February 15, 2007 – MIX 101.5 and WCMC-FM pass the $1 million mark for the first time during the Radiothon for Duke Children’s Hospital.

Children’s Miracle Network Telethon started in 1993 as an annual event to raise money for medical treatment and research to benefit ill children. In 1993, nearly a million dollars was raised for patients under-going treatment at Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham.

WRAL anchor Charlie Gaddy introduces a new crimefighting robot

Crimefighting robot in action with Bob Sadler and Ray Wilkinson on hand

Doctors on Call started in 1990. This one hour program and all-day telethon format enables viewers to call with specific questions about medical conditions. During the program, various medical experts offer information to increase public health awareness. Over 150 doctors representing a variety of major medical specialties staff the phone lines so viewers can talk on-on-one with a doctor for free, confidential medical advice.

Sheri Logan and Bill Jordan join Duke Coach K to raise funds for Duke Childrens Hospital.

Check out this assortment of wild and crazy on-the-air phone calls made to unsuspecting listeners. The prank turns into a happy birthday phone call. Proceeds of the cassette went to Duke Children’s Hospital.

Listen to the voices of children, parents, and those who made a donation to Duke Children’s Hospital.

Listen to this very moving story told by a nurse at Duke Children’s Hospital.

Alan is a boy who received a lung transplant. He reads his letter of sincere gratitude to the donor, someone he will never meet, but feels a strong connection to thanks to the lung transplant.

The Watermelon growing Queen and King at 1960 Farm Day activities. Fred Fletcher presents the awards. Note the crowns worn by the winners.

Ray Reeve and Fred Fletcher share duties during one of the competitions at the NC Farmers Market.

Mark Roberts calls the action during the WRAZ-TV Fun Fest duck race. Thousands turn out for the annual festivities.

Capitol Broadcasting once again teamed with the City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources department, presenting the 60th Annual Golden Years Celebration.  The program took place at the Raleigh Convention Center on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.  Attendees included members of the City of Raleigh’s Golden Years Clubs. Attendees arrived downtown for a full, hot […]

The Golden Years 2015 Holiday Celebration was hosted by WRAL News anchors Debra Morgan, Gerald Owens, and Brian Shrader. Santa Claus makes a special guest appearance.

Entertainment performances by The Capital Ambassadors, Rozlyn Sorrell, The Gospel Sensations, The Oakwood Waits, and the Casablanca Orchestra. Ballroom dancing performed by Dancing Carolina Ballroom of Cary.

Every December, Capitol Broadcasting Company sponsors the Golden Years Holiday Celebration luncheon for the members of the Golden Years Association of the Raleigh (NC) Parks and Recreation Department. Held at the Raleigh Convention and Conference Center in the city’s downtown, the celebration attracts over 1,000 senior citizens each year.

The celebration started in 1958 under the leadership of CBC Corporate Secretary Scottie Stephenson. She continued to be the driving force behind the event every year until her death in 2002. She saw the event grow in attendance from 50 to 1,500 in her over four decades as coordinator. Fred Fletcher, the first General Manager at WRAL-TV, had an active role in the celebration as well.

The event includes a variety of musical entertainment and ends with the attendees pushing back their chairs and taking a turn on the dance floor. WRAL-TV news anchors host the program which began as a luncheon and converted to become a breakfast and morning event in 2005.

A portion of the annual event is televised on WRAL-TV on Christmas Day.The Golden Years Association of the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department sponsors 48 Gold Years Clubs for senior adults aged 55 and older throughout the city. Clubs meet throughout the year and enjoy activities such as hiking, bowling, workshops, trips and a myriad of other activities and special events.

Every December, Capitol Broadcasting Company sponsors the Golden Years Holiday Celebration luncheon for the members of the Golden Years Association of the Raleigh (NC) Parks and Recreation Department. Held at the Raleigh Convention and Conference Center in the city’s downtown, the celebration attracts over 1,000 senior citizens each year.

The celebration started in 1958 under the leadership of CBC Corporate Secretary Scottie Stephenson. She continued to be the driving force behind the event every year until her death in 2002. She saw the event grow in attendance from 50 to 1,500 in her over four decades as coordinator. Fred Fletcher, the first General Manager at WRAL-TV, had an active role in the celebration as well, especially reprising the song “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.”

The event includes a variety of musical entertainment and ends with the attendees pushing back their chairs and taking a turn on the dance floor. WRAL-TV news anchors host the program which began as a luncheon and converted to become a breakfast and morning event in 2005.

A portion of the annual event is televised on WRAL-TV on Christmas Day.

The Golden Years Association of the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department sponsors 48 Gold Years Clubs for senior adults aged 55 and older throughout the city. Clubs meet throughout the year and enjoy activities such as hiking, bowling, workshops, trips and a myriad of other activities and special events.

Former CBC President Fred Fletcher dons nightgown to sing All I Want For Christrmas is My Two Front Teeth at the annual Golden Years celebration.

Couple dances at the annual celebration for seniors at Raleigh Convention Center. CBC sponsors the event in conjunction with the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department.

A wide shot of the 1983 Partners Auction to be broadcast on WRAL-TV

Bob DeBardelaben helping with the Partners Auction

Charlie Gaddy interviews NCSU basketball coach Jim Valvano during 1983 Partners Auction for charity. Valvano was always eager to help the station with charity efforts.

WRAL-TV staffers Cindy Sink and Kevin Duffus during production of 1983 Partners Auction.

WRAL-TV anchors John Hudson and Ann Devlin have fun at the 1983 Partners Auction

WRAL-TV’s Documentary Team recently took time out of their busy schedules to talk to students in the WRAL Explorer Post 5 program. WRAL-TV Documentary & Investigative Producer/Reporter Cristin Severance and WRAL Documentary Photographer Dwayne Myers shared about their personal paths in broadcasting, documentary production and storytelling. The pair used the openings to the WRAL Docs […]

On Saturday, February 3, 2024, WRAL-TV had a very special crew covering a big event in Raleigh, the Occoneechee Boy Scout Council’s Eagle Banquet.  Members of WRAL’s Explorer Post 5 conducted interviews, shot, edited on-site and created two short 40-second packages which aired on WRAL’s Sunday morning news.  The event took place at the McKimmon […]

WRAL-TV hosted an Open House for students interested in the Explorer Post 5 program for the 2023-24 school year on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.  Students and parents could attend the event in the station’s Café 550, to learn more in person and hear directly from Post 5 advisors and news staff. WRAL-TV Anchors Reporters Gerald […]

Near the end of the Durham Bulls 2022 season, several members of WRAL’s Explorer Post 5 and the Durham Bulls Explorer Post 50 TV Crew were awarded scholarships for their work with the training programs.  The presentation took place on Sunday, September 25, 2022, prior to the start of the game. Five students received $1,000 […]

CBC CEO & Board Chair Jim Goodmon hosted a group of local business and civic leaders from different companies for an Expanding Exploring event at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.  He shared about Explorer Post 5 and 50 and how these leaders could do something similar in their companies. The […]

Explorer Post 50 marked the beginning of their 25th season with their Open House in the PNC Triangle Club at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Wednesday, February 8, 2023. The group welcomed potential new members and their parents to learn about the group and what it takes to become a member. Chief Advisor Ken […]

Near the end of the Durham Bulls 2022 season, several members of WRAL’s Explorer Post 5 and the Durham Bulls Explorer Post 50 TV Crew were awarded scholarships for their work with the training programs.  The presentation took place on Sunday, September 25, 2022, prior to the start of the game. Five students received $1,000 […]

One of the Post 50 student production crew operating a camera at a Durham Bulls game. Team mascot Wooly Bull has fun on camera.

One of the Post 50 production staffers running camera at a Durham Bulls home game. Post 50 provides live coverage of Bulls games that provides real-world training for the teens.

“Project Tanzania” garnered an award from the National Education Association. WRAL-TV Public Affairs Director, Waltye Rasulala accepts the award on behalf of Capitol Broadcasting Company. Teacher, Eddie Davis, led the educational piece of Project Tanzania.
Project Tanzania was an ongoing effort to help people in the East African nation of Tanzania overcome the effects of hunger, drought and poverty.

Many Africans were affected by the massive drought in the early 1980’s. In 1985, a group of dedicated people from the Raleigh/Durham area went on a fact-finding trip to find an area that wanted assistance in becoming more self-sufficient. The rural Shinyanga Region was selected and Project Tanzania was born.
WRAL-TV produced an hour-long documentary that introduced North Carolinians to the situation in Shinyanga and identified ways to help Tanzanians help themselves. This wasn’t another hand-out program, but a way to give these people a hand up to a better life.
This video is a sampling of news reports in 1985 and 1986 about the efforts to help the people in Tanzania.
WRAL-TV received the 1986 World Hunger Media Award for the documentary “Tanzani: A Need Beyond Hunger.”

Here are several short vignettes identifying the needs in the impoverished region of Tanzania in east Africa. Producer Joan Baron and writer Lib Williard developed these short stories to help educate the public. Project Tanzania received national recognition for fostering international understanding through community involvement, including: The World Hunger Award, the National Education Association Award for the Advancement of Learning through Broadcasting, a Presidential Citation for Private Sector Initiatives and the International Understanding Award from the North Carolina Center for International Understanding.

Jim Goodmon, President and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company was deeply moved by the suffering of many Africans that were affected by the massive drought in the early 1980′s. In 1985, a group of dedicated people went on a fact-finding trip to find an area that wanted assistance in becoming more self-sufficient.
North Carolinians responded with generosity and compassion, funding both a Reforestation Program and a Scholarship Program. Educational supplies, medical supplies and essential health care materials donated by many school children and other North Carolinians reached schools, clinics and health care centers in rural Shinyanga Region villages.
Project Tanzania has received national recognition for fostering international understanding through community involvement, including: The World Hunger Award, the National Education Association Award for the Advancement of Learning through Broadcasting, a Presidential Citation for Private Sector Initiatives and the International Understanding Award from the North Carolina Center for International Understanding.

Waltye Rasulala, Director of WRAL-TV Public Affairs, reports from Tanzania. Spearheaded by Capitol Broadcasting Company with the help of the Raleigh Catholic Dioces and Catholic Relief Services. Three volunteers; teacher, farmer, doctor traveled to Tanzania to provide services to the people of Tanzania and also enlighten North Carolinians to the Tanzanian’s plight.

A ton of planning and hard work go into WRAL’s coverage of the Raleigh Christmas Parade. The day starts super early for the production team, but they would not miss an opportunity to share the holiday fun with our viewers. WRAL’s 50th Broadcast of the Raleigh Christmas Parade was the best yet. Special guests returned […]

Celebrating 50 Years of Holiday TV Magic! This holiday season, mark your calendars for a historic celebration as WRAL proudly presents the 50th anniversary broadcast of the Raleigh Christmas Parade, set to enchant viewers this Saturday, November 18. Join the festivities from the comfort of your homes with a live broadcast starting at 9 a.m. […]

Relive the sights, sounds and holiday memories we’ve made as a community as WRAL celebrates the Raleigh Christmas Parade throughout the month of November, culminating in a live special on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 10 a.m. Just like the real Raleigh Christmas Parade, you can expect visits from old friends, live performances, memorable parade moments (and […]

The holidays are here!  WRAL-TV provided coverage of the 2018 Raleigh Christmas Parade on Saturday, November 17, 2018, per our annual tradition.  And the station provided a new fun addition with the first-ever WRAL Winter Wonderland held on the St. Mary’s campus near downtown right after the parade. “This was the 45th year WRAL has […]

Keep the holiday magic going at the WRAL Winter Wonderland!  Join WRAL November 17, immediately after the Raleigh Christmas Parade until 1:30 p.m.  WRAL Winter Wonderland is located at the entrance of Saint Mary’s School near the intersection of Hillsborough Street and Saint Mary’s Street. A “wintry mix” of “frosty fun” awaits those who stroll on […]

“Save Our Sounds” included several documentaries about pollution in the Neuse River and other waterways in eastern North Carolina, as well as environmental concerns along the coast of North Carolina. WRAL-TV News Anchor Charlie Gaddy introduces CBS News Anchor Walter Cronkite, an avid sailing enthusiast, who addressed an audience of concerned citizens in Raleigh.

WRAL-TV News environmental reporter Bill Leslie traces the problem of river pollution from the Triangle to the coast. The Neuse River is 315 miles long and is impacted by industry that dumps wastes along its path that ends in the Pamlico Sound. This follow-up documentary to the first “Troubled Waters” won a regional Emmy award.

WRAL-TV news anchor Charlie Gaddy provides viewers with an in-depth look into the problem of toxic pollution that threatened the coastal waters of North Carolina in 1988. The documentary garnered the Edward R. Murrow Award.

The annual WRAL Tower Lighting is scheduled for Nov. 29, 2023. Tune in to WRAL-TV at 7 p.m. to for a live, half-hour special of music and holiday cheer as we count down to when towers in Raleigh, Durham and Rocky Mount get their holiday glow. WRAL will welcome special musical guests the 82nd Airborne […]

It’s time to Celebrate the Season with WRAL’s 63rd Annual Tower Lighting!  Join CBC on Wednesday, December 1st, as we turn our 300-foot TV tower into North Carolina’s tallest lighted tree!  But!  That’s just part of the fun! CBC will also light the towers at our sister properties at American Tobacco Campus in Durham and […]

“Producing the WRAL Tower Lighting is my favorite assignment every year. Every year, it’s amazing how many people from various departments come together for this project.” – WRAL-TV News Producer Kelly Riner WRAL-TV supersized the tower lighting for 2020, combining the lighting celebrations from American Tobacco’s Lucky Strike Tower, the Rocky Mount Mills Water Tower […]

While some holiday traditions will suffer in 2020, the annual lighting of the WRAL-TV tower is getting bigger and better. Tune in on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. for a Tower Lighting Special, brought to you from three locations – WRAL’s Western Boulevard station, American Tobacco Campus in Durham and Rocky Mount Mills. WRAL is […]

It will soon look a lot like Christmas at the CBC towers across the Triangle: WRAL-TV Tower Lighting CBC will light the WRAL-TV tower for the 61st time on Monday, December 2, 2019.  A special will air at 7pm to celebrate the lighting of the 300-foot tower to light Santa’s way to Raleigh for the […]

WRAL-TV participated in the United Cerebral Palsy Telethon for many years. During the early years, UCP used a different approach to their telethons compared to later years. From 1950 until 1979, they would travel to major cities on a monthly and broadcast over one station in that television market. It was a grass roots approach that brought entertainment stars – in person, to the viewers.

In 1971, the UCP telethon aired live from the Kerr Scott Building at the NC State Fairgrounds. The host was Dennis James. Entertainment was provided by actor Burt Reynolds from the ABC show Dan August, actor James Brolin from the ABC show Marcus Welby MD, actor Linda Chrystal from the NBC show High Chaparral, child actor Johnny Whitaker from the CBS show Family Affair, singer Ruth McFadden, Nashville singer Demitrius Tapp.

At 54 minutes into the video, you will see WRAL’s Charlie Gaddy sing with backup singers.

This is the first hour of the telethon.

WRAL-TV anchor John Hudson makes his pitch at the UCP Telethon

Charlie Gaddy hosting a fundraising segment of the UCP Telethon.

WRAL-TV’s specially equipped weather vehicle drawing a crowd at the NC State Fairgrounds

WRAL-TV and Capitol Broadcasting are painting the town red in our excitement for our neighbors, NC State!  WRAL is literally lighting the station red, preparing a half-hour special about the Wolfpack Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams’ historic simultaneous run to the NCAA Final 4, and inviting the public to the WRAL Gardens, right across from […]

As prom goers and graduates continue to flock to the WRAL Gardens for photos, something else started attracting attention last week.  A Century Plant is on the verge of blooming, a rare event that happens only once in the plant’s lifetime. The plant, located in the outdoor space between the CBC Corporate/WRAL Sales Building and […]

What better way to start a day in the office that with live music outside your window?  Blake Christiana and Rick Bugel of the band Yarn came to the WRAL Gardens to celebrate the return of the Mill Music Sessions at Rocky Mount Mills this fall.  WRAL-TV Anchor/Reporter Ken Smith chatted with the duo on […]

Working in the office definitely has some unexpected and unique perks at Capitol Broadcasting.  Corp TV Production Manager Anita Normanly happened to arrive for the day in time to meet one of her favorite local musicians, Kate Rhudy!  Rhudy was in the WRAL Gardens to perform live on the WRAL Morning News on FOX 50 […]

Flowers weren’t the only thing popping up all over the WRAL Gardens this past weekend.  The gardens were apparently the place to be for prom photos.  WRAL-TV Director of News Operations, Sports & Special Projects Leesa Moore snapped this photo at the end of her workday on Friday, April 29, 2022. “In all my years […]