Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
Mark Twain
WRAL's geographical broadcast coverage area is eastern North Carolina. But those boundaries do not prevent WRAL from roaming the globe to bring insights and context to our viewers about the lives of people of different cultures and beliefs, coping under a variety of circumstances. Without fail, WRAL reporters and photographers return to Raleigh with a new perspective on global affairs and share them with the viewers.
Over the years, WRAL news, sports and engineering has traveled extensively throughout the United States. On a global scale, our news crews have traveled to Tanzania, USSR and later Russia, England, Scotland, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, Artic Circle, Israel, Italy, Croatia, India, South Africa, Japan, Canada, Nicaragua, France, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Haiti, among other locales.
Charlie Gaddy, retired WRAL news anchor, along with then-news photographer, now lawyer, Scott Miskimon, traveled to China in July,1988. Charlie shared his impressions of the trip in the July,1988 printed edition of The Capcom. He titled his article Dear Mama, You Were Right Here is the article in its entirety.
Dear Mama, you were right. If we had dug a hole in the backyard in Biscoe through the center of the earth, we would have come out in China.
Of all the little stories you told us when we were children; I believe that one fascinated me most. Sometimes I even pictured myself digging out on the other side and having some Chinese children there waiting for me.
WRAL-TV Anchor Charlie Gaddy reports from China in July 1988.
Well, I finally got to go to China. The company sent photographer Scott Miskimon and me on the adventure of a lifetime. It wasn't the regular tourist trip to Hong Kong and Beijing, but a journey that took us across North China, through Manchuria, all the way to the Russian border.
You were always afraid to fly so you wouldn't have enjoyed getting over there. We flew most of two days, crossing one time zone after another Raleigh to Chicago to Seattle to Tokyo to Shanghai to Beijing (it was Peking before they changed the names of many of the cities).
As soon as we stepped off the plane, I knew it would be the most unusual place I would ever visit. China explodes your senses. The sights, sounds and smells are so different that there is nothing in one's experience to compare with it. First, there are a billion people there, in a country not much larger than the United States. In the cities you are surrounded in a sea of Chinese people. I was at least a head taller, and could see over the crowds. We encountered thousands of people and not once did I see any pushing, shoving, or arguments.
I saw no drunks on the streets and only once did I see a gun and it was on a policeman.
You would have loved the people. You always tried to teach us to be nice to people. The Chinese are masters at that. Most of them are poor, but they give one hundred percent of what they have.
Out in the country, in little towns like Biscoe, there is no running water, no indoor bathrooms, no paved streets and no sidewalks. Bu the people out there more than make up for any inconveniences with their warmth and genuine hospitality.
WRAL-TV Anchor Charlie Gaddy in China, July 1988.
In Harbin we walked into a school yard and the little children overwhelmed us. They all swarmed around us, reaching out to touch our hands, while chirping out the Chinese hello, which is Nihao (pronounced Nee-how). It was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. From now on, when I feel down and out, I'm going to get the tape and play that back.
When we left the cities, we went north into Manchuria and into places never seen before by Americans. Getting up there we rode jeeps, vans, buses, trains and rafts. Remember too that Scott and I were carrying a full load of TV equipment. We lugged it half way across China, and it worked perfectly.
You wouldn't believe the food. Even in the countryside, they will serve bowl after bowl of exotic foods. They hardly serve rice. You know when we had company you wouldn't serve Irish potatoes, well the Chinese think rice is too plain to serve visitors. Among the foods we ate were baby birds, cooked whole and complete with legs, feet and beak. We also had octopus, squid, and one of Scott's favorites, fish head soup. Now, as it turned out, if you could get these things past your mind and into your mouth they tasted great.
We rafted down the Zhang River for five days. Slept on the river bank in tents. One night I was inside my tent when I heard this roar outside. As I cleared the tent, I saw that a tree had blown down near us and the roar was a violent storm that had just blown up. We moved the tents and had a drink.
The further we traveled north the more of a curiosity we became. Whole villages would turn out and surround us. They had never seen Americans before and in some cases had never seen a westerner. In every case, we were treated warmly and never felt any hostility or fear. Not far from the Russian border we stayed with a family of Oroqens, the smallest Chinese minority. They are hunters and are related to the North American Eskimo. We slept in their homes on cement beds that were stoked with hot coals from the kitchen stove to keep us warm. By the way, the man and his family, out of respect for us, slept somewhere else that night so we could have the entire house.
The head of the house, Mr. Du, gave me his prize deer antlers From the Common People of China, to The Common People of America. In Peace and Friendship. He said please show it to your neighbors. I
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. 
