 In 1961, an application was sent to the FCC to open WETA, and on October 2, the station finally went on the air.The station initially was on the air only during daytime hours on weekdays, but by 1966, it was on the air 86 hours a week, including weekends.WETA-TV today is on the air 24 hours a day and is the third largest public television station in the United States.