WRAZ
From Free net encyclopedia
WRAZ, "FOX50", is a broadcast television station based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Broadcasting on UHF channel 50, WRAZ is an affiliate of the FOX television network and is locally owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company. It offers first-run programming from Fox, talk shows, court shows, sitcoms, and local news produced by sister station WRAL-TV.
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History
WRAZ signed on in the spring of 1995 as an independent station under a local marketing agreement with WRAL-TV. It ran a blend of cartoons, classic sitcoms, and movies, as well as some CBS programming being pre-empted by WRAL in order to broadcast ACC men's basketball games. During the Friday quarterfinal rounds of the ACC Tournament, WRAZ even aired the full slate of CBS soaps that WRAL was pre-empting. In 1996, WRAZ became The WB's Triangle affiliate.
In 1996, Fox decided to move its Triangle affiliation to WRAZ after its contract with charter Fox affiliate WLFL-TV ran out in 1998. When the switch occurred in the summer of 1998, WRAZ and WLFL switched affiliations. As time went on, reality and talk shows, as well as first-run court shows were added to the lineup, and cartoons were cut to Saturday mornings. The station also began to carry newscasts produced by WRAL-TV. While the news operation remained in the WRAL studios in Raleigh, WRAZ's main offices and master control relocated to the Diamond View office building in downtown Durham next door to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the American Tobacco complex. Capitol Broadcasting, WRAL's owner, bought WRAZ outright in 2000. However, WRAZ's studios remained in Durham.
Along with WRAL, WRAZ began digital broadcasting in late 2000 from a transmission tower located in Garner, North Carolina. WRAZ even produces live broadcasts of Durham Bulls home games on site, which air on a digital sub-channel carried by mostly by local Time Warner Cable outlets in central and eastern North Carolina.
"Temptation" Controversy
WRAZ was one a few FOX stations in the United States which refused to air portions of the reality television programs Temptation Island and Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire, viewing the programs as anti-family. Station manager Tommy Schenck stated: "Capitol Broadcasting will not support a program that makes light of the family in a 'reality' program." In their stead, they showed reruns of Cheers or The Andy Griffith Show.
"Idol" Ratings
During Season 5 of Fox's mega-hit American Idol, WRAZ has been consistently one of the network's top-drawing stations. While the national Nielsen ratings for the February 28, 2006 were 17.0 with a 25% share of overall households tuning in, WRAZ registered a 21.7 rating (equivalent to 213,788 households in the Raleigh-Durham market) and a 31 share. Those numbers were roughly 28% higher than the national average. Part of "Idol's" high ratings numbers in North Carolina are tied to the past success of artists such as Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken from Raleigh and Season 3 champion Fantasia Barrino of High Point. Season 5 looks to be even more promising, with three finalists hailing from the Tar Heel State: Chris Daughtry (McLeansville), Kellie Pickler (Albemarle), and Bucky Covington (Rockingham).
News Programming
WRAZ's news programming is produced by sister station WRAL, using WRAL's news team.
Newscast Schedule
- FOX 50 Morning News - weekdays 7a-8a
- News: Valonda Calloway, Bill Leslie, Lynda Loveland
- Weather: Elizabeth Gardner
- Traffic: Mark Roberts
- FOX 50 News at Ten - 10p-10:35p
- Weekdays
- News: Gerald Owens, Debra Morgan, Pam Saulsby
- Weather: Mike Maze/Greg Fishel
- Sports: Jeff Gravley
- Weekends
- News: Ken Smith, Kelcey Carlson
- Weather: Kim Deaner
- Sports: Bob Holliday
- Weekdays
- Rewind - Sunday 10:35p-11p
Anchored by Debra Morgan and Gerald Owens, this shows the biggest news and weather stories of the week.
WRAZ usually simulcasts local breaking news coverage from WRAL. For national breaking news, WRAZ carries Fox News coverage, while WRAL carries CBS News.