Wikipedia

WTVD

(Redirected from WTVD Tower)

WTVD (channel 11), known as ABC11, is a television station licensed to Durham, North Carolina, United States, serving the Research Triangle area. Owned and operated by the ABC television network through its ABC Owned Television Stations division, it maintains studios on Liberty Street in downtown Durham, with news bureaus in Raleigh and Fayetteville. The station's transmitter is located in Auburn, North Carolina.

WTVD
CityDurham, North Carolina
Channels
BrandingABC11, ABC11 Eyewitness News
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
September 2, 1954 (1954-09-02)
Former channel numbers
  • Analog: 11 (VHF, 1954–2009)
  • Digital: 52 (UHF, 1999–2009), 11 (VHF, 2009–2020)
  • NBC (primary 1954–1956, secondary 1962–1971)
  • ABC (secondary 1954–1956 and 1957–1962, primary 1956–1957)
  • CBS (secondary 1954–1957, primary 1957–1985)
Call sign meaning
Television Durham
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
8617
ERP45 kW
HAAT615 m (2,018 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
35°40′6″N 78°31′58″W / 35.66833°N 78.53278°W / 35.66833; -78.53278
Links
Public license information
Websiteabc11.com

WTVD began broadcasting on September 2, 1954, as the first VHF television station in the Raleigh–Durham area. It was originally owned by Durham radio interests, including WDNC and the former owners of WTIK, and broadcast from a converted jail and sanatorium in Durham. The station was originally affiliated with NBC and ABC, becoming a sole NBC affiliate after the 1956 sign-on of WRAL-TV in Raleigh. This changed after a group headed by Lowell Thomas acquired WTVD in 1957. The group—which named itself Capital Cities Television and later Capital Cities Communications—had strong ties to CBS, whose local affiliate WNAO-TV was a disadvantaged UHF station, and the station became a CBS affiliate with supplemental programming from ABC (1957–1962) and NBC (1962–1971). During this era, the station was on the first network for Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball and aired a long-running magazine show, At Home with Peggy Mann, and local newscasts. The present downtown Durham studios opened in 1978.

Capital Cities purchased ABC in 1985, prompting WTVD and WRAL-TV to switch affiliations. From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, WTVD was in close competition with WRAL-TV, the market's traditional news leader, for overall ratings leadership, adding newscasts as well as a news bureau in Fayetteville. Since then, WTVD has generally rated a more distant but competitive second-place. With the increasing population weight of Raleigh and Wake County in the Triangle, WTVD has over the years devoted more resources to covering the area, including opening the present downtown Raleigh studio in 2005. Most newscasts originated from Raleigh between 2018 and 2025.

History

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Construction and early years

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A three-story, Italianate-style brick building with a front portico
This former tuberculosis sanatorium, now on the National Register of Historic Places as the North Durham County Prison Camp, housed WTVD's studios from 1954 to 1978.

In 1952, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ended its multiple-year freeze on new television station grants. Durham, North Carolina, was allocated one channel in the VHF band, channel 11, and three applicants had sought stations in Durham prior to the freeze: Mary Pickford Rogers, Harold H. Thoms, and Durham Radio Corporation. When the freeze lifted, a fourth group, Durham Broadcasting Enterprises, also filed.[2] The latter two applicants were each associated with Durham radio stations, Durham Radio Corporation with WDNC and Durham Broadcasting Enterprises with WTIK.[3] These were the only two applicants that continued pursuing their stations after the freeze; the FCC dismissed the Pickford and Thoms applications on October 9, 1952, and ordered the two radio stations into comparative hearing for the channel.[4] WDNC, anticipating a win, set up a television workshop across the street from its studios and made plans to build a new facility for WDNC radio and television were it to obtain the permit. WTIK sold shares in its proposed station to 58 residents of Durham.[5]

The hearing opened on November 18, 1953,[6] but after a month, the two radio stations entered into negotiations on a possible merger. The deal, announced at noon on December 24, was the front-page story of that afternoon's edition of The Durham Sun, proclaiming "Durham Gets Christmas Gift—Bids For TV Station Combined". The agreement parceled out the television station ownership, with the Duncan and Fletcher families (major stockholders in WTIK[7]), WTIK's 58 television shareholders, and Durham Radio Corporation each owning 25-percent interest. [8] Because WDNC joined WTIK's application, WTIK radio had to be sold.[7] An FCC hearing examiner recommended approval of the permit grant to the merged applicant on January 13, 1954,[9] and the permit was officially awarded on January 21.[10] Though the permit was originally designated WTIK-TV, in view of the fact that WTIK would need to be divested, the call sign WTVD (Watch Television, Durham) was secured. It had previously been registered for fictitious use by the 20th Century Fox film studio in the 1953 film Taxi.[11] At the time, the FCC granted call signs for two-year terms to fictitious stations in movies and books.[12]

Durham Broadcasting Enterprises now had to find a studio site for the new station. The group took interest in a former tuberculosis sanatorium, which had been closed the year prior when the city of Durham and Durham County discontinued financial support.[13] This facility, built in 1926 as a jail and converted later into a Works Progress Administration sewing center and the sanatorium, was converted for television use. One ward had high ceilings and was refitted as a studio; the X-ray room became a darkroom for film processing; and other wards were converted into offices and shop space.[14] Lebanon Peak was selected as the transmitter site, where work began in mid-May. The station affiliated with NBC, which only had one VHF affiliate in the state (WSJS-TV in Winston-Salem),[15] and ABC.[16] WTVD began broadcasting test patterns on August 12[17] and regular programs on September 2.[18] In 1955, effective radiated power was increased to the high-VHF maximum of 316,000 watts.[19] The next year, WRAL-TV (channel 5) opened in Raleigh and took with it the NBC affiliation.[20] Some CBS programs also aired on channel 11; CBS's regular affiliate in the market was WNAO-TV (channel 28), a UHF station.[21]

In its early years, WTVD produced local programming beyond the field of news. One of the station's first programs was At Home with Peggy Mann, a women's interest magazine that continued on the air for 26 years until Mann's retirement in December 1980.[22] In 1956, a member of WTVD's staff, John D. Loudermilk, composed "A Rose and a Baby Ruth"; the song was acquired by a local record label and sung by George Hamilton IV, becoming a popular record.[23] The next year, Floyd Fletcher was responsible for helping C. D. Chesley put together a network of stations to broadcast the 1957 NCAA basketball tournament, a precursor to Chesley's syndicated telecasts of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball.[24]

Lowell Thomas purchase and change to CBS

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In 1957, the Durham Television Company, headed by veteran CBS News commentator Lowell Thomas, agreed to purchase WTVD from Durham Broadcasting Enterprises, retaining components of the old ownership in the station's management. Thomas also owned WCDA-TV serving Albany, New York.[25] The merger was effective that August and created a new parent company, Capital Cities Television Corporation.[26] It was so named because WCDA-TV and WTVD, serving Albany and Raleigh, broadcast to the capital cities of their respective states.[27]

Thomas's purchase immediately raised speculation that an affiliation switch was coming. CBS was known to be unhappy with its affiliation with WNAO-TV. The prospect of affiliation shuffling if WTVD became an affiliate led Variety to speculate on effects for stations that overlapped WTVD's signal, such as WFMY-TV in Greensboro, an existing CBS affiliate.[28] Rumors became reality on October 3, 1957, when WTVD announced it would become the Raleigh–Durham area's CBS affiliate in about six months' time.[21] WNAO-TV, which was trying to get a VHF channel allocated for its use, announced it would close on December 31, in effect forcing the switch earlier than anticipated.[29] At that time, programs had to be approved by their sponsors to switch stations; as a result, some CBS programs went unseen while arrangements were made to air them over WTVD.[30] In the meantime, one ABC program made its way to WRAL-TV's lineup at WTVD's request.[31] WRAL-TV became an ABC affiliate in 1962, and WTVD took its place in NBC's affiliate roster.[32] With only channels 5 and 11 as network affiliates, the stations had to shoehorn as many programs as possible from three networks on two signals. WTVD had first call rights to CBS and NBC programs, which sometimes aired on WRAL-TV when they could not be scheduled on channel 11.[33] The station was known to have a strong preference for CBS; in 1966, a columnist for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, opined that WTVD let NBC programs play a "poor second fiddle".[34]

Raleigh–Durham gained a third commercial station in 1968, when WRDU-TV (channel 28) began in Durham. WRDU-TV had no primary network affiliation and instead aired those network programs not featured on WTVD's schedule, as well as NBC's national news programming.[35][36] WTVD still had the right of first refusal to CBS and NBC programs; series that were successful could be selected by WTVD and thus removed from WRDU's schedule. WRDU's owner, Triangle Telecasters, petitioned the FCC in November 1969 for relief from this situation.[37][38] In 1971, the FCC ruled in favor of Triangle Telecasters (in part due to the commission's then-policy of protecting the development of UHF stations), setting a precedent for similar cases elsewhere. The ruling forced WTVD to choose one network;[39][40] it chose CBS, forcing NBC to sign with WRDU-TV by default ahead of the 1971–72 television season.[41] This precedent became known as the "Raleigh Rule".[42]

Move to downtown Durham

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In May 1976, the Durham Redevelopment Commission accepted a bid by Capital Cities for a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) land parcel, which would be divided with 4 acres gifted for a new county library and the remainder for a new studio for WTVD.[43][44] The Liberty Street studio was completed in May 1978;[45] the former studio was gifted to Carolina Christian Communications, the permittee of a new Triangle television station, WLFL (channel 22).[46] On December 31, 1998, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the North Durham County Prison Camp.[47][48]

Less than a year later, on March 4, 1979, a fire starting in a prop area caused significant damage to the building, destroying three cameras and both studios. The newsroom suffered damage but not the control room.[45][49] The station was back on the air the next day, with an executive conference room pressed into service as a makeshift news studio and business offices housing the entire news staff. Much of the rear suffered significant structural damage.[50][51] Repair work was completed by August. Later that year, WTVD began broadcasting from a 2,000-foot (610 m) tower in Garner, which station officials claimed would expand its viewing area by 30 percent.[52]

Affiliation switch to ABC

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In 1985, Capital Cities agreed to buy ABC. The deal put the company, which owned two CBS affiliates including WTVD, in a bind. ABC's existing Raleigh–Durham affiliate, WRAL-TV, was the higher-rated station,[53] and some expected Capital Cities to put WTVD on the market.[54] It did not, leading to an affiliation switch.[55] WRAL-TV signed with CBS on July 12, setting up an affiliation change on August 4, 1985,[56] three months before the FCC approved the Capital Cities–ABC merger.[57]

The merger and affiliation switch came right as WTVD passed WRAL in total-day ratings for the first time and even by one survey had a slightly higher share of 6 p.m. news viewers,[58][59] but with ABC then running a poor third in national ratings,[60] WRAL moved back into the lead in total-day and news ratings.[61] In the wake of the switch, WTVD—traditionally seen as the "Durham station"—sought to increase its ratings in Raleigh by projecting a regional image. By November 1987, WTVD had narrowly moved past WRAL-TV in the total-day and news ratings,[62] a lead it held for several surveys.[63][64]

Early on the morning of December 7, 1991, WTVD's news helicopter, returning from a high school football game in Wilmington, crashed into a field between Raleigh and Fuquay-Varina, killing three occupants: the pilot, an engineer, and a photographer. Sports reporter Tony Debo was the only survivor,[65] thrown from the aircraft still strapped to his seat. He recounted the engine failing mid-flight.[66] The National Transportation Safety Board, in its 1993 report into the crash, determined that an engine bearing seized after a light came on indicating metal fragments in the engine oil. It attributed probable cause to "the pilot's improper decision in continuing the flight with a known engine problem".[67]

On April 28, 2026, the FCC ordered ABC to file early broadcast license renewals for its eight TV stations. The early renewal order—which criticized diversity, equity and inclusion policies of ABC's corporate owner, The Walt Disney Company—came after the network's late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired a joke about Melania Trump and calls from President Donald Trump for Kimmel to be fired.[68] Though the FCC has the right to order early renewals, the process had been seldom used. ABC submitted early renewal applications in May 2026, saying it did so "under protest", and alleged that the action was unlawful, retaliatory against the network, and intended to suppress speech.[69]

Raleigh and Fayetteville facilities

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WTVD was the first Raleigh–Durham station to establish a news bureau in Fayetteville, North Carolina, opening in 1984. In the years that followed, Fayetteville and Cumberland County became a WTVD news ratings stronghold, leading WRAL-TV to open its own bureau there in 1990.[70] The bureau moved in 2013[71][72] to the Robert C. Williams Business Center, located on Hay Street downtown.[73] Fayetteville bureau reporter Greg Barnes remained with the station for more than 30 years until retiring in 2017.[74]

On the ground floor of a downtown building, windows looking into a news studio above which is a sign with the WTVD logo and the words "Eyewitness News"
The WTVD Raleigh Eyewitness News Center

Over time, WTVD increased its coverage of Raleigh and Wake County, which over the course of the late 20th century grew faster than Durham.[75] In 2005, WTVD expanded its physical presence in Raleigh by opening a 5,500-square-foot (510 m2) studio on Raleigh's Fayetteville Street Mall, taking up part of the former Hudson Belk department store. The news set in the Raleigh studio was designed by the same firm that had produced the set used by Good Morning America at Times Square Studios in New York City.[76][77] Previously, WTVD had a Raleigh bureau but could not present live reports from there.[78] The Raleigh Eyewitness News Center originally housed between 12 and 14 station employees.[79] In 2018, the studio was upgraded and began being used for the morning, noon, and 4 and 5:30 p.m. newscasts, with the remaining evening newscasts originating from Durham.[80] Production of all newscasts moved back to Durham in 2025, as a result of upgrading of the Durham studio, though some reporters and photographers remain based in Raleigh.[81][82]

News operation

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Refer to caption
A WTVD news crew interviews the mayor of Sanford, North Carolina, in 2012

WTVD's newscasts have primarily competed with WRAL-TV, which has traditionally led and at times dominated the news market in the Raleigh–Durham area. By 1978, WRAL had a 50-percent audience share for its evening newscast, WTVD just 29 percent, and WPTF-TV (then the NBC affiliate) 7 percent or less.[83][84] That year WTVD attempted a retooling of its anchor team with new personnel from across the United States, but the new format failed to show the desired improvement,[85] while WRAL-TV had the highest-rated newscast in a top-50 U.S. market. In 1980, the station tried again, replacing male anchor Bob Hughes with Steve Leeolou.[86] With ratings still well off WRAL-TV's pace, Leeolou was replaced in February 1983 and replaced by Larry Stogner, who previously had served as chief investigative reporter and Raleigh reporter and at one point had been anchor himself.[87][88]

In the mid-1980s, WTVD saw growth in its early evening newscast attributable to several factors. One was the decision to move the popular The Oprah Winfrey Show to 4 p.m. in March 1987, creating a strong lead-in; the other was the length of the newscast. At the time, WRAL-TV presented an hour-long 6 p.m. local newscast, while WTVD offered a 30-minute report. From 1981 to 1987, WRAL's audience share declined 11 percentage points; after Oprah was moved on WTVD's schedule, WTVD took the lead in early evening news.[89] The station debuted a second early evening local newscast in September 1988 when it debuted WTVD 11 News at 5:30, which competed with a similar effort launched the same day by WRAL-TV.[90] WRAL's schedule change and a new syndicated programming acquisition—The Cosby Show—helped that station counter WTVD's surge.[91][92] In 1990, Miriam Thomas was paired with Stogner on the 11 p.m. newscast.[93]

With the 1985 affiliation switch, WTVD began airing a morning newscast, originally alternating 15-minute segments with a network feed from ABC.[94] The morning news expanded to 6 a.m. in 1992.[95] A Sunday morning newscast launched in 1996,[96] and the weekday morning newscast was expanded to two hours in 1999.[97] Morning news was an area where WTVD was more competitive with WRAL in the ratings than in evening and late news.[97][98][79]

To blunt WTVD's early evening success, WRAL shuffled its afternoon lineup in 1993 and moved the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless to 4 p.m. to compete against Oprah.[99] The move worked; though remained close between the two stations,[100] WRAL began to pull away.[101] In 1995, news director Lee Meredith was replaced.[102] His replacement was Mark Casey, previously of WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio. Casey brought a format heavy on breaking news that had worked for him in Dayton.[103] During Casey's tenure, WRAL widened its lead,[104] with ratings slipping in most newscasts as WRAL bolstered its weather and online presences. Several reporters and anchors departed the station.[103] At 5:30 p.m., WTVD found itself attracting just over half as many viewers as WRAL by May 1997.[105] Casey departed in 1998.[106] In the years that followed, WTVD attempted to differentiate itself with WRAL-TV. It added a new traffic helicopter and made changes in its anchor lineup, with Stogner moving off the 11 p.m. newscast[107] and Thomas departing in 2001.[108]

Refer to caption
A WTVD news crew interviewing Mayor of Raleigh Nancy McFarlane in 2012

From 2006 to 2022, WTVD produced a 10 p.m. newscast for WLFL (channel 22), the Raleigh–Durham market's CW affiliate.[109][110] WTVD debuted an hour-long 4 p.m. newscast in May 2011[111] and expanded its weekend late newscasts the next year.[71] Stogner retired on January 23, 2015, and announced he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis;[112] he died on October 3, 2016.[113]

By 2021, WTVD and WRAL were back to very close, with tenths of rating points separating WRAL and WTVD in mornings and at 5 and 11 p.m.[114] A streaming news channel with a 7 a.m. morning news expansion debuted in 2022.[115] The next year, WTVD introduced a 10 a.m. newscast.[116] As of April 2026, the station produces 47+1⁄2 hours a week of news programming.[117]

Notable former on-air staff

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Technical information

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Subchannels

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WTVD's transmitter is located in Auburn, North Carolina.[1] The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WTVD[125]
Channel Res.Tooltip Display resolution Short name Programming
11.1 720pWTVD-D1ABC
11.2 LOCLishLocalish
11.3 480iCHARGE!Charge!
11.4 HSNHSN
28.3 480iCOMETComet (WRDC)
  Broadcast on behalf of another station

WTVD began broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 52 on October 30, 1999.[126] WTVD ended regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 11, on June 12, 2009, the official digital television transition date.[127] The station's digital signal moved from channel 52 to VHF channel 11.[128] This created difficulties in some cases for reception,[129] particularly as WTVD was at the time the only local station broadcasting a VHF signal.[130] On June 30, 2020, WTVD moved from channel 11 to channel 9 as a result of the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction.[131][132]

WTVD is a participating station in the Raleigh–Durham market's ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) service, which launched in 2020.[133]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Facility Technical Data for WTVD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Heated Battle Looms For TV Rights In Durham As 4th Application Filed". Durham Morning Herald. April 27, 1952. p. I:6. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Two Local Stations Perfect Applications For TV Channel 11: Both WDNC, WTIK Announce That New FCC Rules Are Met". Durham Morning Herald. June 27, 1952. p. III:1. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  4. ↑ "TV Equipment To Be Displayed Here; Hearing Slated On Local Applications". Durham Morning Herald. October 10, 1952. p. III:1. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Go Get Us A Radio Station, They Told Frank Pierson—And He Did". Durham Morning Herald. April 26, 1953. p. Community Service 3. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  6. ↑ "FCC Opens Hearing On Local TV Channel". The Durham Sun. November 19, 1953. pp. 9-C. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Action Expected In 30 Days On New TV Proposal Here: Compromise Is Reached On Station". Durham Morning Herald. December 26, 1953. p. II:1. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Durham Gets Christmas Gift—Bids For TV Station Combined: Competing Groups In Agreement". The Durham Sun. December 24, 1953. pp. 1-A, 2-A. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Grant Of TV Channel Here Recommended: Amended Papers Of Dec. 30 Okayed By FCC Examiner". Durham Morning Herald. January 13, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  10. ↑ "TV Station Here Gets Okay To Start Building: May Be In Operation By May 15". The Durham Sun. January 21, 1954. pp. 1-A, 8-A. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  11. ↑ "TV Station To Be Known As WTVD". Durham Morning Herald. March 25, 1954. pp. II:1. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  12. ↑ "WTVD—on 35mm". Broadcasting. April 19, 1954. p. 57. ProQuest 1285713381.
  13. ↑ "C Of C Asks Use Of TB Sanatorium For TV Station: Pierson Says Move Would Bring City Television Sooner". Durham Morning Herald. January 16, 1954. pp. I:1, 2. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Remodelled Building Makes Fine TV Studios For WTVD". The News and Observer. September 2, 1954. p. 28. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  15. ↑ "WTVD Affiliates With NBC". Durham Morning Herald. May 16, 1954. p. I:7. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  16. ↑ "New Durham TV Station Will Carry ABC Programs". Durham Morning Herald. May 23, 1954. pp. I:7. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  17. ↑ "WTVD Test Pattern Has Wide Range". Durham Morning Herald. August 16, 1954. p. II:1. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Special Ceremonies Mark WTVD's First Telecast". Durham Morning Herald. September 3, 1954. p. III:1. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  19. ↑ "WTVD Increasing Power On Sept. 1". Durham Morning Herald. July 10, 1955. p. I:6. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  20. ↑ "WTVD Losing NBC Network To New Raleigh Station". The Durham Sun. September 7, 1956. pp. 1-A. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  21. 1 2 "WTVD Will Become CBS Affiliate". The News and Observer. October 4, 1957. p. 14. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  22. ↑ Hodges, Betty (July 27, 1981). "TV Personality Dies In Durham". Durham Morning Herald. pp. 1A, 2A. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  23. ↑ "What's Doing". The News and Observer. November 17, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  24. 1 2 Greup, Ernie (April 26, 1981). "With Snowy Start, TV Viewing Began In '49". Durham Morning Herald. p. 11I. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Lowell Thomas Heads Group—Sale, Expansion Of WTVD Planned". The Durham Sun. April 2, 1957. pp. 1-A, 2-A. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Capital Cities Tv Puts 52,000 Shares on Block". Broadcasting. December 23, 1957. pp. 56–57. ProQuest 1285748599.
  27. ↑ "Roots of a merger: A history of Capcities and ABC". Broadcasting. March 25, 1985. p. 35. ProQuest 1014724749.
  28. ↑ "As Lowell Thomas Goes—Ditto CBS". Variety. April 10, 1957. p. 39. ProQuest 1014795997.
  29. ↑ "Target Date Previously April 1: WTVD May Have CBS Network Status Jan. 1". Durham Morning Herald. December 28, 1957. p. I:1. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  30. ↑ Lowery, Raymond (December 31, 1957). "Goings On". The News and Observer. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  31. ↑ Lowery, Raymond (February 14, 1958). "Goings On". The News and Observer. p. 22. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  32. ↑ "NBC Lineup To Be Used On Ch. 11". The News and Observer. June 5, 1962. p. 19. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  33. ↑ Simpson, Harriet (November 10, 1963). "Local TV Calamity for 'Jane'". The News and Observer. p. III:13. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Local TV Programs Are Bad News". The Daily Tar Heel. April 26, 1966. p. 2. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  35. ↑ Morrison, Bill (November 3, 1968). "Our New TV Station Debuts This Week". The News and Observer. p. V:2. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Economics blamed for UHF ills" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 29, 1969. p. 56. ProQuest 1016856292. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  37. ↑ "WRDU Appeal Could Affect Nation". The News and Observer. August 1, 1970. p. 6. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  38. ↑ Morrison, Bill (November 6, 1969). "T.V. Stations Here Ask Network Links". The News & Observer. p. 22. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Networks, V's balk at aid for UHF's" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 21, 1970. p. 40. ProQuest 1016862624. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  40. ↑ "One (network) to a customer" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 29, 1971. p. 67. ProQuest 1016860521. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  41. ↑ "In Durham, Research Triangle Area—WRDU Becoming Only NBC Net". The Durham Sun. Durham, North Carolina. September 3, 1971. p. 17. Retrieved January 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ↑ Calloway, James (August 4, 1985). "'The Big Switch': or, As the Television Dials Turn". The News and Observer. pp. 1E, 7E. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  43. ↑ Haswell, Joel (May 25, 1976). "Durham County To Be Given 4.3-Acre Site For Library: Capital Cities Bids $250,000 On Entire Tract". Durham Morning Herald. p. 1A. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  44. ↑ Wright, Valerie (October 13, 1976). "Redevelopment Unit Accepts Site Plans In Downtown Durham: TV Station's Cut In Land For Library Gets Okay". The Durham Sun. p. 1-A. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  45. 1 2 Wheless, Al (March 5, 1979). "Blaze Ravages WTVD Building". Durham Morning Herald. p. 1A. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  46. ↑ "Carolina Christian Communications Gets Gift Of Studio From WTVD". The Durham Sun. December 20, 1977. pp. 1-A, 2-A. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  47. ↑ Graybeal, Kaye (August 1998). "North Durham County Prison Camp (Former)" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places – Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  48. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places 1999 Weekly Lists" (PDF). National Park Service. December 22, 1999. p. 4. Includes December 28–31, 1998.
  49. ↑ Hart, Kathy (March 5, 1979). "WTVD telecast disrupted by fire, studios damaged". The News and Observer. p. 25. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  50. ↑ Brown, Paul (March 6, 1979). "WTVD Returns To Air Using Makeshift Gear". Durham Morning Herald. p. 1B. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  51. ↑ Buie, Jim (March 18, 1979). "'11 Together': Space Cramped At WTVD". Durham Morning Herald. pp. TV World 1, 2. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  52. ↑ "WTVD Antenna Almost Ready". Durham Morning Herald. August 30, 1979. pp. 6D. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  53. ↑ Perkins, David (March 19, 1985). "ABC merger could result in affiliation changes at local stations". The News and Observer. p. 8A. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  54. ↑ Stevenson, Richard W. (April 1, 1985). "Merger Forcing Station Sales: ABC and Capital Cities Face Sales of Stations". The New York Times. pp. D1, D4]. ProQuest 111206533.
  55. ↑ "WTVD president predicts station will switch networks with WRAL". The News and Observer. May 14, 1985. pp. 1C, 2C. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  56. ↑ Page, Bob (July 24, 1985). "Raleigh TV Outlets Switch Webs; Helms Drops Stock In CBS Affil". Variety. p. 116. ProQuest 1438449057.
  57. ↑ Stuart, Reginald (November 15, 1985). "Murdoch, ABC Deals Approved". The New York Times. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  58. ↑ "WTVD in May outrates WRAL for the 1st time". The News and Observer. June 19, 1985. p. 11A. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  59. ↑ "WRAL-TV cites rating discrepancies". The News and Observer. June 20, 1985. p. 11B. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  60. ↑ Morrison, Bill (August 2, 1985). "Get ready for the Big Switch". The News and Observer. p. TV Observer 4. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  61. ↑ "WRAL-TV ahead in ratings". The News and Observer. December 18, 1985. p. 16A. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  62. ↑ Langford, Bob (December 23, 1987). "WTVD is top-rated local station". The News and Observer. p. 5D. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  63. ↑ Langford, Bob (March 30, 1988). "WTVD leads in Nielsen, Arbitron ratings for second time". The News and Observer. p. 5D. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  64. ↑ Langford, Bob (June 20, 1988). "WTVD still leading in local TV ratings". The News and Observer. p. 6D. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  65. ↑ "TV helicopter crash kills 3". The Salisbury Post. Associated Press. December 7, 1991. p. 14. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  66. ↑ VandeWater, Judith (December 10, 1991). "Sportscaster From St. Louis Area Recalls Expecting Death In Helicopter Crash". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4C. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
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  73. ↑ Woolverton, Paul (April 21, 2024). "Five of downtown Fayetteville's largest buildings are for sale". CityView NC. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
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  75. ↑ Johnson, Adrienne M. (December 12, 1999). "The town TV forgot: Amid the boom, Durham loses the sense of having a hometown station". The News and Observer. pp. 1G, 6G. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
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  77. ↑ Hooley, Danny (April 29, 2005). "Studio joins downtown mix". The News and Observer. p. 3B. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  78. ↑ Futch, Michael (May 22, 2005). "TV station opens new bureau". The Fayetteville Observer.
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  83. ↑ Buie, Jim; Taylor, Dick (April 1, 1979). "Ratings War To Escalate Next Monday". Durham Morning Herald. p. TV World 1. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
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  90. ↑ Zepp, Carol (September 25, 1988). "News War: Channels 5 And 11 Duke It Out at 5:30 In Fight For Ratings". Durham Morning Herald. pp. 1E, 13E. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  91. ↑ Langford, Bob (December 24, 1988). "'Cosby' helps WRAL ease ahead of WTVD at 6 o'clock". The News and Observer. p. 6D. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  92. ↑ Langford, Bob (March 28, 1989). "WRAL-TV celebrates after dominating winter ratings". The News and Observer. p. 6B. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  93. ↑ Langford, Bob (October 20, 1990). "WRAL gets a taste of its tower". The News and Observer. p. 12D. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  94. ↑ "You'll Love It: WTVD 11 Helps You Understand the Exciting New Television Picture in the Heart of Carolina". The News and Observer (Advertisement). August 4, 1985. p. 23A. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  95. ↑ Langford, Bob (May 1, 1992). "Local news gets earlier and earlier". The News and Observer. pp. 1D, 2D. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  96. ↑ "Good Morning Carolina/Sunday: WTVD, Newschannel 11 launches new Sunday broadcast". The Nashville Graphic. January 26, 1996. p. 8. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  97. 1 2 Johnson, Adrienne M. (October 31, 1999). "Morning glory: The hours before 9 are the newest prime time". The News and Observer. pp. 1G, 6G. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  98. ↑ Johnson, Adrienne M. (March 31, 2000). "Numbers on news". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. p. 1E, 3E. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  99. ↑ Langford, Bob (January 18, 1993). "'Restless' moves to a new slot". The News and Observer. p. 1C. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  100. ↑ Langford, Bob (June 23, 1993). "Despite Spielberg, this show is a dog". The News and Observer. pp. 1D, 7D. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  101. ↑ Langford, Bob (December 21, 1994). "A career 'up' on the farm". The News and Observer. pp. 1E, 5E. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  102. ↑ "These photogs prefer mud to weddings". The News and Observer. June 16, 1995. pp. 1D, 3D. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  103. 1 2 Carpenter, Maile (August 24, 1997). "The big story: A slide in the ratings and a rash of departures raise the question: What's happening at WTVD?". The News and Observer. pp. 1G, 8G, 9G. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  104. ↑ Parsons, Grant (December 18, 1996). "WRAL-TV still on top of news ratings heap". The News and Observer. pp. 1E, 3E. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  105. ↑ Brodesser, Claude (June 23, 1997). "ABC taps a new GM to challenge WRAL". Mediaweek. pp. 20–21. ProQuest 213654592.
  106. ↑ Edgers, Geoff (May 28, 1998). "News director leaves: WTVD's Casey gone after 3 years". The News and Observer. pp. 1E, 3E. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  107. ↑ Johnson, Adrienne M. (April 15, 1999). "WTVD's Stogner loses out". The News and Observer. p. 4B. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  108. ↑ Johnson, Adrienne M. (November 30, 2001). "Thomas departs WTVD". The News and Observer. p. 1B. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  109. ↑ Ranii, David (May 4, 2006). "WB 22 to get new newscasts". The News and Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. p. 1D, 3D. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  110. ↑ @thecw22 (June 27, 2022). "Programming alert: effective today we'll be airing The National Desk from 10–11:30pm" (Tweet). Retrieved March 21, 2023 – via Twitter.
  111. ↑ Bracken, David (May 20, 2011). "ABC11 to debut 4 p.m. newscast next week". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  112. ↑ Cain, Brooke (January 23, 2015). "WTVD anchor Larry Stogner announces ALS diagnosis". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  113. ↑ "Larry Stogner, veteran ABC11 anchor, dies". WTVD. October 6, 2016.
  114. ↑ Malone, Michael (November 8, 2021). "Local News: Pep Raleigh". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  115. ↑ Malone, Michael (January 31, 2022). "ABC Owned Stations Launches Local Streaming Channels". Broadcasting+Cable. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  116. ↑ Miller, Mark K. (August 17, 2023). "ABC Owned Television Stations Announce 10 A.M. Newscasts For WABC, WPVI, WTVD". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  117. ↑ "#298327 Renewal: Public Interest Exhibit". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. May 28, 2026.
  118. ↑ Farhi, Paul (June 13, 2013). "The dawn of Kate Bolduan". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  119. ↑ Stoneman, Donnell (June 10, 1987). "WGHP-TV's new sports director promises plenty of competition". Greensboro News & Record. p. A9. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  120. ↑ Drescher, John (December 26, 2009). "Mentor and intern form lasting bond". The News and Observer. pp. 1B, 2B. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  121. ↑ Broili, Susan (June 18, 1981). "Mild-mannered reporter portrays vampire king". The Durham Sun. p. 4D. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  122. ↑ Carpenter, Maile (October 5, 1997). "He's hip, he's hot, he's Stuart Scott". The News and Observer. pp. 1G, 10G, 11G. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  123. ↑ Holston, Noel (April 8, 1975). "Oscars Mean $$, Viewers". Sentinel Star. p. 10-D. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  124. ↑ Borden, Jeff (September 5, 1986). "Diana Williams Takes Boston TV News Job". The Charlotte Observer. p. 7B. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  125. ↑ "TV Query for WTVD". RabbitEars. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  126. ↑ "WTVD-DT". Television and Cable Factbook. Vol. 74. 2006. p. A-1619.
  127. ↑ Cox, Jonathan B. (June 13, 2009). "Broadcasters cast off analog: Triangle stations comply as the nation switches to digital television". The News and Observer. pp. 5B, 7B. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  128. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  129. ↑ Cain, Brooke (June 18, 2009). "Digital TV gets gripes from some: Over-the-air signals prove temperamental". The News and Observer. pp. 1B, 9B. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  130. ↑ "ABC11 completes switch to DTV". WTVD. June 22, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  131. ↑ "FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table" (CSV). Federal Communications Commission. April 13, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  132. ↑ "Rescan your TV: ABC11 changes frequencies". WTVD. May 18, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  133. ↑ Miller, Mark K. (November 19, 2020). "Five Raleigh Stations Roll Out ATSC 3.0". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
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