“In 1976, my kindergarten class took a field trip to be on the Uncle Paul Show. I don’t remember much about it, other than touring the studio grounds. It had rained that day, and we didn’t get to venture far into the garden. I remember marching at the end of the show, and being terribly excited to be there, though very intimidated by Uncle Paul. He seemed extremely tall, or perhaps it was the hat. That day still stands out as my first television debut!”
– Submitted by Kelley Harrell –
“I was secretary to Ray Reeve and Nick Pond while my husband was at NC State. Once did a voiceover for Jesse, probably since my voice was so southern; was one of the secs who used the teleprompter typewriter for Jesse’s editorials; had tea in Mr. A.J’s office twice a year with the other “girls”; loved Scottie as we all did; was friends with Marlene the weather girl and introduced her to her husband; enjoyed Paul Montgomery playing jazz for us in the studio during a few lunchtime moments; remember the switchboard operator forwarding crank calls to each sec in turn; remember the opera kids wandering about in the halls and singing; made $70.00 a week (with NO Saturday work!); remember Walter the mail porter and J. D. Lewis, the only black folks employed at that time; there were no ceiling tiles in the studio building ceiling; loved the fountain; still watch 5 and remember my days there with love.”
– Submitted by Marilyn McVicker, former employee at WRAL 1960-1963 –
“I carried my oldest daughter to see Uncle Paul for her birthday in December. She was there maybe 1975 – 1976. I wish I had the video.”
– Submitted by Amy Johnson –
“At the ripe age of 14, I had the privilege and honor of being the announcer on the very first ever “Scouting News” segment (circa 1968) produced by the Explorer Post sponsored by WRAL and led by then Engineer, Powell Kidd. This was also a national “first” for Scouting at any level. Many of the charter members of the Post are still living and working in the viewing area. Jim Goodmon was a mere Producer at the time. We all benefited from the selfless staff who volunteered their time to mentor us in the growing art of broadcast production, people like Marion Wiggins (Projectionist), Dick Parnell(Director) Nick Pond & Ray Reeve (Sports), Dave Collins (WRAl-FM), Dick Ellis (News), Verne Strickland (Farm News), Dave (?) Scoggins (Engineering) and even Juanita, the receptionist. Some early members like Steve Adams and Bob Butler went on to careers in broadcasting. The Post provided regular volunteers to help as ushers at the Carolina Cougars basketball games at Dorton Arena, and was instrumental in helping with the production of the first ever United Cerebral Palsy Telethon at Reynolds Coliseum in 1968 or 69 that eventually evolved into the national annual “Weekend With The Stars” telethon for UCP. Folks like AJ Fletcher and his son Bill were frequent presences at our meetings and taping sessions. The attention to detail, the self-discipline and experience in public speaking all played valuable roles in the course my life took and in the successes I have enjoyed from them. We will soon be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of that first show so I hope CBC will assist us in putting together a proper commemorative event to mark that occasion. I know many are anticipating such an occasion and are more than willing to assist in the preparations for it. I remain eternally grateful for the opportunities WRAL so graciously offered to us. Dave Goetze, Major, US Army (Retired), Youngsville, NC”
– Submitted by David Goetze, Major, US Army (Retired) –
“(Not sure of year) I was hired by Fred Uzzell as a parttime cameraman at the Auburn Studio. I worked weekends and some nights. Shows worked: Million Dollar movie, Jesse Helms comments, Captain 5. Also working these hours were the late Nick Pond and guy named Watkins (I believe); floor manager was usually J. D.. Did a Christmas remote at the Durham Christmas Parade in the rain. I was convinced that we would all be electrocuted. After the Western Blvd studio opened I worked weekends as a guide for tours of the new facilities.
I still live in Cary and am retired from my real world jobs.”
– Submitted by Bob Cassell –
“My Mom is Margaret Brickell. Sometime around 1962 my Mom became Miss Margaret on the syndicated children’s show Romper Room aired at WRAL Channel 5. I was born in 1958 so I was too young to be on the show. I do remember sitting in a viewing room and watching the show on a monitor there at the channel 5 studio. In the attached picture along with my Mom, includes two of my sisters. To my Mom’s immediate right, is my sister Kim. To my Mom’s left is my sister Jenny. Through her time at WRAL, my Mom made friends with her co-workers. I remember spending evenings at Paul Montgomery’s, (Uncle Paul) house listening to him play jazz on the piano. My Mom became friends with the Charlie Gaddy and his wife. Charlie and my Mom went on to judge a few of the local beauty pageants. Later my Mom had her own radio talk show on WPTF called “Time for Margaret” where her interviews included local residents and some nationally known actors most notably Richard Chamberlain.”
– Submitted by David Brickell –
“Sewing contest winner from Bette Elliott’s Femme Fare program.”
– Submitted by Betty Abbott –
“I think you should also list Verne Strickland. My first appearance on WRAL was on a Farm News Show with Verne. I later gave, on behalf of the North Carolina Restaurant Association, a gold or silver plate award to Verne and Dick Ellis. So I still think of Dick and Verne as Icons of WRAL.”
– Submitted by T. Jerry Williams –
“One thing I did not see is stuff about the WRAL Brass Band. I believe it was created in the 80’s and served the community until around 1990 when the name was changed to the Triangle Brass Band. I joined about then and it was common to hear people refer to the band as RAL at competitions. Anyway, maybe Fishel remembers something about it, or you could contact the Triangle BB.”
– Submitted by Stephen Terry –
“As a child I was in a Cub Scout group #273 from Willow Spring, NC. I’m thinking it was around 1958 or 59! Don’t remember much of the show other than we didn’t get to watch cartoons while they were playing on TV like the viewers were. Do remember Herb Marks and his uniform and the set with the submarine. I remember all my friend saying they saw us! Good memories.”
– Submitted by Lewis ( LP ) Myatt –
“In 1966 and 1967 SSG Bill Altman and I would travel from Fort Bragg to the WRAL TV studios each Friday morning for a five minute appearance in the middle of the Femme Fare program. The “news” we broadcast was all Army PR stuff from the post’s Public Information Office. It was a fun way to pass the day every Friday. After I left the Army in 1968 I stayed in the broadcast business and currently work for Curtis Media Group Raleigh.”
– Submitted by Paul Michels –
“It was so long ago that I don’t remember which year for sure, 1957 or 1958 I think. There was a building where the tower had been built with people working there. I worked at the EL-MAR grill on Highway 70 in Clayton. The people there would call us and order meals and I would deliver them. What all this means is that I am OLD!”
– Submitted by Daniel Wall –
“My father, V.A. Pace, worked as an engineer for cbc and was standing there behind AJ Fletcher when he flipped the switch on Dec. 15, 1956. He later worked again for wral in the later 60’s under Mr. AJ and Jesse Helms as chief engineer. He has many great stories of a technical nature and memories of a pre teen Jim Goodman coming around with his grandfather AJ. My dad is 84 years old and his memory is keen.”
– Submitted by Chris Pace –
“This is me with my hero Bozo; I believe it was 1962. I was the only guest that day {it was a taping for a Saturday show – Monday through Friday shows were live}, and a staff member got some pictures before the show started. I had noticed weeks earlier that Bozo wasn’t wearing pom-poms on his costume anymore and, when I asked him why, he gave them to me. I still have them. I remember getting really excited when I saw midday news anchor Russell Capps in the hall, and I was impressed by what I thought was a spaceship prop for another kids’ show – though I read here it was actually a submarine.”
– Submitted by Tim Sikes –
“In the picture of tower crew working in the clouds, the man on the upper left of the picture is John Benton of Raleigh. He was an iron worker that worked with Jimmy King for a number of years. He is 82 yrs. old now and his health is becoming a concern. If you would like to talk to him, it can be arranged.”
– Submitted by Debbie Baratta –
“I was just looking at the photos and the video of the days that Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling was recorded at WRAL. During the mid-70’s, I would go every Tuesday night with my father and grandfather, and we would get the free tickets for the next night’s TV tapings and we ALWAYS had the best times cheering for the good guys and booing the bad guys. When it was announced in 1981 that the recordings would stop in Raleigh and move to Charlotte’s WPCQ, I was so sad. I truly miss those days and the great memories.”
– Submitted by Travis Tarrant –
“I very well recall coming to Raleigh from Smithfield several times to appear on Cap’n Five, on 5, at 5. My sibs and I watched every day and thrilled for our Daddy to get us loaded up in the car for the drive –then over an hour–to the studio out on Western Blvd. I loved guessing the Whatzit Box and got to play games a couple of times. I remember eating saltines to see who could whistle first was a big hit. I won cutting a strip of paper –like adding machine tape–without running off the sides. My prize was a little musical toy. The downside was that since the program was live you never got to see yourself on TV. Through the years I have thought of Mr. Herb Marks a thousand times, wondering what happened to him. Uncle Paul was way after my time so I never warmed to him. (To round out my career, I was also on Romper Room in Greenville, NC in 1958 or ’59. )”
– Submitted by Linda Cornetti –
“Just a word to remind folks of the talented newsman Ben Runkle. I got to know him personally because his sons Ben and Steve were among my best friends starting in the ’60s. But the older Ben — they were not junior and senior — was a journalist of the old school, toting one of this big cameras around and covering hard-core news. He also did some celebrity interviewing including a talk with Bob Dylan and Joan Baez during their trip to play Reynolds Coliseum in March 1965. Both Ben and his wonderful wife Sue have died, as well as their son Steve, but they live on in memories of those good days.”
– Submitted by Tommy Goldsmith, Broughton 1970 –
“Reading an article in today’s N&O about the fund raising efforts underway to refurbish the USS North Carolina brought back memories of 1960 when I was a first grader and watching the Capn Five show which came on at 5 on channel 5. (Our old TV could only get about 3 Channels then). The host Herb Marks wearing his navy officers hat as Capn Five told us kids all about the battleship North Carolina which had helped win the war and now might be sold for scrap unless enough money could be raised to save her. He encouraged us to save our pennies and that he would like for each of us to donate at least 10 cents if we could. He said our teachers would be collecting the donations at school and the schools that raised the most money would be announced on the show. I remember lator being very proud when he announced that the USS North Carolina would not be scrapped and that our pennies had helped make this possible.”
– Submitted by Jeff Maness –
“I appeared on Cap’n Five in the late 1950s. The deal was, as I recall, that a group of kids signed on for a week, mainly just sitting there eating Vanilla Wafers.
I was in White Memorial Kindergarten at the time, and when my mother told the principal I was going to be out to be on Cap’n Five, the principal indicated that might put my graduation in jeopardy.
Charles Craven (Charlie) was The N&O columnist at the time, and a family friend. He heard the story, and wrote a column about “poor little Jim Jenkins,” whose kindergarten graduation was threatened by a TV appearance. As my mother told the story later, “You graduated, but the principal never spoke to me again.”
– Submitted by Jim Jenkins –
“My older sister, “Little Debbie Sherrod” was a daily performer on the show in the late 60s until 1970 or 71. My mother, younger sister and myself sometimes joined her and we would sing as a gospel quartet. In some ways Homer and the band were almost like a second family and I vividly remember going to live local events and occasionally having some of the band members ride with us. In spite of having to get up at 4am, go to the studio and then school all day, those were good times that we still remember fondly.”
– Submitted by Andrew Sherrod –
“I must have been 9 or 10 when I was on Captain 5. We were asked if anyone had a birthday and it was mine. I was told to stand up and state my name. Then I was asked why I was sporting two black eyes! A day or two before the show I was out with my dad on his Cushman scooter and we crashed it. He was letting me drive at the time, sitting between his legs. It was on Georgetown Road near the Ready Mix concrete place and I hit some loose sand. I’m 63 now and still riding motorcycles.”
– Submitted by Leon Vinson