AJ Fletcher
(Oct. 10, 1887
- April 1, 1979)
"In the integrity and independence of the enlightened individual
lies the hope of the nation - to inform the public without bias
or favor, is this station's highest duty."
Capitol Broadcasting was formed in 1937, when Alfred Johnston
"A. J." Fletcher, a prominent Raleigh attorney, and his son
Frank, an attorney with the Federal Communications Commission
in Washington, D. C., applied for a federal broadcast license
to operate a small, 250-watt radio station. The license was
granted, and in 1939 WRAL-AM (RAL for Raleigh) went on the air
for the first time, becoming only the second commercial radio
station in Raleigh.
In 1946, Capitol Broadcasting Company filed a subsequent license
application for WRAL-FM, the first FM radio station in North
Carolina on a new frequency band. (Bill Grahams' WMIT on Mount
Mitchell was the first FM station on the air in North Carolina
in 1941.) WRAL-FM was the most powerful FM station at 250,000
watts.
With the development of commercial television in the late 1940's,
A. J. recognized a natural progression in the communications
area. After a long and arduous hearing before the Federal Communications
Commission, CBC obtained a license for WRAL-TV in 1956. Channel
5 quickly became a national leader in innovative news and community-oriented
programming. |
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