The History of Capitol Broadcasting Company

“Harambee” was a weekly program hosted by Public Affairs Director J.D. Lewis.  The show focused on issues of the day–particularly those affecting minority communities.

The Tar Heel Traveler is the name of a feature reporting segment that has appeared in WRAL-TV newscast since the 1970s.

Like other local television feature franchises, the Tar Heel Traveler was inspired by Charles Kuralt’s “On the Road” reports that premiered on CBS in 1967. Kuralt traveled the nation’s byways in search of interesting characters, places and things, and it wasn’t long before similar reports showed up on local television stations.

Channel 5 launched the Tar Heel Traveler in the 1970s and seven reporters have produced stories for the franchise through the years. John Pronk was the first, followed by Skip Cilley, Mike Stevens, Bill Draper, Bill Leslie and Les Boney.

WRAL’s Scott Mason assumed the Traveler mantle in 2007 and he has produced more than 1,300 Tar Heel Traveler features in the years since.

WRAL-TV is one of the few stations in America that still produces news documentaries on a regular basis.  The station’s fulltime documentary staff turns out long-form programs on a variety of important issues, continuing a longtime commitment to in-depth journalism.

Some of CBC’s most memorable programming was created to publicize new people, new technology and new ideas inside the company’s divisions.  CBC has always produced some of the best, most cutting-edge promotions in the broadcast industry.  Here is a sample from the archive.