North Carolina News Network
Encyclopedia
The North Carolina News Network (sometimes called NCNN) is a news and information service established in 1942. It provides programming to approximately 75 radio stations, primarily in the state of North Carolina
, and can also be heard by Internet streaming via its website.
) in Raleigh, North Carolina
began producing agricultural reports for farmers in the Eastern part of the state. Shortly after returning from service in World War II
, Ray Wilkinson
began delivering agricultural reports in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
on radio station WCEC
810 AM (now dark), where he was Program Director. Shortly thereafter, WRAL expressed interest in broadcasting Wilkinson’s reports, and the groundwork was laid for the foundation of the Tobacco Radio Network
, the predecessor to NCNN.
The network was so-named because tobacco
was the leading agricultural crop in Eastern North Carolina, where the oldest stations of the network were based. With the establishment of WRAL-FM
in 1946, the network took advantage of its static-free reception and wide coverage area to begin relaying programming to other stations that desired agricultural news. Eventually, the network was available to nearly all of North Carolina through a system of FM repeater stations.
Feeder stations for the network included:
A companion network, the Tobacco Sports Network, was formed in the mid 1950s to broadcast College Football
and College Basketball
for the four major universities centered in and around Raleigh. Broadcast commentators for events on this network included Bill Currie
and Ray Reeve
. It was this network that broadcast the North Carolina Tar Heels
’ winning game in the 1957 NCAA basketball championship to a statewide audience.
In 1963, Wilkinson became Farm News Director for WRAL, and the programming he was producing for the network went to Raleigh with him. He became Vice-President of Capitol Broadcasting Company
, in charge of both networks, a position he held for 31 years.
With Wilkinson's move to WRAL, operations for the two networks were consolidated by Capitol Broadcasting and renamed the T-N Radio Network. A news staff was hired, and hourly newscasts were begun. During the 1960s, the distinctive three-note news sounder could regularly be heard at 55 minutes past the hour on radio stations across North Carolina.
In 1973, concurrent with programming changes at parent station WRAL-FM, the network was re-imaged to the current “North Carolina News Network” for news, weather and sports reports, while agricultural reports continued as “T-N Farm News.”
By 1978, the network had discontinued the FM feeder station distribution, and was carried by telephone lines as a conventional network. That change would only be temporary, as Capitol Broadcasting began satellite distribution of NCNN in 1983.
The satellite bandwidth provided to NCNN by Capitol Satellite Services allowed the network to re-enter Sports Broadcasting in a big way in the 1990s, offering distribution services for North Carolina State University
and Duke University
games, and those of the NBA Charlotte Hornets.
In recent years, NCNN has become available to listeners worldwide by streaming audio on the internet.
On August 10, 2009 NCNN owners Capitol Broadcasting Company
announced the sale of the network to Curtis Media Group
, also of Raleigh. Curtis owns stations in the Raleigh Market, as well as station groups in Wilmington
, Goldsboro
, Burlington
, Winston-Salem
and Boone
.
reporters informed T-N Network listeners of news from other areas of the state. Statewide and regional weather reports
were a fixture on the T-N Network, and daily sports reports dealt almost exclusively with North Carolina high school and college teams.
Daily editorial
s by WRAL-TV
commentator Jesse Helms
were broadcast on the T-N Network, and are generally credited as a major contributing factor to his winning election to the U.S. Senate in 1972.
Since becoming NCNN, the network has expanded coverage of high school sports in North Carolina, becoming the major source for scores from football games across the state on Saturday mornings each fall. Coverage of the North Carolina Legislature has become more in-depth, with programs devoted to legislative coverage each year when the Legislature is in session.
NCNN is known for giving extensive, regionalized forecasts for the entire state of North Carolina, prepared by a team of in-house meteorologists (which they share with WRAL-TV and WRAL-FM).
Some of the current offerings of the North Carolina News Network include:
2011
2009
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and can also be heard by Internet streaming via its website.
History
The roots of this network go back to 1942, when WRAL (AM) 1240 (now WPJLWPJL
WPJL is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, the station serves the Raleigh area. The station is currently owned by WPJL, Inc..-History:...
) in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
began producing agricultural reports for farmers in the Eastern part of the state. Shortly after returning from service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Ray Wilkinson
Ray Wilkinson
Ray Wilkinson was a long time agricultural news anchor and reporter for Capitol Broadcasting Company in Raleigh, North Carolina....
began delivering agricultural reports in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
on radio station WCEC
WCEC
WCEC is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish News/Talk format. Licensed to Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA, the station is currently owned by Costa-Eagle Radio Ventures Limited Partnership.-History:...
810 AM (now dark), where he was Program Director. Shortly thereafter, WRAL expressed interest in broadcasting Wilkinson’s reports, and the groundwork was laid for the foundation of the Tobacco Radio Network
Tobacco Radio Network
Tobacco Radio Network was a radio network owned and operated by Capitol Broadcasting Company of Raleigh, North Carolina. Begun in 1942, the network was dedicated to educating and keeping farmers informed of the latest agricultural news, stories, and market standings...
, the predecessor to NCNN.
The network was so-named because tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
was the leading agricultural crop in Eastern North Carolina, where the oldest stations of the network were based. With the establishment of WRAL-FM
WRAL-FM
WRAL is an Adult Contemporary music formatted radio station based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its studios are located on Highwoods Boulevard in Raleigh, along with WCMC-FM, a sports talk station that signed on in October 2005...
in 1946, the network took advantage of its static-free reception and wide coverage area to begin relaying programming to other stations that desired agricultural news. Eventually, the network was available to nearly all of North Carolina through a system of FM repeater stations.
Feeder stations for the network included:
- WRAL-FM, 101.5 MHz, Raleigh — Main origination station
- WCEC-FM, 100.7 MHz, Rocky Mount (now WRVA-FMWRVA-FMWRVA-FM is a Classic Hits radio station that serves the Raleigh-Durham market of North Carolina. Its studios are located at Smoketree Court in Raleigh and its city of license is in Wake Forest...
) — Eastern Zone feeder station - WGBR-FM, 97.7 MHz, Goldsboro (now WEQR) — Southeastern Zone feeder station
- WGWR-FM, 92.3 MHz, Asheboro (now WKRRWKRRWKRR is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Asheboro, North Carolina, USA. The station is currently owned by Dick Broadcasting Company, Inc...
) — Central Zone feeder station - WEGO-FM, 97.9 MHz, Concord (now WPEGWPEGWPEG is a Mainstream Urban-formatted radio station in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. It broadcasts at 97.9 FM, and is owned by CBS Radio.-History:...
) — Western Zone feeder station
A companion network, the Tobacco Sports Network, was formed in the mid 1950s to broadcast College Football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and College Basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
for the four major universities centered in and around Raleigh. Broadcast commentators for events on this network included Bill Currie
Bill Currie
William Cleveland Currie is a retired American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher whose ten-year minor league career was punctuated by a three-game stint in Major League Baseball with the Washington Senators.From 1950–1959, the , Currie compiled a 92–72 win-loss record...
and Ray Reeve
Ray reeve
* Ray Reeve - 1901-1980Pioneer sports radio and television broadcaster, 1939–1973. Long association with Tobacco Sports Network and WRAL-TV. Radio broadcasts of early ACC games in 1950s carried the league to millions of listeners across the eastern seaboard. He was a graduate of Dartmouth...
. It was this network that broadcast the North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State...
’ winning game in the 1957 NCAA basketball championship to a statewide audience.
In 1963, Wilkinson became Farm News Director for WRAL, and the programming he was producing for the network went to Raleigh with him. He became Vice-President of Capitol Broadcasting Company
Capitol Broadcasting Company
Capitol Broadcasting Company is a TV and radio broadcast company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They also own and operate the minor league baseball team, the Durham Bulls.-TV:*WRAL-TV 5...
, in charge of both networks, a position he held for 31 years.
With Wilkinson's move to WRAL, operations for the two networks were consolidated by Capitol Broadcasting and renamed the T-N Radio Network. A news staff was hired, and hourly newscasts were begun. During the 1960s, the distinctive three-note news sounder could regularly be heard at 55 minutes past the hour on radio stations across North Carolina.
In 1973, concurrent with programming changes at parent station WRAL-FM, the network was re-imaged to the current “North Carolina News Network” for news, weather and sports reports, while agricultural reports continued as “T-N Farm News.”
By 1978, the network had discontinued the FM feeder station distribution, and was carried by telephone lines as a conventional network. That change would only be temporary, as Capitol Broadcasting began satellite distribution of NCNN in 1983.
The satellite bandwidth provided to NCNN by Capitol Satellite Services allowed the network to re-enter Sports Broadcasting in a big way in the 1990s, offering distribution services for North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
and Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
games, and those of the NBA Charlotte Hornets.
In recent years, NCNN has become available to listeners worldwide by streaming audio on the internet.
On August 10, 2009 NCNN owners Capitol Broadcasting Company
Capitol Broadcasting Company
Capitol Broadcasting Company is a TV and radio broadcast company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They also own and operate the minor league baseball team, the Durham Bulls.-TV:*WRAL-TV 5...
announced the sale of the network to Curtis Media Group
Curtis Media Group
Curtis Media Group is a broadcast media company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. The company owns and operates several North Carolina radio stations and four radio networks.-AM:*WPTF 680 AM *WQDR 570 AM...
, also of Raleigh. Curtis owns stations in the Raleigh Market, as well as station groups in Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, Goldsboro
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
, Burlington
Burlington, North Carolina
Burlington is a city in Alamance and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Alamance County, in which most of the city is located. The population was 49,963 at the 2010...
, Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
and Boone
Boone, North Carolina
Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, United States. Boone's population was reported as 17,122, as of 2010...
.
Programming
As T-N, the network developed some programming distinctive to North Carolina interests. Being based in Raleigh, the state capital, much of the network's programming dealt with legislative and other governmental activities. A group of stringerStringer (journalism)
In journalism, a stringer is a type of freelance journalist or photographer who contributes reports or photos to a news organization on an ongoing basis but is paid individually for each piece of published or broadcast work....
reporters informed T-N Network listeners of news from other areas of the state. Statewide and regional weather reports
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
were a fixture on the T-N Network, and daily sports reports dealt almost exclusively with North Carolina high school and college teams.
Daily editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
s by WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina. WRAL-TV has been the flagship station of Capitol Broadcasting Company since its inception, and is currently the CBS affiliate for the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Fayetteville area, known collectively as the Triangle...
commentator Jesse Helms
Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. was a five-term Republican United States Senator from North Carolina who served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1995 to 2001...
were broadcast on the T-N Network, and are generally credited as a major contributing factor to his winning election to the U.S. Senate in 1972.
Since becoming NCNN, the network has expanded coverage of high school sports in North Carolina, becoming the major source for scores from football games across the state on Saturday mornings each fall. Coverage of the North Carolina Legislature has become more in-depth, with programs devoted to legislative coverage each year when the Legislature is in session.
NCNN is known for giving extensive, regionalized forecasts for the entire state of North Carolina, prepared by a team of in-house meteorologists (which they share with WRAL-TV and WRAL-FM).
Some of the current offerings of the North Carolina News Network include:
Sportscasts
News of sporting events with a North Carolina angle air at 25 past the hour in mornings and afternoons.Capitol Link
A recap of the day's activities at the state legislature, updated daily Monday through Friday when the North Carolina legislature is in session.Racing Today
A rundown of the latest news from stock car racing across North Carolina and throughout the US.Awards
Here are some of the recent awards won by NCNN and its reporters:2011
- NC Associated Press:
- Best Newscast: David Horn, December 14, 2010
- Best Sports Programming: (Honorable mention) Evolution of NASCAR Spring 2009
2009
- NC Associate Press
- Outstanding News Operation
- Spot News: Clayton Henkel and Ellen Reinhardt, coverage of November's deadly tornado
- Enterprise/Investigative: Clayton Henkel for Beyond the Healines series "Net Change on the NC Coast"
- Best Feature: Clayton Henkel, Honorable Mention, State Fair report
- Best Sportscast: Bruce Ferrell
- Best Health Report: Clayton Henkel for Beyond the Headlines series "Unplanned Parenthood"
- Best News Writing: Clayton Henkel
- 2007
- Society of Professional Journalists
- First Place: Green Eyeshade Award - Sports - Racing to the Future
- NC Associated Press
- First Place: Spot News - Apex chemical fire coverage
- First Place: Enterprise/Investigative - Clayton Henkel for Beyond the Headlines "Fueling Our Future"
- First Place: Best Newscast - David Horn
- First Place: Best Sportscast - Bruce Ferrell
- First Place: Best Sports Programming - Clayton Henkel - Heyond the Headlines "Racing to the Future"
- First Place: Best Health Report - Clayton Henkel - Beyond the Headlines "Mercury in Fish"
- Honorable Mention: Best Feature - Clayton Henkel - Nascar Pigs from the State Fair
- Honorable Mention: Best Series - Clayton Henkel - Beyond the Headlines "Racing to *the Future"
External links
- North Carolina News Network — official site