MIAMI WTVJ was the first television station in Miami; it was started by Wometco Enterprises, the theater and entertainment company of the Wolfson family.
The station, first a CBS at 4, went on air on at 7 p.m. March 21, 1949 from the Everglades Hotel. In the clip here, you can see Col. Mitchell Wolfson talking about the reasons for starting the station, and can see a few scenes of its first 15 years. The station was the 16th that opened in the U.S.
The clip is from the Wolfson Archive. You can see other moving images in the archive by viewing their Youtube channel HERE. The station later became an NBC owned station
Below, a few clips of the station through the years.
Below, a later 45th anniversary from the 1980s when WTVJ was an NBC affiliate, including video of Ralph Renick. Remember. “Rain or sunny, the Dolphins will emerge number onney.”
A video of the station before it moved from Miami 316 N. Miami Ave. to Miramar
And a last day of broadcast from legend Bob Mayer
