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A month before WFMY radio debuted, the Greensboro News Company applied on February 26, 1948, for authority to build a television station.<ref name="Gree480227">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-news-company-appli/151030248/|date=February 27, 1948|page=5|title=News Company Applies For Television Permit|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> The [[Federal Communications Commission]] approved the request on June 2,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=86184|title=History Cards for WFMY-TV|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> but preparations for the new station began in earnest in April 1949, after final construction approval for changes.<ref name="News490819">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-television-dream-becomes/151031368/|date=August 19, 1949|page=2:1|title=Television Dream Becomes Reality|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Among the last items was a modification to the existing WFMY radio tower, which was set back by the failure of a cable, causing the antenna to drop and be damaged.<ref name="News490802">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-television-antenna-damag/151031829/|date=August 2, 1949|page=2:1|title=Television Antenna Damaged When Supporting Cable Snaps|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --><ref name="News490811">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-tv-antenna-is-final/151031335/|date=August 11, 1949|page=2:1|first=Leo|last=Schumaker|title=WFMY-TV Antenna Is Finally Hoisted|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu -->
A month before WFMY radio debuted, the Greensboro News Company applied on February 26, 1948, for authority to build a television station.<ref name="Gree480227">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-news-company-appli/151030248/|date=February 27, 1948|page=5|title=News Company Applies For Television Permit|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> The [[Federal Communications Commission]] approved the request on June 2,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=86184|title=History Cards for WFMY-TV|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> but preparations for the new station began in earnest in April 1949, after final construction approval for changes.<ref name="News490819">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-television-dream-becomes/151031368/|date=August 19, 1949|page=2:1|title=Television Dream Becomes Reality|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Among the last items was a modification to the existing WFMY radio tower, which was set back by the failure of a cable, causing the antenna to drop and be damaged.<ref name="News490802">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-television-antenna-damag/151031829/|date=August 2, 1949|page=2:1|title=Television Antenna Damaged When Supporting Cable Snaps|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --><ref name="News490811">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-tv-antenna-is-final/151031335/|date=August 11, 1949|page=2:1|first=Leo|last=Schumaker|title=WFMY-TV Antenna Is Finally Hoisted|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu -->


WFMY-TV made its first test broadcasts on August 18, 1949. At 6:10 p.m., viewers saw staff announcer Don Hardison; the newscast did not start correctly with sound, and the first words viewers heard Hardison say were "Judas Priest".<ref name="News991213">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-evolved-with-the-so/151035533/|date=December 13, 1999|pages=A1, [https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/news-and-record-wfmy/151035515/ A4]|first=Jeri|last=Rowe|title=WFMY evolved with the South|newspaper=News & Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Mon --> This was the first live television broadcast in North Carolina; while [[WBTV]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] was already on the air, it lacked the capability to originate local broadcasts.<ref name="Stat490819">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/statesville-daily-record-live-television/151031390/|date=August 19, 1949|page= 1|title=Live Television Show Broadcast At Greensoro [sic]|newspaper=Statesville Daily Record|location=Statesville, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Full programming began on September 22, 1949, and the station initially aired six days a week, going off the air every Saturday.<ref name="Gree490923">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-about-20000-see-w/151031648/|date=September 23, 1949|page=1-B|title=About 20,000 See WFMY's TV Inaugural|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> WFMY-TV was a primary affiliate of [[CBS]],<ref name="News490617">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-tv-station-signs-wi/151031182/|date=June 17, 1949|page=1|title=WFMY-TV Station Signs With CBS For Television|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> but it had arrangements to use programming from all four networks of the day, including [[NBC]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], and [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont Television Network]].<ref name="Gree490628">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-wfmy-tv-enters-con/151031241/|date=June 28, 1949|page=1-B|title=WFMY-TV Enters Contract With DuMont For Television|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --><ref name="Chap490812">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-chapel-hill-news-preliminary-scenes/151031533/|date=August 12, 1949|page=1|title=Preliminary Scenes from Greensboro's Television Station Are Expected to Be on Screen Here Today|newspaper=The Chapel Hill News|location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Network programs were presented by [[kinescope]]s—filmed recordings of telecasts as seen in New York—until September 1950, when network coaxial cable service reached Greensboro.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Cable to WFMY-TV|id={{pq|1401186749}}|date=October 2, 1950|page=73|work=Broadcasting}}</ref> WFMY radio closed on April 19, 1953, with its studio space and personnel absorbed into the growing television operation.<ref name="News530331">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-petitioning-to-disc/151032044/|date=March 31, 1953|page=1:7|title=WFMY Petitioning To Discontinue Broadcasting|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->
WFMY-TV made its first test broadcasts on August 18, 1949. At 6:10 p.m., viewers saw staff announcer Don Hardison; the newscast did not start correctly with sound, and the first words viewers heard Hardison say were "Judas Priest".<ref name="News991213">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-evolved-with-the-so/151035533/|date=December 13, 1999|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy/151035515/ A4]|first=Jeri|last=Rowe|title=WFMY evolved with the South|newspaper=News & Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Mon --> This was the first live television broadcast in North Carolina; while [[WBTV]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] was already on the air, it lacked the capability to originate local broadcasts.<ref name="Stat490819">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/statesville-daily-record-live-television/151031390/|date=August 19, 1949|page= 1|title=Live Television Show Broadcast At Greensoro [sic]|newspaper=Statesville Daily Record|location=Statesville, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Full programming began on September 22, 1949, and the station initially aired six days a week, going off the air every Saturday.<ref name="Gree490923">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-about-20000-see-w/151031648/|date=September 23, 1949|page=1-B|title=About 20,000 See WFMY's TV Inaugural|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> WFMY-TV was a primary affiliate of [[CBS]],<ref name="News490617">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-tv-station-signs-wi/151031182/|date=June 17, 1949|page=1|title=WFMY-TV Station Signs With CBS For Television|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> but it had arrangements to use programming from all four networks of the day, including [[NBC]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], and [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont Television Network]].<ref name="Gree490628">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-wfmy-tv-enters-con/151031241/|date=June 28, 1949|page=1-B|title=WFMY-TV Enters Contract With DuMont For Television|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --><ref name="Chap490812">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-chapel-hill-news-preliminary-scenes/151031533/|date=August 12, 1949|page=1|title=Preliminary Scenes from Greensboro's Television Station Are Expected to Be on Screen Here Today|newspaper=The Chapel Hill News|location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Network programs were presented by [[kinescope]]s—filmed recordings of telecasts as seen in New York—until September 1950, when network coaxial cable service reached Greensboro.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Cable to WFMY-TV|id={{pq|1401186749}}|date=October 2, 1950|page=73|work=Broadcasting}}</ref> WFMY radio closed on April 19, 1953, with its studio space and personnel absorbed into the growing television operation.<ref name="News530331">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-petitioning-to-disc/151032044/|date=March 31, 1953|page=1:7|title=WFMY Petitioning To Discontinue Broadcasting|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->


WFMY and WBTV were the only authorized television stations in North Carolina prior to the FCC's freeze on new television station awards, which lasted from October 1948 to July 1952.<ref>{{cite news|first=Rufus|last=Crater|pages=22A, 57|work=Broadcasting|id={{ProQuest|1040475180}}|title=Television Freeze: FCC Action Halted Pending Definite Policy|date=October 4, 1948}}</ref><ref name="BC520415">{{Cite news|date=April 15, 1952|title=Thaw July 1: 617 VHFs, 1436 UHFs in 1291 Markets; Educators Win|work=Broadcasting|pages=23, 67–68|id={{ProQuest|1285696665}} }}</ref> As a result, channel 2 was the first television station to provide dependable service not only to the Triad but areas of east-central North Carolina; this included [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] and the state capital, [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]], which did not get a local station until July 1953. Even then, [[WNAO-TV]] was an [[ultra high frequency]] (UHF) station and required a converter to view, so many households in Raleigh continued to mostly watch WFMY<ref name="News790930">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-when-tv-hit-the-ai/92287013/|date=September 30, 1979|pages=1-V, [https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-news-and-observer-tvs-debut-in-caro/92287246/ 11-V]|first=Jane A.|last=Welch|title=When TV hit the airwaves in Carolina|newspaper=The News and Observer|location=Raleigh, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun --> until [[WTVD]] began in Durham in September 1954.<ref name="Hera810426">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun-with-snowy-start-tv-view/121798090/|date=April 26, 1981|page=11I|first=Ernie|last=Greup|title=With Snowy Start, TV Viewing Began In '49|newspaper=Durham Morning Herald|location=Durham, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun --> The end of the freeze also brought new stations to the Triad. WFMY-TV became a sole CBS affiliate in September 1953 when two new stations went on the air in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina|Winston-Salem]]. First on air was [[WTOB-TV]] (channel 26), an affiliate of ABC and DuMont,<ref name="Wins660410">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122096774/television-from-faint-flicker-to-full-c/|date=April 10, 1966|page=J2|first=George|last=Thomas|title=Television: From Faint Flicker to Full Color|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 6, 2023|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407034250/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122096774/television-from-faint-flicker-to-full/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun --> followed by NBC affiliate WSJS-TV (now [[WXII-TV]]) on channel 12.<ref name="Wins531001">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121979952/series-opener-provides-wsjs-first-video/|date=October 1, 1953|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121979990/television/ 4]|title=Series Opener Provides WSJS First Video|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 6, 2023|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407034329/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121979952/series-opener-provides-wsjs-first-video/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> WTOB-TV closed in 1957, and channels 2 and 12 split ABC programming<ref name="Wins620412">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-a-third-television/151104069/|date=April 12, 1962|page=4|type=Editorial|title=A Third Television Channel|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu --> until [[WGHP]] began on channel 8 in 1963.<ref name="Wins631015">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-new-tv-station-ope/122368698/|date=October 15, 1963|page=21|title=New TV Station Operating|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->
WFMY and WBTV were the only authorized television stations in North Carolina prior to the FCC's freeze on new television station awards, which lasted from October 1948 to July 1952.<ref>{{cite news|first=Rufus|last=Crater|pages=22A, 57|work=Broadcasting|id={{ProQuest|1040475180}}|title=Television Freeze: FCC Action Halted Pending Definite Policy|date=October 4, 1948}}</ref><ref name="BC520415">{{Cite news|date=April 15, 1952|title=Thaw July 1: 617 VHFs, 1436 UHFs in 1291 Markets; Educators Win|work=Broadcasting|pages=23, 67–68|id={{ProQuest|1285696665}} }}</ref> As a result, channel 2 was the first television station to provide dependable service not only to the Triad but areas of east-central North Carolina; this included [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] and the state capital, [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]], which did not get a local station until July 1953. Even then, [[WNAO-TV]] was an [[ultra high frequency]] (UHF) station and required a converter to view, so many households in Raleigh continued to mostly watch WFMY<ref name="News790930">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-when-tv-hit-the-ai/92287013/|date=September 30, 1979|pages=1-V, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-tvs-debut-in-caro/92287246/ 11-V]|first=Jane A.|last=Welch|title=When TV hit the airwaves in Carolina|newspaper=The News and Observer|location=Raleigh, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun --> until [[WTVD]] began in Durham in September 1954.<ref name="Hera810426">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-herald-sun-with-snowy-start-tv-view/121798090/|date=April 26, 1981|page=11I|first=Ernie|last=Greup|title=With Snowy Start, TV Viewing Began In '49|newspaper=Durham Morning Herald|location=Durham, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun --> The end of the freeze also brought new stations to the Triad. WFMY-TV became a sole CBS affiliate in September 1953 when two new stations went on the air in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina|Winston-Salem]]. First on air was [[WTOB-TV]] (channel 26), an affiliate of ABC and DuMont,<ref name="Wins660410">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122096774/television-from-faint-flicker-to-full-c/|date=April 10, 1966|page=J2|first=George|last=Thomas|title=Television: From Faint Flicker to Full Color|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 6, 2023|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407034250/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122096774/television-from-faint-flicker-to-full/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sun --> followed by NBC affiliate WSJS-TV (now [[WXII-TV]]) on channel 12.<ref name="Wins531001">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121979952/series-opener-provides-wsjs-first-video/|date=October 1, 1953|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121979990/television/ 4]|title=Series Opener Provides WSJS First Video|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 6, 2023|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407034329/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121979952/series-opener-provides-wsjs-first-video/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> WTOB-TV closed in 1957, and channels 2 and 12 split ABC programming<ref name="Wins620412">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-a-third-television/151104069/|date=April 12, 1962|page=4|type=Editorial|title=A Third Television Channel|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu --> until [[WGHP]] began on channel 8 in 1963.<ref name="Wins631015">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-new-tv-station-ope/122368698/|date=October 15, 1963|page=21|title=New TV Station Operating|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->


Beginning at the end of 1953, WFMY-TV built new facilities and a new tower, {{convert|659|ft|m}} high plus a {{convert|101|ft|m|adj=on}} antenna, at its present studio site at Phillips and Summit avenues.<ref name="News531231">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-crew-en-route-to-erect-n/151035083/|date=December 31, 1953|page=13|title=Crew En Route To Erect New Video Tower|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The new building was six times larger than the {{Convert|4500|ft2|m2|adj=on}} facility on Davie Street and boasted two studios, each larger than the original studio of {{convert|14|by|26|ft|m}}.<ref name="News540322">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-tv-station-construction/151035148/|date=March 22, 1954|page=2:1|title=TV Station Construction To Begin: City Firm To Build WFMY-TV Home|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Mon --> The station moved to the new studios on January 2, 1955, and simultaneously increased its power to the maximum of 100,000 watts.<ref name="Gree550103">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-tv-officials-repor/151035163/|date=January 3, 1955|page=B-3|title=TV Officials Report Successful Expansion|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Mon -->
Beginning at the end of 1953, WFMY-TV built new facilities and a new tower, {{convert|659|ft|m}} high plus a {{convert|101|ft|m|adj=on}} antenna, at its present studio site at Phillips and Summit avenues.<ref name="News531231">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-crew-en-route-to-erect-n/151035083/|date=December 31, 1953|page=13|title=Crew En Route To Erect New Video Tower|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The new building was six times larger than the {{Convert|4500|ft2|m2|adj=on}} facility on Davie Street and boasted two studios, each larger than the original studio of {{convert|14|by|26|ft|m}}.<ref name="News540322">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-tv-station-construction/151035148/|date=March 22, 1954|page=2:1|title=TV Station Construction To Begin: City Firm To Build WFMY-TV Home|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Mon --> The station moved to the new studios on January 2, 1955, and simultaneously increased its power to the maximum of 100,000 watts.<ref name="Gree550103">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-tv-officials-repor/151035163/|date=January 3, 1955|page=B-3|title=TV Officials Report Successful Expansion|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Mon -->


[[File:wfmy mike.JPG|thumb|right|100px|A vintage WFMY-TV microphone|alt=An old microphone with a custom W F M Y - TV label on the top]]
[[File:wfmy mike.JPG|thumb|right|100px|A vintage WFMY-TV microphone|alt=An old microphone with a custom W F M Y - TV label on the top]]
Over the course of the 1950s, WFMY-TV launched three long-running local programs. In 1951, the station debuted the children's show ''Six-Gun Playhouse''. It was hosted by George Perry, who noted a fad of Confederate fashion at the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] and adopted a "Rebel cap" for his character. ''The Old Rebel Show''—filmed before a live studio audience of dozens of children—remained on the station for 26 years, first in afternoons and then in mornings before becoming a weekly Saturday program in its final year.<ref name="Sent770831">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-sentinel-old-rebel-ending-run-13/151032770/|date=August 31, 1977|pages=13, [https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-sentinel-the-old-rebel-ending-tv-run/151032811/ 14]|first=Richard|last=Starbuck|title='Old Rebel' Ending Run|newspaper=The Sentinel|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Wed --><ref name="Char801125">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-george-perry-th/151032739/|date=November 25, 1980|page=2B|first=John|last=York|title=George Perry, 'The Old Rebel,' Dies At 58|newspaper=The Charlotte Observer|location=Charlotte, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --> ''What's Cooking Today'', a cooking series hosted by Cordelia Kelly, ran for 18 years from 1953 to 1971.<ref name="News880114">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-tv-cook-cordelia-kelly-d/151033090/|date=January 14, 1988|pages=D1, [https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/news-and-record-kelly/151033103/ D2]|first=Jim|last=Schlosser|title=TV cook Cordelia Kelly dies at 82|newspaper=News & Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu -->
Over the course of the 1950s, WFMY-TV launched three long-running local programs. In 1951, the station debuted the children's show ''Six-Gun Playhouse''. It was hosted by George Perry, who noted a fad of Confederate fashion at the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] and adopted a "Rebel cap" for his character. ''The Old Rebel Show''—filmed before a live studio audience of dozens of children—remained on the station for 26 years, first in afternoons and then in mornings before becoming a weekly Saturday program in its final year.<ref name="Sent770831">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-sentinel-old-rebel-ending-run-13/151032770/|date=August 31, 1977|pages=13, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sentinel-the-old-rebel-ending-tv-run/151032811/ 14]|first=Richard|last=Starbuck|title='Old Rebel' Ending Run|newspaper=The Sentinel|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Wed --><ref name="Char801125">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-george-perry-th/151032739/|date=November 25, 1980|page=2B|first=John|last=York|title=George Perry, 'The Old Rebel,' Dies At 58|newspaper=The Charlotte Observer|location=Charlotte, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --> ''What's Cooking Today'', a cooking series hosted by Cordelia Kelly, ran for 18 years from 1953 to 1971.<ref name="News880114">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-tv-cook-cordelia-kelly-d/151033090/|date=January 14, 1988|pages=D1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-kelly/151033103/ D2]|first=Jim|last=Schlosser|title=TV cook Cordelia Kelly dies at 82|newspaper=News & Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu -->


The third major program in the 1950s came about as the result of a schedule change by CBS. When the network dropped an early incarnation of ''[[The Jimmy Dean Show]]'', program director Gomer Lesch sought to fill the 7:30 a.m. slot it vacated with a local program along the lines of a radio morning show. On December 16, 1957, ''The Good Morning Show'' debuted, hosted by WFMY-TV announcer Lee Kinard. Over the years, the program evolved from a half-hour show that played music into a morning show with news, weather, sports, and community features. It expanded first to an hour, then 90 minutes and finally two hours in 1971.<ref name="News771211">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-lee-kinard-the-good-mo/151121236/|date=December 11, 1977|pages=TV Week 1, [https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/news-and-record-the-good-morning-man/151121636/ 5]|title=Lee Kinard: The 'Good Morning' Man|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun --> Kinard also hosted a variety show in the afternoon, ''TV Matinee'', that lasted until 1965.{{r|News771211}} in addition to presenting the weather on WFMY's early evening newscast.<ref name="Stan580919">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/stanly-news-and-press-lee-kinard-new-wea/151121080/|date=September 19, 1958|page=14-B|title=Lee Kinard New Weatherman On Greensboro TV|newspaper=Stanly News and Press|location=Albemarle, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri -->
The third major program in the 1950s came about as the result of a schedule change by CBS. When the network dropped an early incarnation of ''[[The Jimmy Dean Show]]'', program director Gomer Lesch sought to fill the 7:30 a.m. slot it vacated with a local program along the lines of a radio morning show. On December 16, 1957, ''The Good Morning Show'' debuted, hosted by WFMY-TV announcer Lee Kinard. Over the years, the program evolved from a half-hour show that played music into a morning show with news, weather, sports, and community features. It expanded first to an hour, then 90 minutes and finally two hours in 1971.<ref name="News771211">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-lee-kinard-the-good-mo/151121236/|date=December 11, 1977|pages=TV Week 1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-the-good-morning-man/151121636/ 5]|title=Lee Kinard: The 'Good Morning' Man|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun --> Kinard also hosted a variety show in the afternoon, ''TV Matinee'', that lasted until 1965.{{r|News771211}} in addition to presenting the weather on WFMY's early evening newscast.<ref name="Stan580919">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/stanly-news-and-press-lee-kinard-new-wea/151121080/|date=September 19, 1958|page=14-B|title=Lee Kinard New Weatherman On Greensboro TV|newspaper=Stanly News and Press|location=Albemarle, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri -->


===Landmark and Harte-Hanks ownership===
===Landmark and Harte-Hanks ownership===
The Greensboro News Company, its newspapers and WFMY-TV included, were acquired by Norfolk–Portsmouth Newspapers Inc. in a $17.1&nbsp;million transaction in 1964; half the transaction cost was estimated to represent the television station.<ref>{{Cite news|title=A banner week in station sales|pages=54–55|work=Broadcasting|date=September 7, 1964|id={{pq|1014489015}} }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|page=68|title=Norfolk media group buys Greensboro TV|work=Broadcasting|id={{pq|1014491556}}|date=October 5, 1964}}</ref> Despite objections from some FCC commissioners over excessive concentration of media, the deal received approval in December,<ref>{{Cite news|pages=39-40|work=Broadcasting|title=FCC okays sale of WFMY-TV|date=December 21, 1964|id={{pq|1014479827}} }}</ref> Norfolk–Portsmouth Newspapers, now with media interests beyond Virginia, renamed itself [[Landmark Communications]] in 1967.<ref name="Gree670202">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-landmark-communica/151119989/|date=February 2, 1967|page=D10|title=Landmark Communications Inc. Will Be Name Of Parent Firm|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu -->
The Greensboro News Company, its newspapers and WFMY-TV included, were acquired by Norfolk–Portsmouth Newspapers Inc. in a $17.1&nbsp;million transaction in 1964; half the transaction cost was estimated to represent the television station.<ref>{{Cite news|title=A banner week in station sales|pages=54–55|work=Broadcasting|date=September 7, 1964|id={{pq|1014489015}} }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|page=68|title=Norfolk media group buys Greensboro TV|work=Broadcasting|id={{pq|1014491556}}|date=October 5, 1964}}</ref> Despite objections from some FCC commissioners over excessive concentration of media, the deal received approval in December,<ref>{{Cite news|pages=39-40|work=Broadcasting|title=FCC okays sale of WFMY-TV|date=December 21, 1964|id={{pq|1014479827}} }}</ref> Norfolk–Portsmouth Newspapers, now with media interests beyond Virginia, renamed itself [[Landmark Communications]] in 1967.<ref name="Gree670202">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-landmark-communica/151119989/|date=February 2, 1967|page=D10|title=Landmark Communications Inc. Will Be Name Of Parent Firm|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu -->


The [[Greensboro sit-ins]] in 1960 spurred changes in the short- and long-term at WFMY-TV as well as the growth of the news department. These changes became visible in the late 1960s and 1970s as the station hired Black presenters and reporters. Fred Davis, hired in December 1968, was the first Black reporter at the station; his wife received death threats for Fred, threatening a reprise of "[[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|what happened to Martin Luther King]]".{{r|News991213}} Davis left for Michigan, but he recommended television to another graduate of [[North Carolina A&T State University]], Sandra Hughes. Hughes joined in 1972 and two years later was hosting a daily talk show, ''Sandra & Friends'', making her the first African American to host such a program in North Carolina. At times, bomb threats were called into the station; she stayed in the studio as almost everyone else evacuated, keeping the program going.<ref name="News100314">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-leaving-is-hard-to-do-r/151035498/|date=March 14, 2010|pages=D1, [https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/news-and-record-leaving/151035475/ D2]|first=Robert|last=Lopez|title=Leaving is hard to do: Retirement seems bittersweet for Hughes, who will likely leave this year|newspaper=News and Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun -->
The [[Greensboro sit-ins]] in 1960 spurred changes in the short- and long-term at WFMY-TV as well as the growth of the news department. These changes became visible in the late 1960s and 1970s as the station hired Black presenters and reporters. Fred Davis, hired in December 1968, was the first Black reporter at the station; his wife received death threats for Fred, threatening a reprise of "[[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|what happened to Martin Luther King]]".{{r|News991213}} Davis left for Michigan, but he recommended television to another graduate of [[North Carolina A&T State University]], Sandra Hughes. Hughes joined in 1972 and two years later was hosting a daily talk show, ''Sandra & Friends'', making her the first African American to host such a program in North Carolina. At times, bomb threats were called into the station; she stayed in the studio as almost everyone else evacuated, keeping the program going.<ref name="News100314">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-leaving-is-hard-to-do-r/151035498/|date=March 14, 2010|pages=D1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-leaving/151035475/ D2]|first=Robert|last=Lopez|title=Leaving is hard to do: Retirement seems bittersweet for Hughes, who will likely leave this year|newspaper=News and Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun -->


[[Harte-Hanks]] Newspapers acquired WFMY-TV from Landmark in a $19&nbsp;million deal announced in July 1976 and closed in January 1977.<ref name="Cors760702">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/corsicana-daily-sun-harte-hanks-buys-tv/151034792/|date=July 2, 1976|page= 2|agency=Associated Press|title=Harte-Hanks buys TV station|newspaper=Corsicana Daily Sun|location=Corsicana, Texas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --><ref name="Durh770104">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-durham-sun-wfmy-tv-sale-brings-19-m/151034823/|date=January 4, 1977|page=8-A|agency=Associated Press|title=WFMY-TV Sale Brings $19 Million|newspaper=The Durham Sun|location=Durham, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --> ''Old Rebel'' was canceled by the station, having "run its course".<ref>{{Cite news|page=214|title='Old Rebel,' 57, Grounded At 26: George Perry's Venerable Kidvid Program At Greensboro's WFMY-TV 'Runs Its Course'|work=Variety|date=October 19, 1977|id={{pq|1286109130}} }}</ref>{{r|Sent770831}} Landmark never gave a specific reason for selling WFMY-TV, but [[Media cross-ownership in the United States|newspaper–broadcast cross-ownership]] limitations were suggested, as was a concurrent project to build a new printing press for the Greensboro newspapers.<ref>{{cite news|date=October 6, 1976|page=56|title=Landmark Co. Gives 'Future' Reason For Sale Of WFMY-TV|work=Variety|id={{pq|1401295329}} }}</ref> When ''Sandra & Friends'' ended in 1978, Hughes initially moved to hosting the station's version of ''[[PM Magazine]]''.{{r|News100314}} By this time, the station had cemented itself as the ratings leader; when one survey in 1978 showed WXII ahead of WFMY-TV at 6 p.m., Jerry Kenion of the ''Greensboro Daily News'' called it "the first time in recent memory (and perhaps the first time ever)" that WFMY had been surpassed.<ref name="News781221">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-tv-fires-11-pm-pr/151142552/|date=December 21, 1978|page=B6|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|title=WFMY-TV Fires 11 P.M. Producer, Drops 'Sandra!' Show After Ratings|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu --> That turned out to be a fluke, even by the admission of WXII management.<ref name="Wins800104">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-wxiifirst-or-last/151142864/|date=January 4, 1980|page=15|first=John|last=Byrd|title=WXII—First or Last or...|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> In 1981, the station expanded its evening newscast to an hour, the first in North Carolina outside of Charlotte.<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 30, 1981|work=Variety|id={{pq|1438350149}}|title=WFMY Debuts Hour Newscast Format}}</ref> In 1982, when CBS expanded its morning offerings, the weekday edition of the network morning show—then titled ''Morning''—was removed from channel 2's schedule to keep the highly popular ''The Good Morning Show'' intact, and WFMY also lost ''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'' due to the scheduling difference.<ref name="News820119">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-captain-kangaroo-to-ge/151144229/|date=January 19, 1982|page=A9|first=Sue|last=Robinson|title='Captain Kangaroo' To Get Ax Locally After January 31|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->
[[Harte-Hanks]] Newspapers acquired WFMY-TV from Landmark in a $19&nbsp;million deal announced in July 1976 and closed in January 1977.<ref name="Cors760702">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/corsicana-daily-sun-harte-hanks-buys-tv/151034792/|date=July 2, 1976|page= 2|agency=Associated Press|title=Harte-Hanks buys TV station|newspaper=Corsicana Daily Sun|location=Corsicana, Texas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --><ref name="Durh770104">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-durham-sun-wfmy-tv-sale-brings-19-m/151034823/|date=January 4, 1977|page=8-A|agency=Associated Press|title=WFMY-TV Sale Brings $19 Million|newspaper=The Durham Sun|location=Durham, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --> ''Old Rebel'' was canceled by the station, having "run its course".<ref>{{Cite news|page=214|title='Old Rebel,' 57, Grounded At 26: George Perry's Venerable Kidvid Program At Greensboro's WFMY-TV 'Runs Its Course'|work=Variety|date=October 19, 1977|id={{pq|1286109130}} }}</ref>{{r|Sent770831}} Landmark never gave a specific reason for selling WFMY-TV, but [[Media cross-ownership in the United States|newspaper–broadcast cross-ownership]] limitations were suggested, as was a concurrent project to build a new printing press for the Greensboro newspapers.<ref>{{cite news|date=October 6, 1976|page=56|title=Landmark Co. Gives 'Future' Reason For Sale Of WFMY-TV|work=Variety|id={{pq|1401295329}} }}</ref> When ''Sandra & Friends'' ended in 1978, Hughes initially moved to hosting the station's version of ''[[PM Magazine]]''.{{r|News100314}} By this time, the station had cemented itself as the ratings leader; when one survey in 1978 showed WXII ahead of WFMY-TV at 6 p.m., Jerry Kenion of the ''Greensboro Daily News'' called it "the first time in recent memory (and perhaps the first time ever)" that WFMY had been surpassed.<ref name="News781221">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wfmy-tv-fires-11-pm-pr/151142552/|date=December 21, 1978|page=B6|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|title=WFMY-TV Fires 11 P.M. Producer, Drops 'Sandra!' Show After Ratings|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Thu --> That turned out to be a fluke, even by the admission of WXII management.<ref name="Wins800104">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-wxiifirst-or-last/151142864/|date=January 4, 1980|page=15|first=John|last=Byrd|title=WXII—First or Last or...|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=Winston-Salem, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> In 1981, the station expanded its evening newscast to an hour, the first in North Carolina outside of Charlotte.<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 30, 1981|work=Variety|id={{pq|1438350149}}|title=WFMY Debuts Hour Newscast Format}}</ref> In 1982, when CBS expanded its morning offerings, the weekday edition of the network morning show—then titled ''Morning''—was removed from channel 2's schedule to keep the highly popular ''The Good Morning Show'' intact, and WFMY also lost ''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'' due to the scheduling difference.<ref name="News820119">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-captain-kangaroo-to-ge/151144229/|date=January 19, 1982|page=A9|first=Sue|last=Robinson|title='Captain Kangaroo' To Get Ax Locally After January 31|newspaper=Greensboro Daily News|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->


In 1980, WFMY-TV built its current tower near [[Sophia, North Carolina]], south of Greensboro. The {{convert|1914|ft|m|adj=on}} mast cost $3&nbsp;million to build and was part of a plan to increase the station's coverage area from {{convert|11720|mi2|km2}} to {{convert|19730|mi2|km2}}, though it also impaired reception for residents in its shadow.<ref name="Gree800530">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-antenna-boon-or-bl/151035194/|date=May 30, 1980|pages=B1, [https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-greensboro-record-antenna-sends-tv-2/151035176/ B8]|first=Blanche|last=Alston|title=Antenna boon or blight? Depends on view of TV 2|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --><ref name="Gree800708">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-kinks-remain-in-ch/151035257/|date=July 8, 1980|pages=B1, [https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-greensboro-record-tower-shadows-so/151035247/ B2]|first=Melanie|last=Sill|title=Kinks remain in Channel 2 tower|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->
In 1980, WFMY-TV built its current tower near [[Sophia, North Carolina]], south of Greensboro. The {{convert|1914|ft|m|adj=on}} mast cost $3&nbsp;million to build and was part of a plan to increase the station's coverage area from {{convert|11720|mi2|km2}} to {{convert|19730|mi2|km2}}, though it also impaired reception for residents in its shadow.<ref name="Gree800530">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-antenna-boon-or-bl/151035194/|date=May 30, 1980|pages=B1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-antenna-sends-tv-2/151035176/ B8]|first=Blanche|last=Alston|title=Antenna boon or blight? Depends on view of TV 2|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --><ref name="Gree800708">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-kinks-remain-in-ch/151035257/|date=July 8, 1980|pages=B1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greensboro-record-tower-shadows-so/151035247/ B2]|first=Melanie|last=Sill|title=Kinks remain in Channel 2 tower|newspaper=The Greensboro Record|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue -->


===Gannett/Tegna ownership===
===Gannett/Tegna ownership===

Revision as of 21:58, 11 July 2024

WFMY-TV
CityGreensboro, North Carolina
Channels
BrandingWFMY News 2
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
September 22, 1949 (74 years ago) (1949-09-22)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 2 (VHF, 1949–2009)
  • Digital: 51 (UHF, until 2020)
Call sign meaning
Began as the television sister of FM station WFMY
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID72064
ERP743 kW
HAAT568.8 m (1,866 ft)
Transmitter coordinates35°52′13.3″N 79°50′24.1″W / 35.870361°N 79.840028°W / 35.870361; -79.840028
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.wfmynews2.com

WFMY-TV (channel 2) is a television station licensed to Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Piedmont Triad region. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Phillips Avenue in Greensboro and a transmitter in Randleman, North Carolina.

WFMY began broadcasting in 1949; it was the second television station in North Carolina and the first to originate a live broadcast. It was owned by the Greensboro News Company, publishers of the Greensboro Daily News and Daily Record. It aired programming from all major networks in its early years, when it was the only station in the Triad, though it was always primarily a CBS affiliate. WFMY became the highest-rated station in the market and the traditional ratings leader, with such regionally popular local shows as The Old Rebel Show and The Good Morning Show. Beginning in the late 1990s, sharper competition from the other major stations in the market has reduced and at times eliminated the lead WFMY-TV once had.

History

Early years

WFMY was the site of the first live television broadcast in North Carolina; the plaque read "FROM THIS SITE ON AUGUST 18, 1949 AT 6:10 PM WFMY-TV ORIGINATED THE FIRST LIVE TELEVISION BROADCAST IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA"

The Greensboro News Company, publisher of the Greensboro Daily News and Daily Record newspapers, began its foray into broadcasting with FM radio. On January 8, 1947, ground was broken on a tower for a new FM radio station, WFMY, near the Daily News building on Davie Street.[2] Construction proceeded slowly; the tower was not completed until December,[3] and WFMY made its first broadcast on March 14, 1948,[4] on 97.3 MHz.[5]

A month before WFMY radio debuted, the Greensboro News Company applied on February 26, 1948, for authority to build a television station.[6] The Federal Communications Commission approved the request on June 2,[7] but preparations for the new station began in earnest in April 1949, after final construction approval for changes.[8] Among the last items was a modification to the existing WFMY radio tower, which was set back by the failure of a cable, causing the antenna to drop and be damaged.[9][10]

WFMY-TV made its first test broadcasts on August 18, 1949. At 6:10 p.m., viewers saw staff announcer Don Hardison; the newscast did not start correctly with sound, and the first words viewers heard Hardison say were "Judas Priest".[11] This was the first live television broadcast in North Carolina; while WBTV in Charlotte was already on the air, it lacked the capability to originate local broadcasts.[12] Full programming began on September 22, 1949, and the station initially aired six days a week, going off the air every Saturday.[13] WFMY-TV was a primary affiliate of CBS,[14] but it had arrangements to use programming from all four networks of the day, including NBC, ABC, and DuMont Television Network.[15][16] Network programs were presented by kinescopes—filmed recordings of telecasts as seen in New York—until September 1950, when network coaxial cable service reached Greensboro.[17] WFMY radio closed on April 19, 1953, with its studio space and personnel absorbed into the growing television operation.[18]

WFMY and WBTV were the only authorized television stations in North Carolina prior to the FCC's freeze on new television station awards, which lasted from October 1948 to July 1952.[19][20] As a result, channel 2 was the first television station to provide dependable service not only to the Triad but areas of east-central North Carolina; this included Durham and the state capital, Raleigh, which did not get a local station until July 1953. Even then, WNAO-TV was an ultra high frequency (UHF) station and required a converter to view, so many households in Raleigh continued to mostly watch WFMY[21] until WTVD began in Durham in September 1954.[22] The end of the freeze also brought new stations to the Triad. WFMY-TV became a sole CBS affiliate in September 1953 when two new stations went on the air in Winston-Salem. First on air was WTOB-TV (channel 26), an affiliate of ABC and DuMont,[23] followed by NBC affiliate WSJS-TV (now WXII-TV) on channel 12.[24] WTOB-TV closed in 1957, and channels 2 and 12 split ABC programming[25] until WGHP began on channel 8 in 1963.[26]

Beginning at the end of 1953, WFMY-TV built new facilities and a new tower, 659 feet (201 m) high plus a 101-foot (31 m) antenna, at its present studio site at Phillips and Summit avenues.[27] The new building was six times larger than the 4,500-square-foot (420 m2) facility on Davie Street and boasted two studios, each larger than the original studio of 14 by 26 feet (4.3 by 7.9 m).[28] The station moved to the new studios on January 2, 1955, and simultaneously increased its power to the maximum of 100,000 watts.[29]

An old microphone with a custom W F M Y - TV label on the top
A vintage WFMY-TV microphone

Over the course of the 1950s, WFMY-TV launched three long-running local programs. In 1951, the station debuted the children's show Six-Gun Playhouse. It was hosted by George Perry, who noted a fad of Confederate fashion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and adopted a "Rebel cap" for his character. The Old Rebel Show—filmed before a live studio audience of dozens of children—remained on the station for 26 years, first in afternoons and then in mornings before becoming a weekly Saturday program in its final year.[30][31] What's Cooking Today, a cooking series hosted by Cordelia Kelly, ran for 18 years from 1953 to 1971.[32]

The third major program in the 1950s came about as the result of a schedule change by CBS. When the network dropped an early incarnation of The Jimmy Dean Show, program director Gomer Lesch sought to fill the 7:30 a.m. slot it vacated with a local program along the lines of a radio morning show. On December 16, 1957, The Good Morning Show debuted, hosted by WFMY-TV announcer Lee Kinard. Over the years, the program evolved from a half-hour show that played music into a morning show with news, weather, sports, and community features. It expanded first to an hour, then 90 minutes and finally two hours in 1971.[33] Kinard also hosted a variety show in the afternoon, TV Matinee, that lasted until 1965.[33] in addition to presenting the weather on WFMY's early evening newscast.[34]

Landmark and Harte-Hanks ownership

The Greensboro News Company, its newspapers and WFMY-TV included, were acquired by Norfolk–Portsmouth Newspapers Inc. in a $17.1 million transaction in 1964; half the transaction cost was estimated to represent the television station.[35][36] Despite objections from some FCC commissioners over excessive concentration of media, the deal received approval in December,[37] Norfolk–Portsmouth Newspapers, now with media interests beyond Virginia, renamed itself Landmark Communications in 1967.[38]

The Greensboro sit-ins in 1960 spurred changes in the short- and long-term at WFMY-TV as well as the growth of the news department. These changes became visible in the late 1960s and 1970s as the station hired Black presenters and reporters. Fred Davis, hired in December 1968, was the first Black reporter at the station; his wife received death threats for Fred, threatening a reprise of "what happened to Martin Luther King".[11] Davis left for Michigan, but he recommended television to another graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, Sandra Hughes. Hughes joined in 1972 and two years later was hosting a daily talk show, Sandra & Friends, making her the first African American to host such a program in North Carolina. At times, bomb threats were called into the station; she stayed in the studio as almost everyone else evacuated, keeping the program going.[39]

Harte-Hanks Newspapers acquired WFMY-TV from Landmark in a $19 million deal announced in July 1976 and closed in January 1977.[40][41] Old Rebel was canceled by the station, having "run its course".[42][30] Landmark never gave a specific reason for selling WFMY-TV, but newspaper–broadcast cross-ownership limitations were suggested, as was a concurrent project to build a new printing press for the Greensboro newspapers.[43] When Sandra & Friends ended in 1978, Hughes initially moved to hosting the station's version of PM Magazine.[39] By this time, the station had cemented itself as the ratings leader; when one survey in 1978 showed WXII ahead of WFMY-TV at 6 p.m., Jerry Kenion of the Greensboro Daily News called it "the first time in recent memory (and perhaps the first time ever)" that WFMY had been surpassed.[44] That turned out to be a fluke, even by the admission of WXII management.[45] In 1981, the station expanded its evening newscast to an hour, the first in North Carolina outside of Charlotte.[46] In 1982, when CBS expanded its morning offerings, the weekday edition of the network morning show—then titled Morning—was removed from channel 2's schedule to keep the highly popular The Good Morning Show intact, and WFMY also lost Captain Kangaroo due to the scheduling difference.[47]

In 1980, WFMY-TV built its current tower near Sophia, North Carolina, south of Greensboro. The 1,914-foot (583 m) mast cost $3 million to build and was part of a plan to increase the station's coverage area from 11,720 square miles (30,400 km2) to 19,730 square miles (51,100 km2), though it also impaired reception for residents in its shadow.[48][49]

Gannett/Tegna ownership

In 1984, Harte-Hanks underwent a leveraged buyout that saddled it with $700 million in debt. To reduce this load, Harte-Hanks put a number of its divisions up for sale in October 1987, including three newspapers, seven cable systems, and WFMY-TV and WTLV in Jacksonville, Florida.[50] That December, Gannett agreed to buy WFMY-TV and WTLV for $155 million.[51] The transaction was completed in February 1988.[52] WFMY's first general manager under Gannett, Hank Price, found the station in good condition and not needing any major changes.[53]

On June 29, 2015, the Gannett Company split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. WFMY was retained by the latter company, named Tegna.[54]

During the analog television era, WFMY boasted one of the largest signal coverage areas in the Southeastern United States. It provided grade B coverage as far south as Charlotte and as far east as Raleigh; its transmitter is located almost halfway between the two cities. The channel 2 signal traveled a very long distance under normal conditions. It appeared in The Charlotte Observer television listings well into the 1990s, in part because it frequently aired network shows that were preempted by Charlotte's WBTV–mainly game shows and cartoons. It appeared in The News & Observer television listings well into the turn of the millennium.

Although its digital signal operates on UHF, WFMY's secondary coverage area in digital is almost as large as that of its former analog signal.

Programming

WFMY's local programming, which includes the long-running news program The Good Morning Show with Lee Kinard and children's program The Old Rebel Show, preempted CBS' various attempts at morning programming from 1957 through the 1980s. WGGT (channel 48, now WMYV) aired the CBS Morning News until 1985; WFMY then began to run the program on tape delay from 8 to 10 a.m. following The Good Morning Show. Lee Kinard later moved to the station's weeknight newscasts until he retired in the 1990s.

Since March 2013, WFMY has also carried Let's Make a Deal at 10 a.m., following CBS This Morning. Prior to then, the program aired on WFMY at its recommended 3 p.m. slot, where a double-run of The Andy Griffith Show relocated after the scheduling change. In September 2016, Andy Griffith was moved to 4 p.m., switching timeslots with The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

On December 2, 2019, WFMY instituted a number of changes to its daytime schedule, moving CBS This Morning to its recommended time of 7 a.m., followed by Ellen at 9 a.m. This meant dropping the last hour of The Good Morning Show, which had been airing from 4:30 to 8 a.m. Ellen was replaced at 3 p.m. by Daily Blast Live and the daytime episode of Jeopardy!. Finally, WFMY joined WGHP and WXII with a 4 p.m. newscast, as well as replacing its 2 Wants to Know at 5:30 with another half-hour of news. All this meant that Andy Griffith is being seen only on weekends. The station also added the Saturday edition of CBS This Morning at 7 a.m. effective December 7, with the Saturday edition of The Good Morning Show airing from 5 to 7 a.m. Also in December 2019, WFMY began clearing the full hour of Face the Nation from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Sundays, with In Touch following at 11:30.[55]

On September 12, 2022, WFMY debuted a 9 a.m. version of The Good Morning Show, replacing Ellen after the show ended its run.

News operation

WFMY-TV presently broadcasts 43 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with seven hours each weekday, three hours on Saturdays and five hours on Sundays). On January 5, 2010, beginning with its noon newscast, WFMY began broadcasting its local newscasts in widescreen standard definition; pre-recorded stories and live remote video were also presented in the format.[citation needed] On July 27, 2011, WFMY aired a news story claiming there had been a "series" of "violent flash mob" attacks at a downtown Greensboro park.[56] The report made numerous allegations that were not substantiated and were subsequently refuted by the Greensboro Police Department.[57]

On the evening of September 25, 1984, the station's Bell JetRanger news helicopter, "Sky 2", crashed while attempting to assist in the rescue of a construction worker trapped atop a water tower in Kernersville (near Winston-Salem). The tower was being dismantled when a piece of steel snapped and trapped the worker for hours, causing him to bleed profusely; "Sky 2" was called in to assist in the rescue. Pilot Tom Haroski began lowering the chopper above the tower, as an EMS worker on board was preparing to rescue the man. The chopper's tail rotor hit one of the steel beams as it hovered over the tower, sending it spiraling nose first into the ground, killing Haroski and the rescue worker instantly (it was later determined that the construction worker had bled to death before the chopper ever took off). Video of the accident was captured by competitor WXII-TV and was broadcast around the country.[58] WFMY began using a new version of "Sky 2" (painted black) after the accident, but eventually retired the chopper altogether.

On November 13, 2011, beginning with its 11 p.m. newscast, WFMY began broadcasting its newscasts in high definition. The station also introduced a new format for its newscasts titled News 2.0.[59] On April 25, 2013, WFMY debuted a news/investigative program, 2 Wants To Know; it replaced a third daily airing of The Andy Griffith Show in that program's longtime 5:30 p.m. slot, a move which has angered some viewers, as indicated in stories in the Greensboro News & Record and the Winston-Salem Journal.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WFMY-TV[60]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
2.1 1080i 16:9 WFMY HD CBS
2.2 480i Crime True Crime Network
2.3 Mystery Ion Mystery
2.4 Quest Quest
2.5 OPEN The365
2.6 Crimes Outlaw
2.7 QVC QVC Over the Air
2.8 HSN HSN

Analog-to-digital conversion

WFMY-TV ended regular programming on its analog signal on June 12, 2009, as part of the FCC-mandated transition to digital television for full-power stations.[61] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 51, using virtual channel 2. As part of the SAFER Act, WFMY-TV kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters.[62]

On May 15, 2020, under the provisions of the FCC's spectrum reallocation program, WFMY's transmissions moved to channel 35, while continuing to display channel 2 as its virtual channel.

References

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  52. ^ "In Brief". Broadcasting. February 8, 1988. p. 136. ProQuest 1014726271.
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  54. ^ "Separation of Gannett into two public companies completed | TEGNA". Tegna. June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
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