Video: 'KTLA Celebrates Its 69th Birthday'

(Wednesday, January 22, 1947, 8:30 p.m. PST) — America’s first commercially licensed television station west of the Mississippi, KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, made its official debut tonight.

Bob Hope served as the emcee for KTLA’s inaugural broadcast, titled as The Western Premiere of Commercial Television, which was broadcast live from a garage on the Paramount Studios lot and featured appearances from many Hollywood luminaries.