On February 10, 1954, Washington, DC’s WTOP-TV aired a special program to introduce its new Broadcast House facility. The program was part of a month-long dedication for the WTOP television and radio building.
(In 1978 the TV station’s call letters were changed to WDVM. In 1985, after it was purchased by Gannett, the station became WUSA.)
A video of the 1954 dedication tour broadcast is posted below. The WTOP-TV and radio stations were partially owned by The Washington Post when the building opened.
We’ve also found a few other videos from the days when channel 9 was still called WTOP.
1954
Imagine turning on your TV in February 1954 and watching this tour of the Broadcast House:
1964
Here is what it would have been like to watch WTOP-TV sign off at the end of the day in 1964:
1968
Sports and weather are included in this segment from the July 31, 1968 evening news:
1972
The beginning of this video includes national election coverage from Walter Cronkite and then we see local election reports from WTOP-TV:
1978
The call letter sign in front of the Broadcast House had to be changed in June 1978.
Here’s a little background about the WTOP to WDVM transition:
