WTVN-TV began broadcasting in 1949 from the Lincoln Tower (now called the LeVeque Tower) in downtown Columbus.

The station began operations on August 30 as WTVN-TV, Columbus' second television station. It was owned initially by Picture Waves, Inc., a local firm that also operated WTVN radio. During 1950, Picture Waves sold the WTVN stations to the  Taft Television and Radio Company, which was based in Cincinnati. Taft signed-on WTVN-FM (96.3 MHz., now WLVQ) in 1959.

WTVN-TV was an affiliate of the DuMont network at its inception, and in 1953 took on a secondary affiliation with ABC. Channel six became an exclusive ABC station when DuMont closed down operations in 1956.

We have acquired a number of items from the early days of this station from the Ohio Historical Society, including its original transmitter, film cameras and monitors.

A photo published in the Jan. 1951 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine (Courtesy of Steve Dichter)

In 1952, the station opened a new broadcast center in downtown Columbus

1951 Artwork for WTVN Programs