WRAL News Announces New Anchor Teams

Capitol Broadcasting’s NBC affiliate WRAL Raleigh, N.C., announced several internal anchor promotions. The station produces 11 hours of local news each weekday.

“Over the years, we have developed some great depth on the anchor desk, and an opportunity to promote from within has now presented itself. It’s really exciting to see such passionate and talented journalists continue to grow and be rewarded for their efforts here,” said Rick Gall, WRAL news director.

WRAL anchor Lena Tillett is promoted, beginning November 30, and will move to the nightside team, where she will anchor WRAL News at 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. alongside Gerald Owens. This move comes on the heels of her June 2020 promotion to co-anchor of WRAL News at 4 p.m.

Since joining WRAL in 2016, Tillett’s role has continued to evolve. She was instrumental in the debut and expansion of the WRAL Live Center and helped launch WRAL News at 9 a.m. on FOX 50 in June of 2019.

WRAL News weekend morning anchor, Mikaya Thurmond, is also changing roles, taking on additional anchor and Live Center responsibilities as she shifts to a fulltime weekday role. Thurmond will split her time between the Live Center (4:30 a.m.-7 a.m. and noon) and anchor desk (7 a.m. and 9 a.m.) Thurmond joined WRAL News in 2015 as a reporter and is currently the weekend morning news anchor.

WRAL plans to hire a new weekend morning anchor/reporter to replace Thurmond.

WRAL News anchor Ken Smith, who moved from weekend anchor to weekday duties last year, also changes roles and responsibilities. Smith will now be anchoring 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., handling Live Center at 8 a.m., and reporting three days a week for the evening news. Smith helped launch the WRAL News at 9 a.m. on Fox 50 in June of 2019.

WRAL News anchor Kathryn Brown will be leaving the station and leaving television news on Nov. 27. The decision by Brown to leave the local news desk was driven primarily by family and the desire to truly be there as her children grow up. Despite the November departure, Brown is not leaving the WRAL family. Viewers will occasionally see her back on-air to help fill in as an anchor for WRAL News.

Brown joined WRAL in 2014 as a weekend anchor/reporter, coming from WCBS New York. She began anchoring WRAL weekday newscasts in 2017.