Friday, June 22, 2012

TV5 Action News Team


An ad in the August 4, 1976 edition of "TV Guide" magazine for WRAL's Action News Team in Raleigh. Two former wrestling alums are included in this photo, Bob DeBardelaben and Nick Pond. Nick Pond (3rd from left) hosted the Raleigh-only version of "Championship Wrestling" (later "Mid-Atlantic Wrestling") in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The more familiar voice of the two, however, would belong to DeBardelaben (far left). He never appeared on camera on a wrestling show, but his was the voice that said the familiar words:


"Let's take time for this commercial message about the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling events coming up in your area."

as well as 


"Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling has been furnished to this station for broadcast at this time by Jim Crockett Promotions in exchange for commercial consideration."   
  
Those were familiar phrases were repeated on each broadcast of both "Mid-Atlantic Wrestling" and "World Wide Wrestling" for over two decades. (Other voices announced this after Jim Crockett Jr. moved the tapings out of Raleigh.)