politics | Maryland counties facing lost property tax revenue; D.C. Attorney General shutting down a recruitment firm; the D.C. crime bill explained |
| Arts and culture | Smithsonian policy on returning human remains; Howard students working on a Woolly Mammoth Theatre show; Black History Month events |
| Events and things to do | Weekend roundups ("11 Things To Do Around D.C. This Weekend"), Presidents' Day listings |
| Food | A popular bagel shop getting into the coffee business; a ballot initiative on tipped minimum wage |
The events roundups are a recurring format, which is why readers often arrive looking for weekend plans. The same ownership structure applies to those listings as to the news reporting.
Where the WAMU link shows up in practice
The footer also carries the American University Radio tag, tying the station to the university. If you are evaluating a DCist article for a school project, a citation, or a news tip, the chain to check is: DCist content → WAMU 88.5 → American University. Contact addresses on the site route to WAMU's Washington offices, so correspondence about a story goes to the station, not to a separate DCist entity.
One caution: the site does not publish pricing or subscription information in the material reviewed here, so do not assume access terms either way. If you need to know about membership or paywalls, check the site directly rather than inferring from the ownership.