The owners of WIRK radio (1290 AM), organized as WIRK-TV, Inc., filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to build a new television station in West Palm Beach—on channel 12—on May 21, 1952.
[5] While WIRK originally planned to house the television station at an expansion of its Phillips Point facility, channel 21 instead took up residence on the 12th floor[6] of the Harvey Building downtown in a 10-year lease agreement.
[6] Though West Palm Beach was already served by coaxial network lines, the new station would not be interconnected immediately because of the time needed for the telephone company to make the connection.
[13] Country music DJ Johnny Wooten, "the Yardbird", also appeared on TV, and the radio station's continuity director doubled as the WIRK-TV weatherman.
When they came to air in 1954 and 1955, respectively, WJNO-TV and WEAT-TV took the NBC and ABC affiliations from WIRK-TV,[15] leaving the UHF station without a network hookup and at a decided disadvantage to its newer competitors.
In a statement, Joseph S. Field, president of WIRK-TV, Inc., attacked the FCC for its inattention to the problems of small and UHF stations like channel 21, noting that the company "had operated this station long past the point of good judgment" hoping for a remedy but not finding one, blaming "big business and powerful network influence" for the status quo that had ultimately claimed the venture.