Abstract Sonny Eliot, husband of Annette Gaertner, was a beloved weathercaster in Metro Detroit from the late 1940s to 2010. Eliot worked for Channel 4 (then WWJ-TV), Channel 2, Channel 50, and WWJ AM radio. Eliot also wrote children's books and he hosted a slew of game shows, in addition to hosting "At the Zoo" for the Detroit Zoo for 17 years. During his career, Sonny Eliot was inducted into both the Michigan Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame. Moreover, Eliot was the...

Abstract WDIV began as WWDT in March of 1947 as the first television station in Michigan and the sixth in the United States. It was owed by the Evening News Association which also owned the Detroit News newspaper and Detroit’s WWJ Radio. WWJ Radio was originally part of the National Broadcasting Company’s NBC Radio Network and is the reason why the current television station is still an NBC affiliate. In May of 1947, to match the radio station’s call letters, WWDT changed its call letters to WWJ. Less...