120 C DOTHAN & HOUSTON COUNTY – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
WT VY TVY has been delivering the news and views that are important to the Wiregrass region for over 50 years. Originally available on Channel 9, WTVY signed on the air for the first time from a 400-foot tower on February 12, 1955, at 4:30 p.m., and ever since, Dothan has been tuning in. That first year, everything was live. The first sound that came across the airwaves was the “Star Spangled Banner,” followed by a prayer given by Dr. Samuel Maddox. “Ramar of the Jungle” began after the invocation. Every day, WTVY signed on at 4:30 p.m. and signed off around 10:30 p.m., depending on when the nightly movie ended. By integrating itself into the community, the station has been an anchor in a sea of change in Dothan, holding steady but still allowing for growth. Mike Smith, Vice President and General Manager, credits the parent company, Gray Television, with supporting the technological growth at WTVY. “We are excited about the new wave of technology that is no longer on the horizon, but here, and all our viewers
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State of the Art news from (left to right) Connor Vernon, Skylar Zwick, Reginald Jones and Brad Sherwood
will be able to enjoy enhanced viewing experiences in the years to come,” says Smith. Growth came quickly for WTVY. On March 24, 1955, WTVY became a CBS affiliate. Color cameras were added in 1966. On January 1, 1964, WTVY moved to channel 4 when the FCC reallocated station positions. The tower was upgraded to 1,209 feet, the tallest in the state at the time. In 1974, WTVY became one of the first stations to remain on the air for 24 hours a day. Then in 1977, WTVY built the current 2,000-foot-tall tower located in Bonifay, Florida. WTVY moved to the renovated Houston Hotel in downtown Dothan in February 1993 and is now the CBS affiliate for southeastern Alabama, the Panhandle of Florida and portions of southwest Georgia. The building was renamed the Charles Woods Building in honor of the WTVY’s first Chairman of the Board. “We take great pride in being an avenue for information for the present and the future while at the same WTVY Special Election Report (left to right) Bob Peterman, Rex Roach, Bob Howell, Bernie Cobb and time honoring our past,” says Smith. John Gause