WRAL-TV
Categories: United States broadcasting stubs | Television stations in Raleigh-Durham | CBS network affiliates | Raleigh, North Carolina
| WRAL-TV | |
|---|---|
| Image:WRAL Logo.jpg | |
| Raleigh / Durham / Fayetteville, North Carolina | |
| Branding | WRAL5 / WRAL News |
| Slogan | North Carolina's News Leader |
| Analog channel | 5 (VHF) |
| Digital channel | 53 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | CBS |
| Owner | Capitol Broadcasting Company |
| Founded | December 15, 1956 |
| Call letters meaning | Raleigh |
| Former affiliations | NBC (1956–1962) ABC (1962–1985) |
| Website | www.wral.com |
WRAL-TV, "WRAL5" is a broadcast television station based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Broadcasting on VHF channel 5 (DTV on UHF channel 53), WRAL has been an affiliate of the CBS television network since 1985, and is locally owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company. Its transmitter is located between Garner and Clayton, North Carolina.
History
The station's first broadcast was on December 15, 1956; an airing of the 1947 movie Miracle on 34th Street. From its inception, the station was an NBC affiliate until 1962, when it began a 23-year affiliation to ABC.
During the 1960s, future North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms was a regular editorial commentator on WRAL's news broadcasts.
In 1979, the station became the state's first to begin using a helicopter for newsgathering (Sky 5).
In 1986, Capital Cities Communications merged with the ABC network, making WTVD-TV an ABC owned and operated station. As a result, the CBS affiliation moved to WRAL-TV.
A severe ice storm in December 1989 caused the station's 2,000-foot tower to collapse, forcing WRAL off the air. By cooperation with Fayetteville station WKFT-TV Channel 40 (which at the time was under severe financial problems), it was back on the air in 3 hours. WKFT ran the entire WRAL schedule during this time. The station's new, stronger tower was launched on October 25, 1990, at which point WKFT reverted to airing its own programming.
In 1996, WRAL-TV was granted the first experimental high-definition television license in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission. In 2000, WRAL-HD aired the world's first all-HDTV newscast on October 13. In January 2001, WRAL converted all of its local news broadcasts to high-definition.
Newscasts
Weekdays
- WRAL News @ 5AM - 5:00 - 6:00AM
- WRAL Morning News - 6:00 - 7:00AM
- WRAL News @ Noon - 12:00 - 1:00PM
- WRAL News @ 5PM - 5:00 - 6:00PM
- WRAL News @ 6PM - 6:00 - 6:30PM
- WRAL News @ 11PM - 11:00 - 11:35PM (Everyday)
Weekends
Saturdays
- WRAL Saturday Morning News - 6:00 - 8:00AM
- WRAL News @ 6PM - 6:00 - 6:30PM
- Headline Saturday - 6:30 - 7:00PM
Sundays
- WRAL Sunday Morning News - 7:00 - 9:00AM
- WRAL News @ 6:30PM - 6:30 - 7:00PM
- Chuck Amato Show - 11:35PM - 12:05AM (Only during the College Football season)
WRAL is affiliated directly with WRAZ/FOX50, so a news share occurs. WRAL produces the FOX50 Morning news and FOX50 News at Ten. All news, weather, traffic, and sports reporters are the same.
External links
- WRAL website
- A documentation of the WRAL tower crash of 1989
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WRAL
| Broadcast television in the Raleigh-Durham market | ||
|---|---|---|
|
WUNC 4 (PBS) - WRAL 5 (CBS) - WTVD 11 (ABC) - WNCN 17 (NBC) - WLFL 22 (The WB) - W24CP 24 (3ABN) - WTNC 26 (Religious) - WRDC 28 (UPN) - WUVC 40 (UNI) - WRPX 47 (i) - WRAZ 50 (Fox) - W64CN 64 (TBN) - WWIW-LP 66 (DS) - W67CD 67 (A1) - W68BK 68 (Educational) | ||