WRAL (FM)

Infobox Radio Station
name = WRAL


city = Raleigh, North Carolina
area = Research Triangle Area of North Carolina
branding = "Mix 101.5"
share = 4.3, #6
share as of = Fa'07
share source = R&R [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Ratings | date= | publisher= | url =http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings/DefaultSearch.aspx | work =Radio and Records | pages = | accessdate = 2008-02-20 | language = ]
slogan = "The Best MIX While You Work"
airdate =
frequency = 101.5 (MHz) HD Radio
101.5 HD-1: simulcast of Mix 101.5
101.5 HD-2: modern adult contemporary
format = Adult Contemporary
erp = 100,000 Watts
haat = 555 meters
class = C
facility_id = 73920
coordinates = coord|35|40|35|N|78|32|8|W|type:landmark
callsign_meaning = RALeigh| owner =Capitol Broadcasting Company
sister_stations = WCMC-FM
webcast = [http://www.wralfm.com/Article.asp?id=68145 listen live]
website = http://www.wralfm.com

WRAL (101.5 FM, "Mix 101.5") is an Adult Contemporary music formatted radio station based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its studios are located in downtown Raleigh along with WCMC-FM, a sports talk station that signed on in October 2005. Both stations are owned and operated by Capitol Broadcasting Company, which also owns WRAL-TV, FOX 50, and the Durham Bulls minor-league baseball team, among other properties. Its transmitted from an antenna located on the 1,800 foot level of the WRAL-TV tower in Garner, North Carolina. The station switches to a Christmas music format during the holidays.

History

WRAL-FM signed on in 1947 as WCOY at 95.3, with an ERP of 250,000 watts. It was the second FM station to operate in North Carolina, and the first to operate on the new 88-108 MHz FM band (previous FM stations had been at 42-50 MHz). WRAL-AM was located at 1240 AMhttp://www.geocities.com/rdurw/wral.html, Retrieved on 2008/04/23.] but was sold separately in the 1950s [http://www.geocities.com/rduhistory/wpjl.html, Retrieved on 2008/04/23.] The studios were at 130 Salisbury Street, with the transmitter on Davie Street Extension. In 1948, Jesse Helms became the news director.

Instead of rebroadcasting from a partner AM station, WRAL-FM offered its own programming in the form of easy listening music and extensive agricultural reports. Together with WCEC in Rocky Mount and WGBR in Goldsboro, WRAL helped establish a statewide radio network called the Tobacco Radio Network, which connected communities large and small throughout North Carolina. It became the precursor to today's North Carolina News Network, still headquartered at the WRAL studios. Eventually, the FM station moved to 101.5.

From 1960 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1972, the station offered the audio portion of commentaries by Helms which aired as the "Viewpoint" segment on WRAL-TV. [http://www.unctv.org/senatorno/peopleevents/events.html, Retrieved on 2008/04/23.]

WRAL-FM switched its musical offerings to AC in the early 1970s, calling itself "WRAL-FM 101 and later "WRAL-FM 101.5." The format continues to this day.

On December 20, 2002, the station became the first licensed commercial radio station on the east coast to broadcast its signal in HD Radio. WRAL-HD1 replicates the same music found on Mix 101.5 (mainstream AC), while WRAL-HD2 offers a more modern-leaning playlist. On Monday, June 27, 2005, MIX became the first commercial station in North Carolinacite web|url=http://www.wralfm.com/Article.asp?id=80661 |title=HD Radio |accessdate=2007-11-24 |work=WRAL-FM ] and only the second commercial station in the nation (WUSN in Chicago was the first) to utilize the "multicasting" cababilities of HD Radio technology to broadcast multiple digital channels.

On April 23, 2007, WRAL-FM became the flagship station for the NC State Wolfpack, beginning with the 2007-2008 school year. [http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=876362, Retrieved on 2008/04/23.] [Chip Alexander, "Pack, WPTF Part Ways: Wolfpack Moves Football and Men's Basketball from Longtime AM Partner to FM Station, "The News & Observer", April 26, 2007.] Interestingly enough, the broadcast rights to football and basketball games belong to Wolfpack Sports Marketing, which is also owned by Capitol Broadcasting. [http://www.cbc-raleigh.com/division/wsm.asp, Retrieved on 2008/04/23.] NCSU's new arrangement with WRAL-FM ends a long-standing deal with WPTF, which had been broadcasting Wolfpack sports for over 40 years. The weekly coaches shows with Tom O'Brien and Sidney Lowe, along with a few ACC Tournament games not involving the Pack, will air separately on sister station WCMC-FM.

WRAL-FM is the second station in Raleigh to air the nationally-syndicated Delilah nighttime radio show; the first was WRSN ("Sunny 93.9"), before that station flipped to Rhythmic AC as "93.9 Kiss FM".

Community Involvement

WRAL's local ownership gives it a leg up among other Triangle radio stations in terms of public affairs and community involvement, giving it less of a "corporate" feel than its competition. One such project the station has been involved with over the years is a radiothon lasting 101.5 hours straight (usually from a Wednesday morning to mid-day Sunday) designed to benefit the Children's Hospital at Duke University Medical Center. WRAL-FM also promotes a number of events throughout the Triangle area that are sponsored by Capitol Broadcasting and its entities.

Alive After Five

In addition, the station has been promoting an outdoor concert series in downtown Raleigh since 1978 called "Alive After Five", which features mostly local and regional bands. From its beginnings until 2004, the concerts usually took place at the south end of the Fayetteville Street Mall near the Raleigh Civic and Convention Center. Because of all the construction work taking place in that area at the time, the concert series later moved to the heart of the trendy Glenwood South district, located just west of downtown. Earlier that same year, a separate AAF series was held in Durham at the American Tobacco complex near the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, only to be discontinued after a year.

In 2007, there are plans to return Alive After Five to the newly rebuilt Fayetteville Street corridor (sans pedestrian mall).Fact|date=January 2008

Other Logos

References

External links

* [http://www.wralfm.com/ Mix 101.5 WRAL official website]
* [http://www.geocities.com/rdurw/wral.html WRAL-FM history on RDU Radio Waves]
*FMQ|WRAL
*FML|WRAL
*FMARB|WRAL