TV. BUT THE FUTURE LOOKS EVEN BRIGHTER. NOW, A IT IS A COMMITMENT SPANNING 75 YEARS. WDSU, THE FIRST TV STATION IN LOUISIANA, IS CELEBRATING A REALLY BIG BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR AND LOOKING BACK AT ALL OF THE FIRST, WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING TO YOUR HOMES, YOUR PARENTS HOMES, YOUR GRANDPARENTS HOMES FROM STORMS TO CELEBRATIONS, FROM PIONEERS TO POLITICS TO ALL OF THE STORIES OF YOU. THAT’S RIGHT. AND THE COMMUNITIES RISING FROM DIFFICULT TIMES MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF LOUISIANA. WDSU IS PROUD TO HAVE BEEN THERE THROUGH IT ALL. SO OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS, WE WILL BE CHRONICLING OUR STORY, HOW WE BEGAN TO HOW WE HAVE BEEN THERE FOR YOU. WDSU ANCHOR RANDI RANDI JOINS US NOW WITH HOW IT ALL STARTED. AS WDSU MARKS 75 YEARS FROM WDSU. NEWS HERE ON DECEMBER 18TH, 1948, WDSU-TV AIRED ITS FIRST TELEVISED BROADCAST TO SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. WELCOME TO WDSU. AS THE OLDEST AND FIRST TV STATION IN THE STATE. WE WERE THE FIRST TO BROADCAST MARDI GRAS LIVE. GET A LOAD OF THAT CROWD IN SAINT CHARLES STREET, THE FIRST STATEWIDE ELECTION COVERAGE. IT WAS UNHEARD OF. CAMERAS GOING INTO BATON ROUGE AND GOING INTO THE STATE CAPITAL. WE PIONEERED THAT ABSOLUTELY. THE FIRST TO PROVIDE COLOR IN 1955 AND THE FIRST TO TAKE YOU OVERSEAS. IT’S THE FIRST OVERWATER I LIKE TO CALL IT A EXTRA CONTINENTAL TELEVISION PROGRAM FROM IMAGES OF SPACE TO THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN TO THE TITANIC TO EVEN THE EYE OF THE STORM. WDSU WAS THE ONLY WORKING TV STATION AT THE 1984 WORLD’S FAIR WHERE THEY’RE INVITING YOU TO GO TO THEIR WORLD’S FAIR. IT ALSO HAD FAMILIAR FACES SO MANY CAME TO KNOW AND LOVE, LIKE ALEC GIFFORD. WE’VE COME A LONG, LONG WAY IN TV, BUT THE FUTURE LOOKS EVEN BRIGHTER AND MEL LEAVITT, BOTH PIONEERS IN TELEVISION ON. DO YOU RECALL WHEN MY FRIEND THERE ARE POPULAR PERFORMERS. I MISS YOU. I WANT YOU SHOULD SEE SONG FROM -- VAN --. I GOT A LOT OF CHEMICALS HERE. AND OF COURSE, I’M SORRY ABOUT THE PLACE, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO NOTHINGNESS. I’LL TELL YOU, MORGUS THE MAGNIFICENT. I’M BOB, AND I’M JAN. DAYTIME STAPLES LIKE BOB AND JAN CARR AND TERRY FLETTRICH IS MRS. MUFFIN. WDSU. ALSO WELCOMED IN A LOT OF NOTABLE TALENT TO RECORD OR PERFORM LOUIS ARMSTRONG, EVEN WOWED THE CROWDS THROUGH OUR CAMERAS. RAY CHARLES CUT ONE OF HIS FIRST RECORDINGS FEELING SAD AT THE WDSU STUDIO ON ROYAL STREET. YOU ALSO HEARD PETE FOUNTAIN’S MESMERIZING MELODY ON THE CLARINET AND ONE OF THE LAST PERFORMERS AT OUR FRENCH QUARTER LOCATION, FAMED PIANIST RONNIE COLE. AS WE SHOWED YOU THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS ON TV, WDSU MADE A FEW MOVES ITSELF, GETTING ITS START IN RADIO. THE STATION WAS FIRST LOCATED ATOP THE PAVILLON HOTEL, FORMERLY THE DESOTO HOTEL, WHICH IS WHERE THE D AND WDSU GETS ITS NAME. IT THEN MOVED TO THE HIBERNIA BANK BUILDING BEFORE MAKING A MOVE TO THE FRENCH QUARTER IN 1950. BROADCAST FROM THIS COURTYARD OF ROYAL STREET AND BUILDING AN EXPANSIVE STUDIO FOR NEWS SHOWS AND COMMERCIALS. AND NOW ON THE CORNER OF HOWARD AND BARONNE, WDSU HAS NOT ONLY BROUGHT THE MAGIC OF TELEVISION TO VIEWERS ACROSS THE STATE, IT’S ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR PEOPLE AND KEEPING FAMILIES INFORMED. WHILE STAYING ON THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT’S IMPACTING LIVES.