The History of Capitol Broadcasting Company

Ray Reeve was a pioneering sports broadcaster who worked for WRAL-AM and FM, the Tobacco Sports Network and WRAL-TV during a career that spanned five decades.

He is best known as the first voice of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball over the Tobacco Sports Network—a radio network formed by Capitol Broadcasting Company in 1948 to carry the region’s collegiate games.

Reeve’s distinct play-by-play style and raspy voice endeared him to listeners throughout the ACC region. Sports historians credit the early growth of the league in part to Reeve’s compelling basketball broadcasts.

As the ACC evolved, Reeve narrowed his broadcasts to NC State athletics. He gained widespread popularity as the voice of Wolfpack basketball and football during the eras of Coaches Everett Case and Earle Edwards.

When WRAL-TV signed on the air in 1956, Reeve was its first Sports Director and Sports Anchor – roles he maintained until his retirement in 1973.

During his early years at WRAL-TV Reeve was the original host of “All-Star Wrestling,” which later became “Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.” He hosted the wildly popular shows in the late 50s and early 60s as they were recorded before a live audience in WRAL-TV’s Studio A. Reeve later turned the hosting duties over to an up-and-coming WRAL sportscaster–Nick Pond.

In its on-air and print promotion, WRAL-TV referred to Ray Reeve as the “Dean of Sportscasters,” and it turns out his contemporaries agreed. In 1967 Reeve was elected to the NC Sports Hall of Fame—becoming the first broadcaster to be so honored.

Reeve was a graduate of Dartmouth College. He died in 1980.

Rich Brenner was WRAL-TV’s primary sports anchor from 1978 to 1981.

Brenner got his career start at WLVA-TV (now WSET-TV) in Lynchburg, Virginia. He also worked at WAVY-TV in Portsmouth before joining the WRAL staff.

Brenner reported on all sports for WRAL, but his passion was NASCAR, and he pushed the station to cover the burgeoning sport long before other local sports teams in the region. According to former WRAL Sports Anchor Tom Suiter, Brenner’s philosophy of sports coverage was simple: “Be there” at the games and events so you can report the story first-hand. Suiter credits Brenner for teaching him more about television than anyone else.

Brenner left WRAL in 1981 to join WMAQ-TV in Chicago, but he soon returned to North Carolina. Following a stint at WTVD-TV, Brenner joined WGHP-TV in High Point, where he spent the last 21 years of his career. He retired in 2008 after winning numerous awards, including three regional Emmys.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences inducted Brenner into the prestigious Silver Circle for the MidSouth region. The honor is reserved for broadcasters with at least 25 years in the business who have made significant contributions to the community and to television in the region.

Rich Brenner died February 27, 2012 after suffering a heart attack at a speaking engagement. He was 65.

To see Jeff Gravely’s tribute to Rich Brenner, go here: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/video/10791192/

And Tom Suiter looks back on his time working with Rick in this interview: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/video/10791216/

Sam Beard was WRAL-TV’s second News Director, following Bill Armstrong as the chief anchorman and director of the television station’s news efforts.

Beard joined WRAL in September 1961 and rose to the position of Vice President of News. He was a veteran broadcaster who got into radio in his late teens and worked his way into a prominent role at WPTF-AM, where he served as a news announcer in the 40s and 50s.

In the late 1950s Beard was appointed Public Relations Director for the North Carolina Highway Commission, but it wasn’t long before he was lured back into broadcasting in the state capitol.

Beard was the consummate anchorman with a baritone voice and on-air presence that made him one of the most respected newscasters of his time. He anchored news coverage of the 1968 North Carolina primary for a six-station statewide network headquartered at WRAL. It was the first such network in North Carolina political history and Beard was the glue who held the broadcasts together.

Beard majored in History and Economics as he earned Bachelor’s degree at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined the Navy and served during World War II, but upon discharge he returned to his job at WPTF-AM in Raleigh.

Sam Beard left WRAL-TV in September 1972 to work fulltime for former WRAL colleague Jesse Helms, who was campaigning for the U.S. Senate.

Sam Beard died on August 13, 1973 at age 50.

Susan Dahlin was best known as the popular host of PM Magazine on WRAL-TV, a role she held for the entire eight-year local run of the program.

Dahlin came to WRAL almost by accident. In 1980 she was working in an off-camera role at WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach when she decided to make an audition tape for PM Magazine. WRAL managers saw the tape and hired her to help launch the program in Raleigh. Dahlin teamed with co-host Tom McNamara during the early years of the program.

In 1984 Dahlin was named Producer of PM Magazine and continued hosting it until the show went off the air in 1988. At that point, she became Entertainment and Travel Editor for WRAL-TV News, travelling the state, country and world over the next year to produce feature segments for the station’s newscasts.

In 1989 Dahlin became Executive Producer of the station with the new responsibility of producing documentaries and children’s programming. She helped create the Androgena Show, a children’s program that won several national awards. Dahlin’s documentaries included “The Blanche Taylor Moore Story,” which won a regional Emmy.

In 1996, Dahlin was assigned to head up marketing efforts for new High Definition TV technology that WRAL was pioneering. She traveled the country spreading the word about HDTV through seminars and other public relations efforts.

Dahlin left WRAL in 2000 to pursue her artistic hobby as a fulltime career. Raised by several generations of artists, Susan’s love of painting eventually placed her art in galleries across the South.

In recent years Susan has moved into real estate. She is a successful agent in the Triangle.

Susan is a graduate of Penn State University – earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979.