WTVJ Eventful First Year in 1949

Miami's first television station, WTVJ, began broadcasting in 1949. This is the story behind that eventful founding year for a Miami, Florida, institution.

Cover: WTVJ Cameraman in 1949

When there was a contraption added to the top of the Everglades Hotel in December of 1948, observant Miami residents were left wondering what it represented. The most common speculation was that the mooring for the Goodyear blimp was going to be relocated to downtown Miami. The object in question was a steel shaft with three wired butterfly structures emanating from its base. It was a mystery to the inquiring mind.

The addition to the Everglades Hotel tower represented Mitchell Wolfson’s move into home entertainment. At the end of 1948, Wometco, the company founded by partners Wolfson and Sidney Meyer in the mid-1920s, was doing very well with their empire of movie theaters. However, both men knew that that a significant change was coming in entertainment and they chose to lead the way.