Celebrating 70 years: A look at WBBJ’s history

March 6, 2025

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

JACKSON, Tenn. — WBBJ-TV is celebrating a major milestone today, its 70th anniversary!

We invite you to join us as we take a journey back over seven decades of broadcasting to reflect on our history as Jackson’s first television station.

The History of WBBJ

We signed on as WDXI-TV, Jackson’s first tv station on March 6, 1955. Aaron Robinson, owner of WDXI radio, brought the station to Jackson. It was located in the Williams building, now the cornerstone building at the corner of Highland and College Street in downtown Jackson until it was sold to Bahakel in 1966.

When Bahakel purchased the station, the Robinson family maintained ownership of the WDXI radio station, so Bahakel changed the station’s call letters to WBBJ on December 7, 1966. The call letters WBBJ were chosen to stand for “We’re Bahakel Broadcasting of Jackson.” The station moved from downtown to its original transmitter site on Muse Street in October 1967.

Since Bahakel purchased the station, WBBJ has maintained the longest ownership tenure of any TV station in Tennessee. WBBJ-TV has kept you informed through full color programming, video tape recorders, slide chains and all the way through to today’s social media age.

From weather radars using old vacuum tubes consisting of shades of gray for rain or snow to today’s high definition doppler radar, we have also remained your weather experts.

On August 1, 2007, WBBJ debuted a wide array of changes including new graphics, a new logo, music and an updated weather set. And, on January 23, 2013, WBBJ debuted the brand new set that viewers see today.

There have been many stories covered over our 70 years, so let’s take a look at some.

Freshman Four at Lane

West Tennessee was at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement throughout the 1960s and Jackson was no different.

The Freshman Four at Lane College fought to end racial segregation with a sit in protest at Woolworth’s enduring threats and harassment for sitting at a whites only counter. Their names are Shirlene Mercer, Kimmie Davis, Wesley McClure, and Ernest Brooks, Sr.

Jackson Sends Team to Williamsport

In sports, the 1974 Jackson, Tennessee team became the first, and still to this day, only team to represent West Tennessee at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

First Televised Pageant & New Area Code

In 1985, the Miss Tennessee Pageant was televised for the very first time and, in September 2001, the 901 area code was trimmed down to Fayette, Shelby, and Tipton counties.

The rest of West Tennessee became the 731.

2003 & 2008 EF-4 Tornado

Jackson experienced an EF-4 tornado in 2003 and an EF-4 in 2008. Downtown Jackson was in the path of the 2003 storm and Union University took a direct hit during the 2008 super Tuesday outbreak. Union University’s Unionite Magazine credits former WBBJ Weather Anchors Gary Pickens and Mike McEvoy for giving students ample warning to take shelter.

Holly Bobo Case

In April of 2011, 20-year-old Decatur County resident Holly Bobo vanished from her home. Her remains were found near her home in September of 2014. Three men were charged with the kidnapping, rape and murder of bobo.

COVID-19 Coverage

Then, 2020 was the year the world shut down. Lives across the globe changed as COVID-19 infected millions of people. At one point, Tennessee had the highest infection rates in the world.