Programming
WRAL has aired the entire CBS program schedule since the late-1990s. The only exceptions involves ACC football and basketball from Raycom Sports, both of which have aired on the station since 1982; with the digital age, ACC pre-empted CBS programming airs either as originally scheduled on This 5.2 or overnights on the main signal. Also, Cupid, a 2003 reality show was not aired, as were some controversial shows on sister station WRAZ, and WRAL is one of a few CBS affiliates in the nation that does not carry an hour of CBS's Weekend Children's Programming Block. WRAL is one of the few CBS affiliates that shows The Young and the Restless from 4 to 5 P.M. as a lead in to its 5 p.m. newscast. Most CBS stations air Y&R from 12:30 to 1:30, but in the case of WRAL, the timeslot switch occurred in January 1993. This happened because the station's sitcom reruns (the show being run at the time was an hour block of The Golden Girls) were having no luck against The Oprah Winfrey Show on WTVD.
WRAL has broadcast memorable locally-produced children's programming throughout its storied history. Its most famous and longest-running is Time for Uncle Paul (1961–1981) starring Paul Montgomery. He had played various other characters on other local shows before getting his own program. He voluntarily ended his program after station management suggested a change to an educational format.
Soon after, WRAL continued to produce acclaimed educational children's shows such as Frog Hollow, Sparks, and The Androgena Show. Today, WRAL continues to produce educational programs with such shows as Smart Start Kids and Brain Game.
WRAL announced on February 1, 2006 that it would begin to simulcast all of its programming on the Internet to computer users in the Triangle. This signified the latest advances in technology-driven delivery of product by a local television station. A few months later, WRAL was selected to be the flagship station for North Carolina Education Lottery drawings (twice daily for certain games, with the multi-jurisdictional Mega Millions Tuesday and Friday nights, and Powerball Wednesdays and Saturdays.) On December 3, 2007, WRAL became the first local television station to stream live video to mobile phones.
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Famous quotes containing the word programming:
“If there is a price to pay for the privilege of spending the early years of child rearing in the driver’s seat, it is our reluctance, our inability, to tolerate being demoted to the backseat. Spurred by our success in programming our children during the preschool years, we may find it difficult to forgo in later states the level of control that once afforded us so much satisfaction.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)