WJCL began broadcasting on July 18, 1970 as an ABC affiliate. Owned by former Savannah mayor Julius Curtis Lewis, Jr. (whose initials provided the station's call sign), WJCL marked many "firsts". At that time, it built the tallest tower in the market rising some 46 m (one hundred fifty feet) above sea level. Color film and videotape were introduced to the Savannah market by WJCL. It claims to have been the first station in the area to televise a live event (President Richard Nixon's Savannah visit and ride in a parade on Skidaway Road) and broadcasting in stereo. WJCL-TV and radio were both run by Lewis Broadcasting's Executive Vice President, J. Fred Pierce, from 1972 until WJCL's first sale in 1999.