For more than 55 years, WPTV has been the area's news leader and most-watched station.  WPTV is currently the highest rated television station in the state of Florida.

WPTV began broadcasting on August 22, 1954 as the primary NBC affiliate for all of south Florida with the call letters WJNO-TV. At sign-on, the first words heard on-air were from control room director Vern Crawford: "The power has just been turned on for WJNO-TV channel 5 by Frank M. Folsom, President of The Radio Corporation of America."

At the time, the station was owned by William Cook and Theodore Granick and there were only 32 employees working at the station. WJNO was later purchased by The Phipps Family in 1956 and they changed the call letters to WPTV.  In 1961 the station was purchased by Scripps Howard.

In May 1971, Scripps Howard built new studios for the station on Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach. In 1976, WPTV began operating the market’s first live mobile news van. 

On March 16, 2001, we moved from our facilities on Flagler Drive to a larger, newer, and advanced complex at 1100 Banyan Boulevard on the city's west side approaching Clear Lake.  

In August, 2008, WPTV became the first station in South Florida to broadcast in high-definition.

WPTV shut off its analog transmitter at 5:45 am, on June 12, 2009, making the conversion to digital-only broadcasting.