1954 - The Friendly Giant

WHA-TV signs on with our own production, The Friendly Giant, to become only the third noncommercial station in the nation. The initial broadcast radius was only 12 miles, with a daily broadcast schedule of 7:30pm-9:30pm (except for Sunday), and a 2:30-3pm block on Fridays.

The Friendly Giant, which became WPT’s first national show in the 1950s, was a national model for how the medium could educate and engage children. It also became a huge hit in Canada. Hosted by WPR’s Bob Homme, it was picked up by the Canadian Broadcasting Service in 1958 and continued to broadcast in Canada until 1985.