Former WRAL anchor David Crabtree finds new purpose in retirement' role at PBS North Carolina
Retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree is inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame on Friday, April 21, 2023.
A year after leaving the WRAL News anchor desk, David Crabtree is one of six people who were inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Crabtree joins Robert J. Brown, Curry Kirkpatrick, JJ Miller, Janet Northen and Kenny Smith in being recognized for achievements and influence across their respective fields of media and journalism.
Crabtree, a native of Tennessee, graduated from Middle Tennessee State University and became a television reporter in Nashville for WKRN. His first full-time anchor job came at WITN in Washington, NC. He then worked in Denver, Colorado, as a reporter and anchor for both KMGH and KCNC before joining WRAL-TV in 1994.
David Crabtree anchors final WRAL newscast of his 40-year TV career
Now Crabtree is CEO of PBS North Carolina, and he sees his TV job through a different lens.
For years, I was on one side of the camera, now I'm on another, he said. It's the same space, the same people, but they look different from this perspective.
Crabtree retired from WRAL News after almost 28 years, but instead of relaxing on the beach, he chose a different path.
I joke about this sometimes, he said. I don't know how to retire. When I've thought about doing it, I realized there's so much more to be done.
The programming he delivers statewide has a broad audience of all ages from Murphy to Manteo. Crabtree has a special affinity for the PBS characters that nearly everyone has grown up with. It's personal.
I look at my own grandson when he comes to visit watching cartoons on the PBS Kids Channel, and you feel good about that, he said.
You also realize that if it wasn't that they would be watching something, so why not give them something positive that will remain with them? So it is generational.
Crabtree is re-energized in his new role.
It has given me a new purpose, he said. I feel like 40-plus years in commercial broadcasting prepared me to be here.
WRAL anchor David Crabtree reflects on 40-year TV career
Induction into the NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame was an honor he took a moment to process.
To have the chance to walk alongside some of the greats in journalism throughout the country is it's just hard to process. It gives you imposter syndrome, he said. I should be the emcee again for this or waiting the tables. No, I shouldn't be a part of this. But it's a real honor.
Six named to NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame In his career, David Crabtree has won a DuPont Award, 16 Emmys, multiple Radio Television News Directors Association Reporter of the Year awards (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), a Gabriel Award and the 2014 North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Anchor of the Year.
Robert J. Brown is the founder, chairman and CEO of the management consulting, market research and public relations firm B&C Associates.
Curry Kirkpatrick is a legendary sportswriter who changed the style of collegiate basketball reporting.
JJ Miller is senior vice president at Sharecare, a leading digital health company, and the founder of a media consulting company specializing in strategic video and audio storytelling.
Janet Northen is the executive vice president and director of agency communications at McKinney, and an expert at creating buzz-worthy public relations for creative campaigns.
Kenny Smith is an Emmy-nominated analyst known for his insightful commentary on TNT's Inside the NBA and CBS's NCAA March Madness Men's basketball coverage.
An induction ceremony scheduled at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill and was hosted by Rochelle Riley, director of arts and culture for the city of Detroit, a 2019 NC Hall of Fame Inductee and a 1981 graduate of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
Thanks to WRAL.com for this Capcom story & to WRAL-TV's Amanda Lamb for these Capcom photos.
Retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree (center, surrounded by WRAL colleagues past & present) is inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame on Friday, April 21, 2023. Retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree is inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame on Friday, April 21, 2023. Retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree is inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame on Friday, April 21, 2023. Retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree is inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame on Friday, April 21, 2023. WRAL-TV's Amanda Lamb congratulates retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree on his induction into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame on Friday, April 21, 2023. WRAL-TV retiree Chad Flowers (left) congratulates retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree on his induction into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame on Friday, April 21, 2023. WRAL-TV's Amanda Lamb (l to r), Corp's Monica Laliberte, WRAL-TV's Debra Morgan and former WRAL-TV alum Andrea Moody attend the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame induction for retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree on Friday, April 21, 2023. WRAL-TV's Amanda Lamb & WRAL-TV retiree Chad Flowers attend the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame induction for retired WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Most recent headlines
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Stars Visit Berklee for Weeklong Celebration Andrew Choi and EJAE, who voiced the film's main characters and contributed to its soundtr...
17/12/2025
RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...
17/12/2025
The Hao AI Lab research team at the University of California San Diego - at the forefront of pioneering AI model innovation - recently received an NVIDIA DGX B...
17/12/2025
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
17/12/2025
With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
Three 12-kilowatt Advanced Electric Propulsion System thrusters, supplied by L3Harris Technologies, form the core of Gateway's propulsion system. Pictured i...
16/12/2025
The challenge facing America's defense industrial base is not just about speed - its about rebuilding the foundation that makes speed possible. Our nations ...
16/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
16/12/2025
SEVILLE, Spain Canal Sur, the public broadcasting service for Andalusia, Spain, has completed a total technology refresh based on Pebble's resilient, softwa...
16/12/2025
NEW YORK Teleprompting hardware provider Telescript International has acquired all software code and intellectual property previously owned by Telescript West. ...
16/12/2025
As cable operators face increased competition from 5G fixed wireless access providers, a new report from Ookla Research finds that T-Mobile is the FWA speed lea...
16/12/2025
Apple has announced a major upgrade to the Apple TV app for device owners outside the Apple ecosystem with news that the Apple TV app for Android now supports G...
16/12/2025
Space42 grows Direct-to-Device partner ecosystem through a Memorandum of Underst...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
Back to All News
Emma Appleton, Fares Fares, Frida Gustavsson and Jakob Oftebro...
16/12/2025
Back to All News
Docu-reality My Korean Boyfriend Gets a Trailer and Premiere D...
16/12/2025
Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...
16/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December.
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
16/12/2025
Singer -songwriter Brian Kennedy has been announced as the final celebrity dance...
15/12/2025
Harlem Globetrotters Celebrate 100th Anniversary With New Brand Campaign From Th...
15/12/2025
Top L-R: La Tierra Del Valor (The Home of the Brave), Mangittatuarjuk (The Gnawe...
15/12/2025
L3Harris will leverage 15 years of experience supporting the E-4B Nightwatch and...
15/12/2025
CONWAY, Ark. In a notable example of how the loss of federal funding is forcing public stations to make massive cuts and operational changes, the statewide pub...
15/12/2025
BOULDER, Colo. Public Media Venture Group (PMVG), Venture Technologies Group (VTG), and WQED have completed a multipart agreement that they say will significant...
15/12/2025
Cape Town, November 13, 2025 - SES and International artist and humanitarian, Fo...
15/12/2025
Luxembourg, December 15, 2025 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Abra Group launched fast and reliable multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on t...
15/12/2025
How Rivian s Design Puts Drivers First-And Why That Matters Published on Dec 15, 2025 Categories: Business Solutions
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Sha...
15/12/2025
Space42 and Cobham Satcom completed the full range of advanced terminals for the...
15/12/2025
15 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cel...
15/12/2025
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finds himself the topic of year's cracker jokes
Oasis, David Harbour, Celebrity Traitors and Angela Rayner all feature in this y...
15/12/2025
Comscore Expands Cross-Platform Campaign Measurement to Include Audio and Social New capabilities strengthen cross-platform campaign reporting suite; CCR rebran...
15/12/2025
NVIDIA today announced it has acquired SchedMD - the leading developer of Slurm, an open-source workload management system for high-performance computing (HPC) ...
15/12/2025
RT .ie has reached one billion page views this year and is on track to finish 2025 2% ahead of last year. Average time spent on the site is up 3% on 2024, with ...
15/12/2025
Modern workflows showcase the endless possibilities of generative and agentic AI on PCs.
Of many, some examples include tuning a chatbot to handle product-supp...
13/12/2025
Powering Client Growth: Horizon Deepens Nielsen Partnership, Enabling More Effic...
13/12/2025
In a move that will help it offer more flexible and less costly programming options, YouTube TV has announced that it will be launching YouTube TV Plans with mo...
13/12/2025
SINGAPORE Magna Systems has designed, built and completed what is believed to be the first full UHD and IP-based OB truck in Southeast Asia for a Singapore medi...
Former WRAL anchor David Crabtree finds new purpose in retirement' role at PBS North Carolina
