WRAZ (TV)

WRAZ

Raleigh–Durham– Fayetteville, North Carolina United States
City	Raleigh, North Carolina
Channels	Digital: 15 (UHF), shared with WRTD-CD[1] Virtual: 50
Branding	Fox 50; WRAL News
Programming
Affiliations	50.1: Fox for others, see § Subchannels
Ownership
Owner	Capitol Broadcasting Company (WRAZ-TV, Inc.)
Sister stations	WRAL-TV, WNGT-CD, WRAL, WCMC-FM, WCLY, WDNC
History
First air date	September 7, 1995 (29 years ago) (1995-09-07)
Former call signs	WACN (CP only, 1993–1995)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 50 (UHF, 1993–2009) Digital: 49 (UHF, 2000–2019)
Former affiliations	The WB (1995–1998)
Call sign meaning	variation of WRAL-TV
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	64611
ERP	805.4 kW
HAAT	607 m (1,991 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	35°40′29″N 78°31′39″W / 35.67472°N 78.52750°W / 35.67472; -78.52750 (WRAZ)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	WRAZ schedule page on wral.com

WRAZ (channel 50), branded Fox 50, is a television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Research Triangle area. It is locally owned by the Capitol Broadcasting Company alongside NBC affiliate WRAL-TV (channel 5) and WNGT-CD (channel 34), which airs local news programming. The stations share studios at Capitol Broadcasting headquarters on Western Boulevard in Raleigh; WRAZ's transmitter is located near Auburn, North Carolina.

Though a construction permit was issued for channel 50 in 1986, it did not sign on until September 7, 1995. WRAZ, originally owned by Tar Heel Broadcasting but programmed by WRAL-TV from its first day on air, offered The WB as well as syndicated shows and a WRAL-produced 10 p.m. newscast. The station had been on the air only for several months when Fox—in the middle of a dispute with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of its local affiliate, WLFL—decided to change local stations from WLFL to WRAZ beginning in 1998. Coinciding with the switch, Capitol Broadcasting moved operations of WRAZ from Raleigh to an office building it owned in Durham to give the station a separate identity. In the 2000s, WRAZ gained a reputation for preempting Fox programming it found contrary to family values, including such reality shows as Temptation Island and Married by America.

After initially moving to give WRAZ a separate identity in the community, Capitol slowly folded it back into the main operation. In 2003, the newscasts were brought in line with those on WRAL, and the station returned from Durham to Raleigh in 2012. The station offers 48+1⁄2 hours a week of dedicated and simulcast newscasts from WRAL-TV.