The Place To Be.

Legendary WRAL News Anchor Charlie Gaddy, Weatherman Bob DeBardelaben with Randy at the WRAL Reunion Reception.

(West Raleigh, NC) -- They were my childhood heroes. Frankly, they are legends of a by-gone era of broadcasting. They are the Action News 5 Team -- Charlie Gaddy, Bob Debardelaben, Bobbie Battista, and Tom Suiter.

For one final time together -- they did what I could have only created in dreams years after three of them retired -- come together again to anchor WRAL News. The appropriately titled "WRAL Reunion Newscast" opened with clips from Action News 5's past glory -- then transitioned to the sleek new graphics and music of the present.

With North Carolina's version of Walter Cronkite alongside former CNN founding anchor Bobbie Battista for the first time in 25 years, Action News 5's first male-female anchor team were together again.

Age has been kind to all three former anchors. Battista actually looks better today than she did when she left for CNN in 1981. 75-year-old Gaddy has barely aged a bit. He looks more like 60 -- then again -- he looked all of 59 when he retired in 1994. Venerable weatherman Bob DeBardelaben still has his signature calming voice. Though a little rusty with new equipment such as WRAL Weatherscope and the various other weather maps, Bob was nonetheless as professional today as he was when he retired in June 1989.

Perhaps the most touching moment of the evening came when Tom Suiter joined all three former colleagues on the Anchor desk he has called home since Rich Brenner departed for Chicago in 1981. Being the geniune person that he is, Suiter celebrated the talents that each anchor brought to the program -- saying at one point "I want to cry."

It was obvious this was the Action News 5 Team. This was special for Suiter. It was a joy for Battista, Gaddy, and Debardelaben.

And for at least one more night ... WRAL was absolutely THE Place To Be!

(editor's note: this is the first in a series of posts forthcoming in the next few days regarding WRAL's 50th anniversary.)

ACTION NEWS 5 ... IS BACK.

(West Raleigh, NC) -- The Action News 5 Team is coming together again. Well ... sort of. Legendary Anchors Charlie Gaddy, Bobbie Battista, Bob DeBardelaben, and Tom Suiter will anchor WRAL's 6 o'clock News on Friday, November 17, 2006.

The only one missing from the party: former sports anchor Rich Brenner. He left WRAL in 1982 for a disastorous turn in Chicago. Later, Brenner would go head-to-head with WRAL when he returned to the Triangle via WTVD-11 Eyewitness News.

That obviously didn't sit well with WRAL honchos. They usually don't forgive that sort of thing. Just ask Donna Gregory.

Then again, Brenner's successor, Tom Suiter, has more than eclipsed the exposure Brenner had. Of course, Suiter attributes a lot of what he learned in the business to Rich Brenner.

For the record, Brenner has carved a nice niche of his own at WGHP in High Point for the last 19 years. That's where he landed after his unceremoneous departure from WTVD.

This is going to be really, really, really fun. And ... fivesecondstoair.blogspot.com will be at WRAL for the big event! Hope we can bring you some great photos.

Randy Gupton, fivesecondstoair.blogspot.com

SHE'S HERE!

(West Raleigh, NC) -- Look Familiar? No, you're not seeing double. That's Catherine Grace Gupton with proud Daddy Randy.

The little bundle of joy was born at 5:03pm, Sunday, November 5, 2006. She weighed in at 6 pounds 11 ounces. That's the smallest little Gupton yet! At 20 1/2" long, with jet black hair, Catherine and family are excited to be headed back to Wake Forest later today.

More pictures will be forthcoming.

PACKED & LOADED.

(Wake Forest) -- The suitcase is packed & loaded. The hospital is simply hours away. After a week of "Overtime" we're ready to do it again. This will be the third child we have had to induce.

Everyone is ready and waiting. Tomorrow, November 5, 2006 a new Gupton will enter the world. The girls are playing at the house. My mom and sister are spending the night to keep them while we head off to REX early Sunday morning.

Does Catherine Grace have red hair? Does she have Hannah's legs? My feet? All the questions will be answered in less than 24 hours.

As always, you can catch the "COUNTDOWN with Randy Gupton" on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=randygupton2

More as it becomes available...

Randy Gupton, fivesecondstoair.blogspot.com