Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

David Crabtree to Continue Anchoring for WRAL News, Retirement Postponed

08/11/2018

Ive had a phenomenal career to have a chance to extend it is a privilege.

David Crabtree

WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree

Great news for loyal WRAL-TV viewers: Longtime anchor David Crabtree has postponed his planned retirement and will remain on the anchor desk for another two years. The extension will see Crabtree manning the anchor desk for the top rated newscasts at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on WRAL-TV, at least through December 2020. Crabtrees original retirement announcement was made in September of 2017 with a planned departure next month.

Why the change of heart? Crabtree points to recent hurricane coverage as one reason. Ive got some unfinished business here. There are still interviews to be had and a community to be served. Crabtree explains the impact of working in the field post Hurricane Florence, I was re-energized during coverage where else do you get an opportunity to make a difference for people and to have THEM make such a difference in you? I felt summoned to continue to do this work.

David Crabtree field anchoring following Hurricane Florence, September 2018

David Crabtree has worked in local news for more than 36 years delivering the news on radio, television, and the web. He has been with WRAL-TV for 24 years and has been WRALs lead anchor since taking over the role from Charlie Gaddy in 1994.

David is simply one of the best news anchors in the country, explained Joel Davis, Vice President and General Manager for WRAL-TV and FOX 50. His ability to react to the content in our newscasts in real time shows his natural curiosity, and makes the newscast better. Its one of the reasons the newscasts he anchors are the most watched in the market.

Throughout his news career, Crabtree has been recognized for his outstanding field reporting and anchoring. Crabtree has reported from the Vatican, South Africa and Jerusalem, and anchored the news in Little Washington, Denver and Raleigh, in addition to reporting from the most recent 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

We look forward to David continuing his exemplary service to the people and communities across our viewing area through exceptional storytelling and outstanding anchoring, says WRAL-TV News Director Rick Gall. Were so fortunate and grateful that hes extending his extraordinary WRAL legacy.

WRAL-TV Anchor David Crabtree with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt in PyeongChang, South Korea, February 2018

As a boy growing up just north of Nashville, Tenn., Crabtree fell in love with broadcasting. The mystery and magic of radio captured his imagination when he was 13. Three years later, he talked himself into a non-official internship at the Top 40 giant of Nashville, WKDA-AM.

In 1967, WGNS in Murfreesboro, Tenn., would be his first paying job in radio. To this day, he recalls that 90-cents-per-hour gig as one of the best jobs I ever had!

Crabtree took a detour from broadcast news to work as press secretary for the Tennessee House of Representatives. As an idealistic 25-year-old, Crabtree was interested in politics to make a difference in the lives of people, for the better, he says. That ideal was severely tested when his boss was indicted on corruption charges, and Crabtree was called to testify. It was a form of truth-telling that forever changed my world, he recalls.

After that, Crabtree took a detour through jobs in sales, management and brokerage, but nothing filled the void of broadcast journalism.

In the fall of 1982, Crabtree was offered his first job in television as a general assignment reporter at WNGE (soon to become WKRN) in his native Nashville. He later worked producing documentaries in the Middle East, and as an anchor in Washington, N.C., and Denver before getting the call to come to WRAL.

I thought I would be here three years, four tops, he remembers.

WRAL.com VIDEO: WRAL visits NCs death row

WRAL.com VIDEO: David Crabtree receives prestigious journalism honor

WRAL.com VIDEO: Crabtree off the cuff on Live@WRAL

WRAL.com VIDEO: Holiday greetings from David Crabtree and Sampson the bulldog

WRAL.com VIDEO: David Crabtree introduced at WRAL-TV

WRAL.com VIDEO: 2011 Obama Talks to WRAL

Thanks to WRAL-TV for this capcom story & for these capcom photos.
LINK: http://www.capitolbroadcasting.com/2018/11/08/david-crabtree-to-contin...
See more stories from cbc

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

12/02/2026

Spectrum News Acquires New England Cable News

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Vizrt Unveils Campus Stadium Production Bundles

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Hulu + Live TV Adds Fubo Sports Network to Channel Line-up

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

FCC To Hold Open Commission Meeting on Feb. 18

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Ralph M. Oakley to Receive NAB's Chuck Sherman TV Leadership Award

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

February 11, 2026

TIME100 Health list features Scripps Research Professor Darrell Irvine Irvine is recognized for his work in empowering the immune system to fight disease, which...

11/02/2026

FYI: Phone Support Maintenance

FYI: Phone Support Maintenance One thing we pride ourselves on here at Utah Scientific is our 24-hour support included with our signature 10-year hardware warra...

11/02/2026

Bitmovin Appoints Ian Baglow as Co-Chief Executive Officer

Leading provider of video streaming solutions, Bitmovin, has appointed Ian Baglow as Co-CEO alongside existing CEO and Co-Founder Stefan Lederer. Under this str...

11/02/2026

Paramount and CBS Partner to Air UFC 326

Paramount and the CBS Television Network will partner to air UFC 326: HOLLOWAY vs. OLIVEIRA 2 live on Saturday, March 7, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, mar...

11/02/2026

MLB.TV Launches on ESPN Beginning February 10

Beginning February 10, fans can buy MLB.TV on ESPN, a new milestone in one of sports media's longest-standing partnerships. ESPN becomes the new streaming h...

11/02/2026

Fubo Sports Network Launches on Hulu + Live TV

Fubo Sports Network is available to Hulu's Live TV subscribers in the core $89.99 a month subscription plan, which also includes full access to the entire H...

11/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migration

Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...

11/02/2026

MLB Makes In-Market Streaming Subscriptions for 20 Clubs Available to Fans

Major League Baseball is making in-market streaming subscriptions for 20 Clubs available today for fans. Subscriptions for the following Clubs are available vi...

11/02/2026

5G Broadcast Trials Return to the Olympic Stage at Milano Cortina 2026

Building on successful demonstrations during the Paris Olympics 2024, Italian public service broadcaster Rai and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are condu...

11/02/2026

ESPN and Disney Launch We're Going, the First Marketing Campaign for ESPN's Inaugural Super Bowl

Following Sunday's Super Bowl LX, ESPN and Disney unveiled We're Going,...

11/02/2026

Stats Perform: 2026 Super Bowl Latency Report

Delayed streams are a growing source of frustration for sports fans. During the 2026 Super Bowl, some streams lagged up to 62 seconds behind the action on the f...

11/02/2026

NASCAR Channel and FloSports to Simulcast 16 Races Live

NASCAR and FloSports announces an expanded slate of racing events that will bring FloRacing coverage live throughout the 2026 season to the NASCAR Channel, furt...

11/02/2026

Manifold Expands Sales Presence in Europe

Manifold technologies GmbH announces the appointment of Nick Tucker as Sales Manager for Europe, reinforcing the company's continued growth across broadcast...

11/02/2026

Genies and MLB Players Inc. Team Up to Create AI Characters of MLB Players

Genies, the AI avatar technology company powering the next era of interactive digital identity, entered into a landmark collaboration with MLB Players, Inc., th...

11/02/2026

ICC, Google Partner for the First-Ever AI-Powered ICC Men's T20 World Cup fuelled by Gemini & Pixel

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Google have joined forces for an AI-...

11/02/2026

Dolby Highlights From First Ever Super Bowl LX Innovation Summit

Dolby's CEO Kevin Yeaman and Giles Baker, SVP of Dolby Cloud Solutions, shared how the brand's latest innovations - Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby...

11/02/2026

Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings Enter Broadcast Partnership with MLB

Ilitch Sports + Entertainment has entered a first of its kind partnership with Major League Baseball, which will provide broadcast support to both the Detroit T...

11/02/2026

A Changing Landscape: MLB Local Media Brings Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels Into the Fold; ESPN Begins Distribution of MLB.TV

Broadcasts of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings will also be produced by the leagu...

11/02/2026

DAM Los Angeles

Video moves fast can your DAM keep up? Join Blue Lucy in LA for the West Coast's leading Digital Asset Management event as we explore, celebrate, and acc...

11/02/2026

Super Bowl LX Delivers 124.9 Million Viewers

NEW YORK - February 10, 2026 - An estimated 124.9 million viewers watched Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, according to Nielsen's Big Data Panel measu...

11/02/2026

Scripps Selling Court TV to Jellysmack

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Schulze-Brakel Introduces Wireless Clip-On Branding For Mics

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

LiveU To Showcase Expanded IP-Video EcoSystem at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Clear-Com Powers TEDNext 2025 with Gen-IC Virtual Interco...

Clear-Com provided an advanced, IP-based communications infrastructure for TEDNext 2025, supporting production, media, and editorial teams with a highly flexib...

11/02/2026

Astera Releases QuikBeam - Versatile 200W Equivalent LED...

Astera introduces QuikBeam, the newest addition to its acclaimed Quik family of focusing LED Fresnels. This ultra-compact spotlight combines the equivalent powe...

11/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migr...

Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...

11/02/2026

DoPchoice to Intro SNAP RABBIT Octa 5 SNAPBAG

With Convertible Mount for NL Bowens & Aputure A Mounts See it at BSC Expo Stand #133 LCA DoPchoice continues to refine light shaping tools for professional LE...

11/02/2026

ZEISS Aatma -Contemporary Full Frame Primes with a Soulfu...

World Premiere at BSC Expo, Booth #319 Oberkochen/Germany, 10 February 2026 ZEISS introduces the new Aatma, set of nine high-end full frame T1.5 cinema primes ...

11/02/2026

NUGEN Audio Plug Ins Help Nick Fry Navigate the Demands o...

As Re-recording Mixer and Head of Sound at The Farm, one of UK's leading post-production facilities, Nick Fry has built his career on making stories sound a...

11/02/2026

iSpot Introduces Agentic AI Platform iSpot SAGE

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks Taps Sportradar for NBA Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

MLB.TV Launches on ESPN

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Super Bowl LX Attracts Nearly 125 Million U.S. Viewers

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Graduate Spotlight: Gabrielle Rodriguez

Graduate Spotlight: Gabrielle Rodriguez The educator, who grew up in the Philippines, shares how shes bringing what she learned at Berklee back home. Februar...

11/02/2026

Sky brings together Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu into one single subscription, exclusively on Sky

Wednesday 11 February 2026 Sky brings together Netflix, Disney , HBO Max and Ha...

11/02/2026

Netflix Confirms Production of Love O'Clock' From the Writers of Business Proposal' and True Beauty' Director

Back to All News Netflix Confirms Production of Love O'Clock' From the...

11/02/2026

Investing in Belgian Stories: A Commitment to Culture and Choice

Back to All News Investing in Belgian Stories: A Commitment to Culture and Choice From left to right: Undercover, Ang le, Rough Diamonds, Into the Night, John...

11/02/2026

Lisbon 2026

At the end of January, ICG headed off to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, for our annual conference. An early flight gave us plenty of time to start exploring s...

11/02/2026

ABS Strengthens Ku-Band Capacity and Expands Regional Reach Through Strategic Partnership with Horizon Teleports

ABS Strengthens Ku-Band Capacity and Expands Regional Reach Through Strategic Pa...