The Birth of a Station is the title to chapter 5 of Fred Fletcher's book, Tempus Fugit written in 1990. Fred, one of the sons of A.J. Fletcher - Founder of Capitol Broadcasting Company, recalls when and where it all began in 1938. Here is chapter 5, The Birth of a Station.
Fred Fletcher
The WRAL radio and television facility tucked behind the hedges on Western Boulevard gives little hint of the station's humble beginnings. In fact, humble beginnings might be an overstatement. WRAL sort of stumbled into being.
For much of the country the year 1938 was not a good year for beginnings. We were in the tag end of the Depression, and we didn't know that very soon we would be yanked out of the Depression into wartime prosperity. But the fact that the Depression continued wasn't as obvious in Raleigh as it was in the industrialized cities of the North. If you walked along Fayetteville Street, it was business pretty much as usual.
Carolina Power and Light's streetcars rumbled down the middle of the street. The state government's payroll was stable. The colleges - State, Meredith, St. Augustine, Shaw, Peace and St. Mary's - still attracted students. And the city, while it didn't go out of its way to attract the tobacco markets that were going to Durham, Wilson and other cities around it, was glad to welcome farmers who came to shop with their tobacco money.
The city had stretched as far east as the ballpark on Tarboro Road, beyond Five Points to the north, to State College to the west and south to the railroad tracks that ran under South Wilmington.
We even had an airport, run by a flier named Truman Miller; that's where Raleigh's first commercial flights came in. I arrived in a Curtis Condor that had flown to Raleigh from Elizabethtown, NY.
Back downtown, the people still bought their clothes at Cross and Linehan, and the studios of Raleigh's single radio station, WPTF, were located in the basement of that building.
Any readers brought up in the days of TV probably won't appreciate the place that radio had in the homes of the people of Raleigh, Wake County and the rest of the country in 1938. Just imagine TV without pictures. Whole families sat around the radio in the evening listening to news, drama, and music of all kinds: country, pop, swing, and classical. The difference was that you didn't have to stare at the radio.
Readers who came along before TV will remember Just Plain Bill (Barber of Hartsville), The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, Mr. D.A., Truth or Consequences, the $64 Question, Inner Sanctum, Your Hit Parade, Stop the Music, The Thin Man, Amos and Andy, Ma and Pa Kettle, Archie's Tavern, Stella Davis, H.V. Kaltenborne, and Buster Brown, as well as Jack Benny, Fred Allen, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Kay Kyser and his Kollege of Musical Knowledge, and Miller, Goodman, The Dorseys, Lombardo, Kemp and the NBC Symphony - they were all part of our everyday lives, courtesy of radio.
WPTF, broadcasting with 50,000 watts clear channel and affiliated with one of the two NBC radio networks, provided radio service for miles around Raleigh, and was, as far as it was concerned, the only radio service Raleigh needed.
My brother Frank had other ideas. He had been a lawyer with the Federal Communications Commission in Washington. The FCC, in addition to policing the public's airways, has authority over the commercial use of them. And Frank thought that Raleigh was ripe for another license, a station to compete with WPTF.
The fact that nobody in my family knew anything about building or operating a radio station didn't bother Frank. He was convinced - and, as it turned out, rightly so - that a second radio station in Raleigh would be a sound investment. He even came up with the call letters that would claim the city for its own - WRAL, as in RALeigh. In 1938, the competition for broadcast licenses was not as keen as it is today (or was when we applied for a TV license in 1953). Today it requires a battery of lawyers, preliminary hearings, settlement conferences, hearings and appeals. Fortunately for me and the rest of my life, 1938 was a simpler time. WPTF objected to the new license for Raleigh, but not much. A temporary AM license was granted for a 250-watt station on July 28, 1938, and my family was in the radio business. Sort of. A.J. Fletcher, my father, offered me $20 a week and the title of Education Director for the new station. I jumped at it. Not only did radio seem to be an exciting profession to be in, but I was also going to work for my father. I didn't think being the boss' son would be all bad.
In Raleigh there was, of course, WPTF, the NBC affiliate with all that power and announcers with deep voices. Over in Durham, there was WDNC, the CBS affiliate, also powerful, and also staffed with announcers with deep voices. I don't think our position really struck home until one day, while we were building our transmitter and putting together our studios, I went to WPTF to be interviewed by J.B Clark. WPTF, having accepted the fact - probably without a lot of worry - that it was going to have a 250-watt competitor, had done the courteous thing and invited me, as a representative of the new kid on the block, over to tell its vast audience about it. I was more than a little nervous. I don't remember much about the interview except one question near the end of it. I remember being acutely aware that J.B. Clark had a deep announcer voice, and that my voice, though a baritone, sounded strangely high and thin. Then he asked very kindly, Mr. Fletcher, how much experience do you have? I think I said, I don't have any experience, but I'm going to get some.
As soon as I could, I got out of the studio and into my car. I had to pick up my wife, Marjie, and as I waited in the parking lot for he
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
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, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
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...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/03/2026
How Chris Bolte Builds the Sound of PlayStation Games Chris Bolte '16 is a technical sound designer at Sucker Punch Productions, where he helps create the...
18/03/2026
Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4.
Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...
18/03/2026
SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...
18/03/2026
The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...
18/03/2026
(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...
18/03/2026
Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville
Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...
18/03/2026
Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded
Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...
18/03/2026
Mix-reference plug-in overhauled
iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...
18/03/2026
Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives
Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...
18/03/2026
Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture
18 March, 2026
Media releases
New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...
18/03/2026
Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...
18/03/2026
London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...
18/03/2026
SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...
18/03/2026
Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K
Brie Clayton March 18, 2026
0 Comments
LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...
18/03/2026
Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/03/2026
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...
18/03/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...
18/03/2026
Digital Alert Systems
Preview
2026 NAB Show
April 19 - 22
Booth C3452
At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...
18/03/2026
Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...
18/03/2026
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...
18/03/2026
COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...
18/03/2026
Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...
18/03/2026
Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton March 17, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...
18/03/2026
Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...
18/03/2026
Charlie Puth Joins Switched on Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...
18/03/2026
X-Rite Pantone Demonstrates Advanced Color Management Solutions to Support Smart...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
BAFTA winner James McAvoy to star in Sky Original serie...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing announce multi-year agreement for the UK and Ireland
Sky Sports and Zuffa Boxing have announced a new mult...
18/03/2026
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Sky Unveils Poster and Trailer for Original Feature Fil...
The Birth of a Station is the title to chapter 5 of Fred Fletcher's book, Tempus Fugit written in 1990. Fred, one of the sons of A.J. Fletcher - Founder of Capitol Broadcasting Company, recalls when and where it all began in 1938. Here is chapter 5, The Birth of a Station. 
