60 Years Of WLOS

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- It was 5:30 p.m., Sept. 18, 1954.

WLOS, which stands for "Wonderful Land Of Sky", began broadcasting in the mountains.

60 years later, so much has changed.

Back then, gas was $0.22 a gallon. Movie tickets were $0.70. The average American house was about $10,000.

Bob Caldwell is one of the legends known by generations of viewers.

"It's there, you can depend on it, so it's very special to serve the community. Let's face it we've got the most wonderful people right here," Caldwell says.

The station has changed locales over the years, including more than
four decades at the old Battle House which was near the Grove Park Inn.
In 1999, WLOS moved to Biltmore Park.

We spoke by telephone with the iconic Bill Norwood, who's 86 years old.

He says his 30 years at WLOS were the greatest time of his life. He's continually amazed by the loving viewers he still meets every day.

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WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954.