TV Comes to Charlotte

WBTV, Charlotte's first television station, hit the airwaves on July 15, 1949. The station also has the distinction of being the first television station in North Carolina. The studios were located in the Wilder Building at that time. When WBTV received its license to broadcast, there were no television stations south of Washington, D.C. A flying American flag was the first image on the screen.

On September 30, 1951, WBTV broadcast live, local television shows for the first time. The shows aired from a converted radio theater in the Wilder Building with Jim Patterson as the emcee. Many of the WBT radio personalities, such as Betty Feezor, Fred Kirby, Loonis McGlohon, Arthur Smith and the Crackerjacks as well as the local favorites, The Briarhoppers eventually appeared on WBTV.