Old Raleighers ought to be excited about the upcoming WRAL news reunion newscast next Friday night. At 6:00 on November 17, the news crew from the 70′s will anchor the news. Charlie Gaddy, Bobbie Battista, Bob DeBardelaben, and Tom Suiter will take the reins for one night.
Gaddy, the anchor through 3 decades, was the immensely popular face of WRAL. The station’s first woman anchor, Bobbie Battista, moved on for a lucrative career as one of CNN’s first anchors. Bob DeBardelaben was a long time Capitol Broadcasting personality who moved up into the weather position. His many public appearances and never ending smile made him another trusted, popular face for the market’s #1 news team (just don’t keep him waiting too long for a dental appointment.)
Also pictured is sportscaster Rich Brenner, who left for short-lived greener pastures in Chicago. Brenner returned for a short stint at WTVD before settling in at High Point’s WGHP, where he still anchors the nightly sports segment. Brenner’s backup at WRAL was a young Tom Suiter who still anchors the WRAL sports segments.
There is more information on this at Randy Gupton’s excellent blog, Five Seconds To Air. Gupton is a member of the Curtis Media team and an strong advocate for local media.
