ABC11 WTVD hit the airwaves on September 2, 1954, on Channel 11 on the VHF band. It was the first successful and longest-running commercial television station in the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville viewing area. The station was founded by local broadcast pioneers Floyd Fletcher and Harmon Duncan under the company name Durham Broadcasting Enterprises.
The first studios were in a converted tuberculosis sanitarium on Broad Street in Downtown Durham.
WTVD started as an NBC affiliate and added a CBS affiliation later.
In 1976, the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville viewing area was the 63rd largest in the nation.
In 1978, WTVD built a new 32,000-square-foot broadcast facility at 411 Liberty Street in Durham, where one of two main high-definition studios remains to this day.
The Path to Disney
The history of ABC11 WTVD is intertwined with the history of two of the world's greatest media companies, Capital Cities ABC and the Walt Disney Company. In 1957, WTVD became the second television station purchased by Capital Cities Television, which later purchased stations in many of the nation's largest markets, including Philadelphia, Houston, Buffalo, and New Haven, CT. Capital Cities became so successful that it eventually purchased the entire ABC Television Network and ESPN. Disney became ABC11 WTVD's parent company in 1995 when it acquired Capital Cities ABC.
In 1962, due to changes in the marketplace, WTVD was in the unusual position of having affiliations with both CBS and NBC, cherry-picking the best programs from each network.
In January of 1986, WTVD's parent company, Capital Cities Communications, purchased the ABC Television Network. As a result, the station dropped its CBS affiliation and became an ABC-owned station. In addition to ABC Network programming and local news, ABC11 has broadcast some of the most popular programs in television history, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
Throughout its history, ABC11 WTVD has been steadfast in its commitment to serve the diverse needs and interests of its Central and Eastern North Carolina viewing areas. Toward that end, the station organized the WTVD Minority Advisory Committee and continues to meet regularly with committee members. The Minority Advisory Committee has been instrumental in providing ongoing guidance for employee recruitment and impactful community content.
Raleigh Eyewitness News Center
In 2005, ABC11 celebrated the opening of the first and only street-level broadcast studio in Downtown Raleigh. At the time, ABC11 was one of the first local businesses to commit to development along Fayetteville Street, now one of the most vital areas in North Carolina. ABC11 christened the state-of-the-art studio as the "Raleigh Eyewitness News Center" and began broadcasting its noon news from there. Later that same year, ABC11 began broadcasting in high definition.
In 2011, the station added a 4 p.m. newscast, also broadcast from the Raleigh Eyewitness News Center.
In 2008, ABC11 was the first station to do live news reporting on the road. The "Breaking News One" mobile unit was the first of its kind at any local station or network in the nation.
In January 2022, ABC11 was the first station in the market to launch a 24/7 streaming option on its mobile news app, desktop, CTV and expanded to YouTube a year later.