WRAL’s new Durham newsroom is a more engaging presence for downtown visitors

WRAL will debut its new newsroom in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus on Tuesday.

The Raleigh-based TV station has had a presence in the complex since the mid-2000s, but the latest space has a more open design to engage pedestrians visiting businesses at the complex and its neighbors, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the Durham Performing Arts Center.

The American Tobacco Campus is owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company, which also owns WRAL-TV and the Durham Bulls baseball team.

The new newsroom has large windows along Blackwell Street, with “a news ticker and TVs set up for the public to watch and listen to newscasts,” according to a press release from WRAL. The space will also have outdoor picnic tables.

WRAL will not operate the newsroom as a second studio, news director Rick Gall told The News & Observer, but reporters will sometimes do live shots from the space, which means TV viewers will get a peek even if they can’t stroll by in person.

“Most often, (reporters) are out live on location delivering their reports from across Durham,” Gall said.

In the press release, WRAL said the renovation represents the company’s “long-standing commitment” to Durham.

“We’re excited to have a new, vibrant home for our crews who work hard daily to keep Durham residents informed of what’s going on locally,” Gall said. “This visible newsroom will help emphasize our unwavering dedication to serving the Bull City.”

Capitol Broadcasting Company officially purchased the shuttered cigarette factory in 2002 and began rehab immediately. American Tobacco Campus welcomed its first tenants in late 2003. Tenants include Duke University, GlaxoSmithKline, WUNC Radio and McKinney + Silver, as well as restaurants and retail shops. Last summer, the company announced plans for a new high-rise mixed-use development next door in a space formerly occupied by a car dealership.

Meteorologist Kat Campbell will be present for the Durham newsroom’s grand opening on Tuesday, from 4-6 p.m. At that time, the station will unveil a mural by Durham-based artist Candy Carver, called “The South Got Somethin’ to Say.”

Tuesday’s debut also coincides with opening day for the Durham Bulls baseball team, just across the street.

WRAL’s Durham newsroom is located at 359 Blackwell St., Suite #200.

In addition to its large studio on Western Boulevard in Raleigh, the station also has reporters based in Fayetteville and Rocky Mount.