The station signed on as VHF channel 8 as anABC affiliate on September 30, 1951, afterWSB-TV switched to channel 2 and began affiliating withNBC. The callsign was later re-used on a Spanish TV station in Miami-Ft Lauderdale, Florida in 1971, He becomes aSpanish International Network affiliate.
WLWA[]
1953–1962[]
In 1953, the station moved to channel 11 in order to create a public television station which later launched in 1960 asWGTV. Plus, the call letters were changed toWLWA, after Broadcasting, Inc. sold to Cincinnati-based Crosley Broadcasting Corporation.
WAII-TV[]
1962–1966[]
In 1962, WLWA was purchased by Indianapolis businessman Richard Fairbanks, via hisWIBC, Inc., as part of a settlement between Crosley and Fairbanks. Crosley had started WLWI (nowWTHR) in Indianapolis in 1957, but Fairbanks insisted that the last VHF allocation in Indianapolis should go to a local owner. Eventually, the two companies agreed to what amounted to a trade, in which Crosley kept WLWI while Fairbanks bought WLWA. The Atlanta station's call sign then becameWAII-TV, using the slogan "The Eyes of Atlanta" and the calls standing for "Atlanta's 11" (II).
1965–1968[]
WQXI-TV[]
1968–1972[]
The station was sold to Pacific & Southern Broadcasting in 1968 and on March 23 became known asWQXI-TV, aligning it withWQXI AM and FM (the calls had originally been used on channel 36, currently sister stationWATL, from 1954 to 1955). Pacific & Southern later merged withCombined Communications Corporation; the merged company could not purchase both WQXI radio and television, as the FCC had barred new radio-television combinations in top 50 markets.
The pun letters changed to Roman numerals which is used from that point on.
1972–1973[]
WXIA-TV[]
1973–1974[]
As a result of the split, the station assumed theWXIA-TV call letters on December 24, 1973.
1974–1976[]
1976–1982[]
1976–1980[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Custom
Launched:
September 18, 1976(advertisements) September 20, 1976(on-air)
On September 20, 1976, the station adopted the iconic"11 Alive" branding, which it shared with then-WGN Continental Broadcasting-ownedWPIX/New York City (where the "Alive" brand originated that same year) until the latter discontinued the brand ten years later.
Later in 1979, Combined Communications merged with theGannett Company; out of the seven former Combined stations that were folded into Gannett, the four that implemented the "Alive" moniker as Combined properties (including WXIA-TV) carried over the branding under Gannett ownership. (WLKY,KOCO-TV andWPTA continued to use the "Alive" brand after being sold, retaining it until 1986, 1994 and 2016 respectively; WPTA would later revive the "Alive" branding in November 2022.)
1980–1982[]
On September 1, 1980, WXIA-TV became an NBC affiliate after WSB-TV decided to affiliate with ABC due to the network's higher ratings at the time. The station also got a new tagline called "Atlanta's Proud New Tradition" reflecting the network's "Proud as a Peacock" campaign at the time. The station made some slight changes to its look, keeping the '11' (now rendered in red and blue), but using a different typeface the Alive wordmark, and rendering it in capital letters.
1982–1993[]
1993–2019[]
Designer:
John Christopher Burns
Typography:
Times New Roman Gill Sans
Launched:
1993
Soon after this logo was first introduced, Gannett (which later spun off intoTegna in 2015) dropped the "11 Alive" moniker as part of the introduction of new on-air graphics for its newscasts and promos. However, the brand was so well established in Atlanta that viewer outcry forced Gannett to restore it after only a month. Even so, the "11 Alive" brand was not fully restored until 1996, when the11 Alive News title was restored for its newscasts (which were retitled11 News with the removal of the "11 Alive" brand).
