A well-known WRAL reporter is leaving the station. What we know
A WRAL reporter and North Carolina native is leaving the station after six years.
Aaron Thomas' last day at WRAL is Monday, June 16, according to social media posts announcing the news.
'This wasn't an easy decision,' Thomas wrote in a Facebook post. 'Reporting for my hometown TV station has been a blessing and a dream fulfilled. YEARS of prayer and self-reflection led to the conclusion that it's time for a new challenge.'
Thomas, who did not immediately respond to a request for more information from The News & Observer, said in the Facebook post that he would take a month to 'recharge + reset.'
'As for what's next? Stay tuned,' Thomas wrote.
Thomas, who joined WRAL in 2019, graduated from N.C. State University in 2014 with a degree in communication media, according to his WRAL bio.
He was born in Fayetteville and raised in Fuquay-Varina, the bio says.
During his six years at WRAL, Thomas won two Nashville/MidSouth Emmy Awards in breaking/spot news - multiple reports and team coverage categories.
Before coming to WRAL, Thomas worked for two years as a reporter/multimedia journalism at ABC affiliate WRIC-TV in Richmond, Virginia.
From 2015-17, he was a reporter/multimedia journalist at CBS affiliate WTAJ-TV in State College, Pennsylvania.
WRAL legend Charlie Gaddy — 'the Walter Cronkite of North Carolina' — has died
Thomas is the latest broadcast journalist to leave WRAL in recent months.
Gilbert Baez, a longtime Fayetteville reporter for the station, left WRAL in January, after the station did not renew his contract. Baez is hosting a new TV show, 'Air Angels: Flight Helene.' He is also hosting a three-hour weekday news program at WFNC, The N&O previously reported.
Debra Morgan joined WRAL as an anchor in 1993. Until 2023, she co-anchored newscasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., alongside Gerald Owens. But in May of that year, she began co-anchoring only at the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. hours, a change she said would offer better work-life balance.
Morgan's last day on the anchor desk at WRAL was May 21.
Have a question about your community you'd like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea you'd like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.
If you have a question about the Charlotte area, send The Charlotte Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form.
If you have a question about Raleigh or a Triangle area community, send The News & Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form.
Local TV station announces new host for public affairs program. Here's when she'll start
Former WRAL reporter begins 2 new TV & radio projects this year. Here's what to know
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Montreal's Canada Day parade cancelled for a second year in a row, organizer says
MONTREAL - Montreal has cancelled its once-annual Canada Day parade for the second time in as many years, event organizers announced this week. Chief organizer Nicolas Cowen announced the decision in a news release, citing a number of reasons for the cancellation including potential municipal worker job action, difficult relations with city departments and planning problems. It's the second consecutive year in which Montreal won't have a parade — an event that began in 1977. Thursday's announcement came less than two weeks before Canada Day. 'We understand this news is disappointing to many, especially the families, performers, volunteers, and attendees who look forward to this cherished tradition,' organizers said in a Facebook post. 'The parade has not only been a celebration of Canada but a proud reflection of Montreal's diversity, resilience, and community spirit.' Cowen blamed red tape and politics for the 2024 cancellation, citing issues in securing permits and funding and getting approval from government officials. When the event was last held in 2023, Cowen said he was forced to complete some sets of paperwork multiple times and find 148 last-minute volunteers to satisfy city rules. The event was also cancelled between 2020 and 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cowen said the parade has become increasingly difficult to organize without disruptions in recent years. According to organizers, the event draws 120,000 spectators. Cowen said he remains hopeful he can mend ties with the city and the parade can return. 'With its cancellation, not only does the city lose a major tourism draw, but Canadian culture itself takes a hit on one of the most important national holidays,' organizers said. A City of Montreal spokeswoman disputes the assertions, saying the organizer failed to submit a project proposal for the parade. 'As was the case last year, the promoter of the Canada Day parade, Nicholas Cowen, did not submit a project application to the City of Montreal, despite the city inviting him to do so on several occasions,' Nicky Cayer said in an email. Cayer says Canada on the Move, a brand new festival, did get a permit and the July 1 free event includes 13 totems — one for each province and territory — over a 1.2 kilometre route through historic Old Montreal. An official annual event at Montreal's Old Port will also go ahead as usual at the Quai de l'Horloge. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.
Washington Post
11 hours ago
- Washington Post
Robert Altman's ‘Nashville' made a noise louder than country music
Starts with a crash, ends with a bang. In between, Robert Altman's 'Nashville' makes nearly every conceivable noise about living in an America where paranoia and hope commingle in an inseparable swirl. Does that make this masterpiece movie a gonzo comedy masquerading as dark satire, or is it the other way around? Either way, 50 summers after its theatrical release, 'Nashville' still feels vivid, vibrant and a little more resonant than we might wish. In the American right-now, our politics remain violently contentious. Our two-party system still feels woefully limiting. Society continues to repopulate itself with self-deluded strivers and clout chasers. The national mood is in the toilet. Plus, country music is more popular than ever. Is it 1975 again? Or have we been stuck in 1975 for half a century?
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fans Are All Asking the Same Thing After Reba McEntire Makes Major Announcement
Fans Are All Asking the Same Thing After Reba McEntire Makes Major Announcement originally appeared on Parade. Reba McEntire may be celebrating her past, but her fans are looking to the future. On Friday, the country music icon took to Instagram to announce that her hits including "Can't Even Get The Blues" and "Turn On The Radio" would be available on a platinum vinyl, entitled "The Hits," later this year. And while fans were happy to see a nod to McEntire's previous beloved songs, most were asking for something new. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Reba (@reba) "Love you Reba, I am totally going to buy this!!" one fan wrote. "But, we have a million greatest hits compilations already, we don't need anymore. We want new music!" "Love everything you do @reba but when will we get new music, it's been a string of compilations," another mused. "You mean all the same ones we can just go stream?" a third commenter blatantly put, while another said, "We need the new album!!!!!"The vinyl release comes as McEntire celebrated the 40th anniversary of her first song on the Billboard charts which was "Can't Even Get The Blues." "43 years ago 'Unlimited' was released," she wrote. "Thanks to y'all, this album gave us our first #1 with 'Can't Even Get the Blues'!" "Can't Even Get The Blues" was released in 1982 while "Turn On The Radio" was released over two decades later in 2010. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Fans Are All Asking the Same Thing After Reba McEntire Makes Major Announcement first appeared on Parade on Jun 20, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
