wpbf first went on-the-air january 1, 1989, owned by alan potamkin and the john h. phipps company. this marked a return to west palm beach for phipps, which had previously owned nbc affiliate wptv-tv (channel 5) from 1956 to 1961. the station has always been based within a former rca computer facility converted in a several-month period to a working television facility.