North Carolina News Network

The North Carolina News Network (sometimes called NCNN) is a news and information service established in 1942. It provides programming to approximately 75 radio stations, primarily in the state of North Carolina, and can also be heard by Internet streaming via its website.

The roots of this network go back to 1942, when WRAL (1240 AM; now WPJL) in Raleigh, North Carolina began producing agricultural reports for farmers in the Eastern part of the state. Shortly after returning from service in World War II, Ray Wilkinson began delivering agricultural reports in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on radio station WCEC 810 AM (now dark), where he was Program Director. Shortly thereafter, WRAL expressed interest in broadcasting Wilkinson's reports, and the groundwork was laid for the foundation of the Tobacco Radio Network, the predecessor to NCNN.

The network was so-named because tobacco was the leading agricultural crop in Eastern North Carolina, where the oldest stations of the network were based. With the establishment of WRAL-FM in 1946, the network took advantage of its static-free reception and wide coverage area to begin relaying programming to other stations that desired agricultural news. Eventually, the network was available to nearly all of North Carolina through a system of FM repeater stations.

Feeder stations for the network included:

A companion network, the Tobacco Sports Network, was formed in the mid 1950s to broadcast College Football and College Basketball for the four major universities centered in and around Raleigh. Broadcast commentators for events on this network included Bill Currie and Ray Reeve. It was this network that broadcast the North Carolina Tar Heels’ winning game in the 1957 NCAA basketball championship to a statewide audience.

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