RALEIGH, N.C.—Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC) launched ATSC 3.0 broadcasts of its WRAL NBC affiliate, WRAZ Fox affiliate and WARZ-CD (Retro TV), which is currently owned by Waters and Brock Communications but has been sold to CRC pending FCC approval, on Dec. 15,  expanding the lineup of NextGen TV channels in the market.

Pending FCC regulatory approval, WUNC (UNC-TV, PBS) will launch over the next few weeks, CBC said. With the four stations and last month’s launch of Nexstar’s WNCN (CBS), WTVD (an ABC O&O), WUVC (Univision) and Sinclair Broadcast Group’s WLFL (CW) and WRDC (MyNet), the market becomes one of the few in the nation with all major networks supporting NextGen TV, CBC said.

PLUS: ATSC 3.0 Deployments: Where and When Will NextGen TV be Available?

“TV is the greatest wireless technology you forgot about,” said CBC President and COO Jimmy Goodmon. “NextGen TV is the next step in the evolution of free over-the-air television with new benefits like mobile broadcasting, personalization for viewers, advancements in rich, interactive media plus a much improved emergency alert system. It’s next level.”

In late June 2016, WRAL launched over-the-air ATSC 3.0 service with simulcasts of its noon news in 1080p HD and a 22-minute 4K/UHD HDR documentary on a separate channel operated with an FCC experimental license. WRAL ceased that 3.0 transmission in September 2019 as part of the FCC TV spectrum repack.

 “I love being a part of a company that has always been out in front, and this transition is no different,” said Pete Sockett, CBC director of engineering and operations.

“The fact that WRAL was open to partnering with WARZ-CD, a Class-A, low power station, is wonderful. It will let us cover our metro quite well for linear programming delivery, but leaves us with bandwidth to start developing other viewer experiences, such as delivering Advanced Emergency Information, viewer specific content and other opportunities via a Broadcaster App. It is, yet again, a great time to be in this industry.”

ATSC President Madeleine Noland congratulated all of the broadcasters in the Raleigh market that are making NextGen TV available to viewers. “ATSC 3.0 is a powerful, evolvable platform,” she said. “Innovative, community-minded broadcasters like CBC and UNC-TV now have a flexible foundation to deliver amazing new experiences to viewers. With ATSC 3.0, television just gets better and better.”

RALEIGH, N.C.—NextGen TV comes to North Carolina, as five local Raleigh stations are now transmitting the ATSC 3.0 next-generation TV standard.

The stations include Sinclair-owned WLFL (CW) and WRDC (MyNet), Nexstar’s WNCN (CBS), Univision’s WUVC and the area's ABC affiliate WTVD. All participating stations ensure that their current programming remains available to all viewers. With the new ATSC 3.0 transmission, cable and satellite subscribers do not need to take any action, while antenna viewers can just rescan their TV sets to ensure full service.

Raleigh joins a number of other markets that have launched NextGen TV to their viewers, including Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Nashville and more. ATSC, the organization that developed the new standard, hopes to reach more than 60 markets by mid-2021.

“The faster we deploy NextGen TV, the faster we can begin delivering important upgrades for our viewers and advertisers—improving their visual experience, adding interoperability with the internet and enabling more narrowly focused targeting for consumers,” said Brett Jenkins, executive vice president and chief technology officer for Nexstar.

PLUS: NextGen TV Multimillion Dollar Promotional Campaign Set for Holidays

“As one of the anchor points of the Research Triangle, where innovation is ingrained in its culture, it’s only appropriate for us to usher in the latest revolution in broadcast technology to Raleigh,” said Mark Aitken, senior vice president of Advanced Technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group. “We are thrilled to bring the benefits of NextGen TV to this high-tech mecca, bringing a brand-new paradigm in broadcasting to viewers in the area.”

BitPath led the planning process for the Raleigh deployment and coordinated efforts across the five TV stations. BitPath President John Hane says Raleigh is the company’s ninth NextGen TV market launch this year and seventh for a top-40 market. He also says that additional Raleigh stations—WRAL (NBC), WRAZ (Fox) and WUNC (PBS)—are expected to launch the ATSC 3.0 standard later this year.

RALEIGH, N.C.--Joel Davis has been named VP and general manager of WRAL-WRAZ in Raleigh. Davis comes from KGTV San Diego. He spent nine years at that station, rising from news director to general manager.

Davis succeeds Steve Hammel, who is retiring, at WRAL-WRAZ. He starts July 16.

The stations are an NBC-Fox pair.

[Read: WRAL-TV Showcases Next Gen TV’s Potential]

“The WRAL and FOX 50 team conducted an exhaustive nationwide search for the next vice president and general manager,” said Jimmy Goodmon, president of WRAL-WRAZ parent Capitol Broadcasting Company. “We looked for someone who can help fulfill our mission and commitment to the people and community of North Carolina and know that we have found the right person in Joel. His experience, leadership and integrity will help lead us into the future while maintaining the WRAL journalistic standards and ideals for which WRAL is known and respected.”

Davis was news director at KBAK Bakersfield and KFSN Fresno before being named managing editor at WFTV Orlando. He joined KGTV as news director in 2009.

“The opportunity to work for Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL and FOX 50 is one of the best in the business,” Davis said. “Their commitment to the community, quality journalism, and the station staff is well known in the industry. I look forward to getting deeply involved in the local community and helping lead the team to even more success.”