Bill Armstrong, Sam Beard and Scottie Stephenson on set election night at WRAL-TV.

Anchors Adele Arakawa and Charlie Gaddy host election coverage from the WRAL newsroom.

Adele Arakawa and Charlie Gaddy discuss election results with analyst in 1988

Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican Elizabeth Dole debated the pressing issues of 2002 in hope of garnering votes in the upcoming election to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate. The debate was held at Jones Hall on the campus of Meredith College in Raleigh on October 14, 2002. The moderators were WRAL News Anchor David Crabtree and WTVD News Anchor Larry Stogner.

WRAL-TV reporter Russell Capps ready to offer results for Wake County during election coverage.

Femme Fare host enjoying a moment at WRAL-TV 10th anniversary open house in 1966.

Femme Fare host greets guests at WRAL-TV 10th anniversary celebration.

Femme Fare host in 1960s staff photo

Models posing for Femme Fare television show. Host Bette Elliott always featured the latest fashions on her signature program.

Every week reporters from Fort Bragg would appear on Femme Fare to bring viewers military news. L-R: Private Paul Michels and Sergeant Bill Altman in a December 1966 photo.

Due to the coronavirus concerns, WRAL-TV will make two major scheduling changes beginning Monday, March 16, 2020: WRAL-TV will produce and broadcast 7pm local news specials all week. The programs will be 30 minutes long.  (Inside Edition will move to

Charlie Gaddy chats with WRAL GM Jim Hefner before reunion newscast in 2006

Legendary anchors Bob DeBardelaben and Charlie Gaddy share a moment following the WRAL 50th anniversary newscast in 2006

Bob DeBardelaben, Bobbie Battista, Charlie Gaddy and Tom Suiter are joined by successors at reunion in 2006

The USSR ceased to exist on December 26, 1991. A few weeks later, WRAL News anchor Donna Gregory and WRAL photographer Jay Jennings accompanied the NC Friendship Force on a trip to Russia, now formerly the USSR, in mid-January 1992.

Meet Elle Lyosa, a physical therapist who works at Moscow State University. She is paid the equivalent of three dollars of month. She is a single mother with a four year old son. Their home is an apartment that is 9‘ X 15’. Her outlook is positive as she seeks to better her life.

This is the last of 11 reports that aired on WRAL News.

Tune in to WRAL-TV for your Summer Olympics coverage with the Opening Ceremony today, Friday, July 23, 2021.  WRAL-TV will not only have coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games during all newscasts as well as daily competitions from NBC

Changes Coming in November Lena Tillett joins Gerald Owens on anchor desk for 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts  Mikaya Thurmond moves to weekdays, joining Ken Smith from the anchor desk at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.  Kathryn

WRAL-TV has been hard at work over the past month putting together a brand new state-of-the-art studio. Tune in to the WRAL newscasts starting at noon Thursday, October 31, 2019, to get a look at what we’ve done.

WRAL News Tops Ratings in Raleigh-Durham Market, #1 in All Newscasts, All Day With the final numbers in for the May 2019 Nielsen ratings period, WRAL (Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville DMA) sealed its position as the Triangle’s top news station with

WRAL-TV lit the 300-foot tower for the 60th time on Monday, December 3, 2018.  The evening began with weather reports from the fountain out front, continuing throughout the newscasts and culminating with a half-hour special at 7pm.  Several special guests

SKY 5 pilot Mike Allen finds two missing boy scouts and their scoutmaster clinging to trees after their canoes overturned in the Cape Fear River in Harnett County.

Since SKY 5 is not equipped with rescue gear, the National Guard helicopter was called to execute the rescue., while SKY 5 oversaw the direction.

Circa 1983.

Scotty McCreery won season 10 of American Idol in 2011. McCreery is a country music singer who grew up in Garner, North Carolina, a few miles east of Raleigh. WRAL and sister station WRAZ provided extensive coverage about McCreery’s rise to fame on American Idol and ultimately winning the contest. WRAL reporter Monica Laliberte gives us an overview of Scott’s journey from audition to advancing to the finals.

Cribbage players travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to compete in the annual National Cribbage Tournament – the world’s largest cribbage event.

Nick Pond, former WRAL Sports director/anchor and avid cribbage player, formed the American Cribbage Congress and national tournament in 1973. The competition was held in the studios of WRAL-TV.

We have two vintage stories about the tournament. The first story aired in 2013. Scott Mason, the Tar Heel Traveler, provides a bit of history about this brainy card game.

The second video aired in 1979. WRAL News reporter Del Walters talks with WRAL Sports anchor Nick Pond explains how cribbage, a popular game at family and friend gatherings, came out of the living room to take center stage with its own tournament.

WRAL News photographer Richard Adkins flew into the eye of a storm named Irene, August 2011. You’ll see what happens inside this special aircraft referred to as a “Hurricane Hunter” as it criss-crosses through a hurricane.

Adkins wrote and shot this story. It is voiced by WRAL News anchor David Crabtree.

Hold on to your seat as you watch!

Tar Heel Tartans!

WRAL news anchor Bill Leslie and news photographer Rick Armstrong document North Carolina native Bill Caudill’s search for his Scottish ancestral homeland. Along the way they meet an artist, visit castles, watch Bill Caudill participate in a bagpipe competition and learn about the significance of the tartan.

Enjoy this six part series produced in May, 1986 and aired prior to the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Gathering of Scottish Clans in July, 1986. You will discover that the people in Scotland have a high regard for the gathering that takes place every year near Linville, North Carolina.

Bill Caudill is Director of the Scottish Heritage Center and Instructor of the College Pipe Band at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, North Carolina.

“30 Minutes” was a weekly public affairs program that was produced on WRAL-TV in 1996-97. The program aired on Saturday evenings and was hosted by WRAL news anchor David Crabtree.

Similar programs in this time period were “Q&A with David Crabtree” and “Headline Saturday.”

“Carolina Saturday” was a WRAL-TV issues program hosted by Public Affairs Director Waltye Rasulala.  The weekly program aired in the 1980s.

CBC founder A.J. Fletcher thought that it was important for his company to weigh in publicly on the issues of the day. As a result, CBC has a long history of editorial commentary that aired on WRAL-TV and the company’s radio outlets.

There’s no doubt that the most famous Capitol Broadcasting Company editorialist was Jesse Helms, whose controversial commentaries were broadcast from 1960-1972. Other commentators who delivered CBC’s editorial opinions over the years include William P. Cheshire, Carl Goerch, Joel Lawhon, J.D. Lewis, Charles Dunn and Giles Lambertson.

Several guest editorials are featured in this part of the history archive, but notably missing are any of the legendary commentaries by Jesse Helms. WRAL-TV is often asked: What happened to all those “Viewpoint” editorials? The short answer is that the video segments simply weren’t preserved. While that answer is true, it bears more explanation, which in turn calls for a bit of history about television production in the early days of the medium.

In the early days of broadcasting local television stations carried a mixture of live programming and occasional segments shot on film. Videotape technology was introduced in the 1950s and 1960s, but the new production method did little to promote the archival preservation of television’s early content (to see WRAL-TV’s first videotape machine, type “videotape” into the search box).

The first VTR (videotape recorder) machines utilized costly reels of two-inch-wide magnetic tape. Standard practice was to record a segment on a reel of videotape and then re-use it after the programming had aired. It was just too expensive for most stations to save tapes for posterity, so they were used over and over until they wore out.

The new technology made it relatively easy for WRAL personnel to record the Viewpoint editorials, but it also made it just as easy to erase them. Jesse Helms would record his daily editorial on videotape and it would air in that night’s newscast. The next day the same videotape would be rewound and used again—wiping away the previous day’s commentary forever.

This “re-use” practice erased countless hours of classic programming. Not only were the Viewpoint editorials lost, so were shows like “Tempus Fugit,” “Cap’n Five,” and “Femme Fare.” The practice gradually began to change when smaller, cheaper videotape formats were introduced in the mid-to-late 1970s, but by then many of WRAL-TV’s classic programs had been lost to the ages.

“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.

Earlier in December, WRAL-TV celebrated 65 years on the air.  WRAL-TV Reporter Scott Mason, the Tar Heel Traveler, created this video package in honor of the milestone:

Scott Mason, WRAL’s Tar Heel Traveler, was honored with the Sanford Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. Meg Moss, executive director for the Sanford Chamber of Commerce, said the award honors Mason for his significant impact

Cribbage players travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to compete in the annual National Cribbage Tournament – the world’s largest cribbage event.

Nick Pond, former WRAL Sports director/anchor and avid cribbage player, formed the American Cribbage Congress and national tournament in 1973. The competition was held in the studios of WRAL-TV.

We have two vintage stories about the tournament. The first story aired in 2013. Scott Mason, the Tar Heel Traveler, provides a bit of history about this brainy card game.

The second video aired in 1979. WRAL News reporter Del Walters talks with WRAL Sports anchor Nick Pond explains how cribbage, a popular game at family and friend gatherings, came out of the living room to take center stage with its own tournament.

WRAL celebrated 60 years of broadcasting on December 15, 2016. In recognition of that anniversary, Scott Mason – better known as The Tar Heel Traveler – took viewers on a time travel, via black and white film footage, to witness several news events covered by WRAL during the early years.

A few of the highlights include President John F. Kennedy’s visit to the campus of UNC to WRAL News Director Bill Armstrong’s interview with NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong while he was training at the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill. Meet Marlene Carole, WRAL’s first female weatherperson who used a chalkboard to write the high and low temperatures – with an eye-wink. Later we see WRAL transition to color and then lead the nation in HD technology.

Feature edited by WRAL Tar Heel Traveler photographer Bob Meikle.

In recognition of WRAL’s 60th Anniversary, Scott Mason – better known as The Tar Heel Traveler – took viewers back to October 17, 1956 for the groundbreaking ceremonies of the studios on Western Boulevard in Raleigh. WRAL would sign on two months later on December 15, 1956 using a temporary studio in the garage of the transmitter building near Garner.

Scott Mason interviewed Wesley Williams, former President of Greater Raleigh Merchants Association, for his recollection of that rainy day in October. Also interviewed is CEO Jim Goodmon, grandson of founder A.J. Fletcher and nephew of Fred Fletcher.

WRAL-FM carried the dedication ceremonies LIVE with Fred Fletcher, VP of Capitol Broadcasting introducing the guest speakers and providing commentary. George Geoghegan, VP of Wachovia Bank and Trust served as Master of Ceremonies. Other speakers included Charles Campbell, President of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and Wesley Williams, at the time Secretary of the Raleigh Merchants Association.

The highlight of the event was Dorothy Collins, star of the NBC television program “Your Hit Parade,” joining CBC Founder and President AJ Fletcher to turn the soil with a gold color shovel. The day was rainy and gray, but everyone beamed with excitement. Dorothy Collins said, “I hope this station goes on forever and ever.”

Feature edited by WRAL Tar Heel Traveler photographer Bob Meikle.

The Southern Sportsman was Franc White. Franc shot his own film and shared his adventures on his television show produced at the studios of WRAL-TV.

His dog was named Frickus. Frank flew an airplane painted in a zebra pattern. And he would end every program by saying, “Do yourself a favor…take a kid fishing.”

This particular episode was produced in 1992, but apparently aired in January 1993. The video is poor in quality since it was recorded “off-air” by a viewer who lived on the fringes of the television signal. But, it has survived all these years.

Franc passed away in 2012 at the age of 86.

Franc White, better known as The Southern Sportsman, was an avid outdoorsman. Through his television program he shared his love for hunting, fishing, and cooking. Through his “Franc White Commentary” he shared his concerns regarding ecological issues as of 1993. Many say Franc White was way ahead of his time. (Franc White passed away June 6, 2012)

Franc White, better known as The Southern Sportsman, was an avid outdoorsman. Through his television program he shared his love for hunting, fishing, and cooking. Through his “Franc White Commentary” he shared his concerns regarding ecological issues as of 1993. Many say Franc White was way ahead of his time. (Franc White passed away June 6, 2012)

Franc White, better known as The Southern Sportsman, was an avid outdoorsman. Through his television program he shared his love for hunting, fishing, and cooking. Through his “Franc White Commentary” he shared his concerns regarding ecological issues as of 1993. Many say Franc White was way ahead of his time. (Franc White passed away June 6, 2012)

Franc White, better known as The Southern Sportsman, was an avid outdoorsman. Through his television program he shared his love for hunting, fishing, and cooking. Through his “Franc White Commentary” he shared his concerns regarding ecological issues as of 1993. Many say Franc White was way ahead of his time. (Franc White passed away June 6, 2012)

Focal Point: Green Acres looks at how development is affecting ordinary people and places across North Carolina. It examines development trends that may hold the key to managing growth in a way that protects important green spaces and it looks at how conservation groups are scrambling to protect land in the face of rapid growth and skyrocketing land prices.

The program, hosted by WRAL News anchor Bill Leslie, aired Wednesday, August 9 2006.

“Searching for a Fix”

Heroin is no longer a back-alley drug. It’s mainstream, in your neighborhood, and in homes just like yours. The path from prescription opioids like Oxycodone and Percocet to cheaper and more readily available heroin is a dangerous one.

“Searching for a Fix” goes beyond the overwhelming statistics to tell intimate, personal stories of how this problem affects real people and devastates families just like yours in every corner of North Carolina. “In all of my years of documentary production, they were the most gut-wrenching and deeply personal interviews I’ve ever done. They were emotional, moving and eye-opening,” said WRAL Documentary Producer Clay Johnson.

The program aired August 1, 2017

Hosted by WRAL News anchor and reporter Cullen Browder, Focal Point: “State of Minds” profiles mentally ill patients, their families, providers and other people affected by mental health care reform in North Carolina. It looks at the challenges faced by patients and their families in a system that for many has become more complicated, confusing and harder to access. It investigates the controversial spending by some LME’s and the challenges faced by private companies as they try to provide mental health services in a more competitive environment that has driven some providers out of business.

Producer and writer – Clay Johnson
Photographer and editor – Jay Jennings
Aired September 26, 2007

The ambush-style killings of five Dallas police officers on July 7, 2016 ignited a conversation at WRAL-TV about how the station could respond, as tensions increased between police and the African-American community nationwide. After conversations with local leaders, WRAL began work on a documentary focused on shootings of black men in North Carolina, and the relationship between police departments and African American communities in Raleigh, Durham, and Fayetteville, NC.

WRAL Documentary: Black & BlueThe WRAL Documentary, “Black and Blue,” was the first part of a two-hour community conversation on TV, web and social media. The documentary was simulcast on Capitol Broadcasting’s television stations and OTT channels. The exclusive online forum that followed, “Beyond Black and Blue,” was a critical conversation with law enforcement, faith leaders, and members of the black community. “Beyond Black and Blue” was live-streamed immediately following the premiere of the documentary and supported by additional station-produced online content.

The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF) honored Capitol Broadcasting Company with the coveted Service to Community Award at its annual Celebration of Service to America gala in Washington, DC on June 20, 2017.

Documentary hosted by WRAL News anchor Gerald Owens.
Forum discussion moderated by Tru Pettigrew.
Aired December, 2016.

America’s Favorite Journey: The Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most popular destination in our national park system, hosting about 17 million visitors a year.

Nearly half the 469-mile route runs through North Carolina, including its highest elevations. Some of the parkway’s iconic features are in our state, including its highest peak and the Linn Cove Viaduct at Grandfather Mountain.

Visitors to the parkway generate more than $2 billion dollars a year for mountain communities. Its biological diversity, rich history and its parks and trails make the parkway a valuable educational and recreational resource.

Host: WRAL News anchor Bill Leslie
Producer/writer: Clay Johnson
Photographer/editor: Jay Jennings

America’s Favorite Journey’ aired June 29, 2010 on WRAL-TV.