Bob Caudle hosts Late Date Line on WRAL

The longtime voice of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling Bob Caudle is seen in this TV guide ad for the latenight version of WRAL's Dateline. He also did national news and weather for WRAL in the 1960s.

A Dateline ad for the local evening news and the national ABC evening news featuring photos of Bob Caudle, Harry Reasoner, Howard K. Smith, and Jessie Helms can be found here.

Dean of Sportscasters Ray Reeve

The original host of "Championship Wrestling" out of Raleigh, broadcast hall-of-famer Ray Reeve. This was the early show that later became "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" in the 1970s.

Nick Pond - Action Sports

WRAL Sportscaster Nick Pond was host of All-Star Wrestling (the show that later became Mid-Atlantic Wrestling) in the 1960s and early 1970s. He hosted the Raleigh-only version of the show, while Bob Caudle hosted the syndicated version.

Big Bill Ward

The voice of Charlotte wrestling from 1958-1973, Big Bill Ward.

WDBJ's Hal Grant

WDBJ's Hal Grant is seen at the announce desk. Grant was the host of Wrestling from Roanoke at WDBJ in the 1960s. Roanoke promoter Pete Apostolou is shown in the upper right corner.

Weather with Bob Caudle

December 23, 1967

Sports with Munsey Millaway

Spartanburg Herald Journal, May 8, 1970

At 5:30 PM, Munsey Millaway did the evening sportscast on WLOS-TV in Asheville, NC. Millaway was the host of local promotional spots for Jim Crockett Promotions wrestling events held at the Asheville City Auditorium. Read more about these spots on the WLOS-13 Studio page on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Saturdays at 5:00 PM

Charlie and the Coach

A 1960s ad in "TV Guide" magazine for UNC Basketball featuring Charlie Harville and UNC basketball coach Dean Smith.

Harville, a member of the North Carolina Broadcasting Hall of Fame, was host of "Championship Wrestling" on WGHP-8 in High Point, NC from 1964-1973.

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.)

TV Touchdown Club

October 25, 1957

An ad in the October 19-25, 1957 edition of "TV Guide" magazine that features Big Bill Ward as one of six regional sportscasters that were part of the "TV Touchdown Club" show that preceded the ACC college football game of the week.

Ward was host of "Championship Wrestling" on WBTV-3 in Charlotte. NC from 1958-1974.

Championship Wrestling in Raleigh

July 26, 1969

Hal Grant - Roanoke Weather

Hal Grant was the host of Wrestling from Roanoke at WDBJ in the 1960s.

Weather with Bob Caudle