September 09 , 1997
For additional information contact:
Tom Beauchamp (919) 821-8564

ANOTHER FIRST FOR NATION’S FIRST HDTV STATION

RALEIGH, NC – WRAL-HD, the first commercial station in the nation to broadcast in High Definition Television (HDTV), has completed a live satellite feed of an Atlantic Coast Conference football game. The game, played September 6, 1997, is the first football game produced in HDTV. The signal was transmitted from the site to a K-2 satellite and then returned to the WRAL-HD transmitter where it was then broadcast live to monitors placed at Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC. North Carolina State beat Duke in the match 45-14.

The station produced, but did not transmit, two other events within the past nine days using the only HDTV production truck in the country. The HD Vision unit was used to record a Durham Bulls-Winston Salem Warthog game on August 29 and Raleigh’s Pops in the Park concert on August 31.

High Definition Television is a new technology for television that delivers a sharper, wide-screen picture with much improved color clarity and CD-quality surround-sound. The new format is slated to replace the existing television system over the next few years as determined by Congress and the Federal Communication Commission.

Tom Beauchamp, Chief Engineer for WRAL-TV and WRAL-HD, said station engineers designed and built an interface “black box” in order to uplink the signal. The signal was displayed at the game in Durham by using a Harris 8VSB exciter, a Mitsubishi decoder, and a Zenith demodulator.

Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAL-Digital, WRAL-FM, Microspace, the North Carolina News Network, DTV Plus, Wolfpack Sports Marketing, and Capitol Sports Management in Raleigh, NC; WJZY-TV and WFVT-TV in Charlotte, NC; WILM-TV in Wilmington, NC; WRAZ-TV and the Durham Bulls Baseball Club in Durham, NC; and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Baseball Club in Myrtle Beach, SC; Capitol Broadcasting Company also founded Local TV on Satellite in Raleigh, NC.