Founded in 1957 by Frank Spain, WTVA originally launched under the call letters WTWV. The idea sparked when Spain, a brilliant electrical engineer, wanted to bring the first television signal to the rural communities of Northeast Mississippi. Because the area was small and money was tight, Spain didn't just buy a station—he literally built one. He used his technical skills to construct much of the broadcasting equipment himself to ensure the people of Tupelo could connect with the rest of the world. Today, the station is owned by Heartland Media, a media company that operates television stations in smaller markets across the U.S. Today, WTVA 9 is run by a local team of journalists and meteorologists and is mainly focused on local news, severe weather, and college sports. They are based in Tupelo, Mississippi, but also serve the cities of Columbus and Starkville. Because they are located near two major universities, they provide extensive coverage of the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Ole Miss Rebels. One interesting fact: A unique fact about WTVA is the extreme ingenuity of its founder, Frank Spain. When he started the station, professional television cameras were too expensive for his budget, so he decided to build his own cameras from scratch using spare parts. This "do-it-yourself" engineering allowed a small town like Tupelo to have its own TV station years before many larger cities did.