On this day in 1949, local history was made when former US Vice President Alben William Barkley cut the ribbon on a station that would go on to alter the way Dallasites received their news for three-quarters of a century.
WFAA, then known as Channel 8 - KBTV, spent the next 70+ years documenting a series of historical moments, cherished laughs, and heartfelt stories that would lead them to become the city’s most-watched late-evening newscast. Today, the station marks 75 years of legacy news broadcasting.
Documenting history
The ABC affiliate first went on air on Sept. 17, 1949. Here’s what Dallas looked like then.
- Population: 434,462
- Price of gas: $0.27 per gallon
- In 1949, the city was booming with five new businesses opening each day and thirteen new manufacturing plants opening every month.
- Dallas became the nation’s third-largest technology center in 1950.
- A charter amendment provided for the direct election of the mayor in 1949.
As one of the first new stations in the city, Mayor RL Thorton credited Channel 8 for paving the way for those soon to come. Fun fact: the state-of-the-art station hosted 60,000 tours in its first month.
Years later, the city also turned to the station for coverage during one of the darkest days in the history of the metroplex.
In 1963, all eyes were on WFAA as the station was the first to break the news of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy assassination, and among the first broadcast stations in the country to produce a continuous live broadcast for over 24 hours following the shooting. The coverage featured a live interview from an eyewitness just hours after the event, and footage by WFAA’s Abraham Zapruder can be found at the Sixth Floor Museum.
In the decades that followed, the station continued to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing media landscape, from black-and-white television to high-definition broadcasts and 24-hour live streams on social media, WFAA. Its extensive coverage in local news, politics, and feel-good stories is the reason the station has become a household name.
Notable firsts
1958: The first station to use a videotape recorder for news coverage
1969: First to use satellite capacity coverage
1970: The first station in the US to convert its news footage to videotape
1973: The station also hired the first African American news anchor in DFW television, Iola Johnson. The late-anchor first aired on television with Tracy Rowlett in 1973 and later became the highest-paid local news anchor.
WFAA was a pioneer in local programming for the city as well. It produced notable shows that have left a lasting impression on the community., like “Mr. Peppermint,” which debuted in March 1961. The local childrens program was hosted by Jerry Haynes on and off from 1961 to 1996. Other notable shows included:
- “The Group And Chapman”
- “Sump’n Else”
- “Dallas Bandstand”
- “The Julie Bennell Show”
As WFAA celebrates 75 years, Dallas celebrates a trailblazer that continues to set trends for journalism in the DFW area.
Programs like “Good Morning Texas,” “WFAA Daybreak,” and “Channel 8 at 5" continue to be a part of the DFW landscape and history in the market. Here’s to more stories, more innovation, and more community still airing every day at 5 p.m. _ happy anniversary, WFAA.
