The station first signed on the air on October 25, 1953 as WLBR-TV, operating as an independent station. Originally licensed to Lebanon, it transmitted its signal at one kilowatt on a tower located just north of Mount Gretna. The station was originally owned by the Lebanon Television Corporation, a joint venture of the Lebanon Broadcasting Company (owner of WLBR radio AM and WQFM FM, now WFVY) and the Lebanon News Publishing Company (owner of the "Lebanon Daily News"). On October 16, 1954, the station went off the air after Hurricane Hazel knocked out the power to its transmitter, although they had already filed to go dark on that date with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).