The Androgena Show was an educational program for children produced by WRAL-TV. The program aired from August 1992 to May 1996.

Show producer David Creech based the series on the adventures of a puppet named Androgena and her friend Sammy Lou.

The program was designed for young children, ages 5 to 9. It was entertaining, but also included social and educational themes such as self-esteem, sibling rivalry, recycling, ethnic differences, starting school and more.

Bozo was a popular clown character who was licensed to television stations across the U.S.

The Bozo character first appeared in the 1940s as a mascot for record company Capitol Records, but it was not until 1956 that Bozo began showing up on TV stations across the country. That’s when the creative rights to Bozo were purchased by Larry Harmon, an entrepreneur who began franchising the character to local TV stations – including WRAL – that began producing their own Bozo the Clown shows.

At WRAL, Bozo was portrayed by the legendary Paul Montgomery, who went on to fame as “Uncle Paul.” Montgomery was legally blind, but each day he donned a red nose, pancake makeup and baggy costume as he portrayed America’s most famous clown.

WRAL-TV ended the Bozo show in 1961 when the franchise contract became too expensive. In its place came a program titled “Time for Uncle Paul,” which propelled Montgomery to stardom.

Perhaps the most famous performer to portray Bozo was Willard Scott, who later became the lovable weatherman on NBC’s Today Show. The syndicator of the Bozo franchise claims that more than 200 actors have appeared as the clown since television franchising began in 1956.

Brain Game is WRAL-TV’s academic trivia program featuring ninth and tenth grade students competing in a weekly competition. The show challenges students' knowledge in the areas of math, science, history, public affairs/current events, and the arts.

WRAL began producing Brain Game in 1997 and the program’s first host was former WRAL-TV Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel. Former WRAL Traffic reporter Mark Roberts took over hosting duties in 2002.

Brain Game is produced in the grand tradition of the old College Quiz Bowl shows, but includes modern production techniques such as video and audio clues for the contestants. Each week, three teams from North Carolina high schools compete against one another, with the top-scoring team capturing a spot in the year-end playoffs.

The action is fast and fun, as players “buzz in” to answer questions drawn from the state's 9th & 10th grade curricula. Contestants also answer questions about current events and popular culture. The atmosphere combines the excitement of a game show with the thrills of a high school pep rally.

Brain Game is produced as an instructional/educational program for children aged 16 and under. It airs on Saturday mornings each week.

The Cap’n Five Show was a locally-produced children’s program that ran on WRAL-TV from 1958-1961. The show starred WRAL staff announcer Herb Marks as the commander of a submarine that docked in the TV fantasyland known as “Happy Harbor.”

The show was produced before a studio audience full of energetic children who would arrive at WRAL each day ready for their voyage into the world of television make-believe. Marks would don his skipper’s cap and perform with a Charlie McCarthy-like puppet—telling stories and jokes to keep the children entertained and under control.

In its early years Cap’n Five featured a huge submarine prop that was used as the centerpiece of the show’s studio production. Eventually that prop disappeared and Marks—who was an amateur ventriloquist and seasoned performer–became the central feature of the program.

Marks would entertain the kids and then introduce cartoon favorites like Popeye, Huckleberry Hound and Quick Draw McGraw. He also used an assortment of games and gimmicks, including a “Whatzit Box” that contained a secret object. If a child could guess what was inside he or she would go home with the prize.

WRAL legend Paul Montgomery made numerous guest appearances on Cap’n Five as a German-accented character known as “Heinrich von Stuplebaum.” Montgomery went on to star in his own children’s program, “Time for Uncle Paul.”

The Cap’n Five Show came to an end in 1961, but not before blazing a trail as one of the first locally-produced children’s shows on Channel 5.

CentralXpress.com was a WRAL-TV educational program designed for young teens.  The cast was made up of local actors.  The show won a national Gabriel Award for an episode dealing with school safety.

Television programming for children underwent a significant shift in the late 1970’s – early ‘80s. The days of a circus atmosphere including clown characters with wild hair and bright costumes, pie in the face humor and children marching around the studio quickly faded into history. Parents desired—and the FCC began requiring–programs that would prompt curiosity, show various cultures, explore history and provide an educational component.

“Frog Hollow” was a WRAL children’s program that premiered in July, 1981 and aired each weekend through early 1985. The program was designed for preschoolers and emphasized good moral values and effective problem solving techniques as taught through music, dance and humorous situations.

The setting was a country general store in the hamlet of “Frog Hollow.” Peter Anlyan auditioned and won the role as “Pete the storekeeper.” Anlyan arrived with a background in theatre from New York University and wrote many of the scripts for the show.

Becky Lofland was the voice behind the puppet named “Facetia.” Becky used her background in psychology to write scripts in a manner and tone to engage young viewers.

Vivian Wells played the school teacher. Betsy Blair portrayed a variety of characters and often used dance and mime in her skits. Michael Evans played several characters including the “Lone Trucker,” who would stop by the general store to chat and sing with Pete and help solve various dilemmas with the other characters.

Special guest appearances were made by local doctors, dentists, dieticians, musicians, and actors portraying various historic figures. Julie Wick served as the first producer of Frog Hollow, followed by Lisa Cline.

“Frog Hollow” won the 1984 National Iris Award presented by the National Association of Television Program Executives. The winning entry was produced by Lisa Cline and written by Peter Anlyan. The Iris Award is considered one of the most prestigious awards in television programming. The award signified “Frog Hollow” as that year’s best children’s program in the nation’s mid-sized television markets.

Romper Room was a syndicated children’s program that began in Baltimore in 1953 and ran on WRAL-TV in the late 1950s.

The program aired each weekday and featured a teacher leading a small class of preschoolers through games, exercises, songs and other lessons that sought to teach good manners and citizenship.

WRAL-TV’s first Romper Room “teacher” was Jo Ann Federspiel, a former classroom educator who came to Raleigh from South Carolina. “Miss Jo Ann” joined the WRAL staff in the spring of 1958.

The legendary Paul Montgomery provided musical accompaniment for the early Romper Room classes on Channel 5. Montgomery went on to fame as the host of the “Time for Uncle Paul” show. He was also a noted jazz musician.

SMART START KIDS

“Smart Start Kids” is an award-winning WRAL-TV children’s program designed for 3-to-5 year olds and their families. The program was produced in cooperation with the NC Partnership for Children/Smart Start, North Carolina’s nationally-recognized initiative to ensure that every child reaches his or her potential and is prepared to succeed in a global community.

In each of the program’s 74 episodes, local children share their “news,” explore their world and talk about their experiences. Each week “Willa,” host of Smart Start Kids, and the children engage in fun activities that promote healthy child development and serve as positive examples for viewers.

Produced in a magazine-style format, the children interact with “Willa” and travel to fun, educational places across the state. Together they experience trips to new geographical locations, learn from hands-on activities, and create their own memorable stories and music.

Young viewers were also able to participate from home or a childcare center by calling the Smart Start toll-free phone number to share their own exciting, personal stories such as a first trip to the beach or the arrival of a new puppy. This toll-free phone number provided access for all North Carolina children.

WRAL produced the program from 2002-2011. It won the prestigious Mid-South Regional Emmy Award in the Children’s Educational Program category in 2004 and 2009.

The Smart Start Kids program is still broadcast in syndication each week on WRAL-TV and WILM-TV in Wilmington. It’s also made available to UNC-TV for statewide distribution.

Sparks was a WRAL children’s program that premiered in 1985 and aired Saturday mornings through 1990. The half-hour fantasy/drama program primarily engaged older elementary school children and pre-teens.

The stories revolved around a mysterious time machine that could transport the characters into the past or future to resolve conflicts and/or provide insight and better understanding of specific time periods.

Sparks was set in a mythical North Carolina town in the time of the show’s production- the mid to late 1980s. The ongoing story line is rooted in a fictitious incident that occurred on June 17, 1955.

The lead character Sam Blade was a government scientist working on a top secret project, code name “Sparks.” Blade invented a time machine and then transported himself into the future.

During his trip he discovered that the government had ulterior motives for the machine. Upon his return, Blade realized the need to hide the machine as well as himself. Meanwhile the government is trying to find him. Actor Mark J. Miller portrayed Sam Blade.

Junius Fogg, Blade’s best friend, is a small-appliance repairman. Even though Blade and Fogg are the same age, Blade’s time travel of thirty years into the future put him into time limbo – he did not age. Consequently the gray-haired Fogg is now thirty years older than Blade. This became a comical source of conflicts within the various plots of the show. The time machine is now safely and secretly stashed away in a back-room at Fogg’s Fix-It Shop. Actor Mark Cath portrayed Junius Fogg.

The youth aspect of Sparks was introduced through Fogg’s grandchildren, Tory and Zachary, and their friends. The script writers tackled dilemmas and issues that confronted them. Many of these concerns were worked out in the malt shop setting called “Shades” – a local hangout for youth. Topics ranged from cheating, bullying, lying, stealing, name-calling, peer-pressure, etc. Young actress Meredith Nicolson played Tory and Joshua Bo Lozoff played the role of Zachary. Kent Faulcon portrayed Nathan, Zach’s best friend. Later in the series Steve Joe joined the cast playing Nick and Meg Plunkett played his girlfriend, Jennifer.

The time travel sequences transported the various characters back in time to meet literary characters like Ichabod Crane from Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and historical figures including Harry Houdini and Blackbeard the Pirate, to name a few. Examination of historical periods ranged from the “Trail of Tears” of the Cherokee Indians, gold mining in the 1800’s, slavery, and the pony express mail delivery.

Sparks was created and produced by Peter Anlyan. Cindy Carter wrote many of the scripts. In the latter years Sparks was produced by Dan Oliver, who also served as the director/photographer on segments produced away from the studio.

Sparks received a national Iris award in 1991, as well as several Parents’ Choice Awards and the Service to Children Television Award from the National Association of Broadcasters.

“Time for Uncle Paul” was the most enduring and beloved children’s program in WRAL-TV history.

The show aired weekday mornings from 1961-1981 and featured the legendary Paul Montgomery as “Uncle Paul” — a jovial studio ringmaster who delighted pre-school children and adults alike with a simple formula of fun and games.

Each day Montgomery donned a top hat, bow-tie and tattered tails to entertain youngsters and adults alike. His repertoire included stunts, puppets, cartoons and appearances from a variety of off-beat characters.

The highlight of every show came when Uncle Paul would declare “Time to March!” and the kids would parade around the studio, often accompanied by Montgomery playing piano or organ. Thousands of North Carolina grownups recall how they “marched with Uncle Paul” and most consider it one of their fondest childhood memories.

“Time For Uncle Paul” was recorded live before a studio audience and aired the next day so the children could see themselves on television. Uncle Paul was the star, but he was ably assisted by the lovable “Aunt Millie,” who off-camera was Mildred Bradley, the secretary of WRAL’s film department.

Uncle Paul interacted with a cast of strange characters, including “Crawford the Lion,” a puppet manipulated by WRAL Art Director Art Anderson. Later, voice-actor and puppeteer Rowell Gormon joined the program and created zany characters such as Stripes the Skunk; a “hepcat” named Zoot; Malcolm the Frog; and Woody the Wood Gremlin.

“Time for Uncle Paul” was a program created out of necessity; WRAL-TV had broadcast the “Bozo the Clown” cartoon show during the 1960-’61 season, but decided not to renew the expensive licensing contract when it ran out. Station managers still wanted a children’s program in the time period, however, so they turned to the multi-talented Montgomery, and the result was North Carolina television history.

Uncle Paul’s twenty-year run on WRAL-TV came to an end in 1981. The Federal Communications Commission was beginning to pressure television stations to include educational elements in children’s programming. When WRAL managers asked Montgomery to give the show a more informational tone, he balked, saying children needed to have fun as well as learn. Rather than change his beloved program, Montgomery decided to voluntarily end the show and retire.

Following his television days, Paul Montgomery continued a stellar career as a renowned jazz musician and composer. He died on Christmas Eve 2002 at the age of 78.