Supplier News Releases

WRAL-TV Premieres Baron Polarimetric Megawatt Radar

September 21, 2007

September 20, 2007, HUNTSVILLE, AL – WRAL-TV, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, recently unveiled the first Guardian weather radar in the Mid-Atlantic region. Guardian, a Megawatt dual-polarization broadcast radar from Baron Services, is the most powerful broadcast radar in existence, featuring 256 color levels, high resolution and Hydrometeor Classification. WRAL-TV is the fifth television station in the country to implement Baron’s elite dual-polarization technology. Based in Huntsville, Ala., Baron Services has installed every dual-polarization radar for broadcast in the world.

Unlike conventional Doppler radar systems, which transmit solely a horizontal scan, Baron’s Guardian radar emits horizontal and vertical energy, making detection of specific precipitation types much easier. This radar powerhouse enables WRAL-TV meteorologists to identify at neighborhood-level where and what type of precipitation is falling, anywhere in the The Triangle.

WRAL-TV, a recognized industry leader in the HD revolution, is not new to Baron Services. Last year, the station upgraded their Baron weather displays to high-definition, conveying the sharpest high-resolution weather graphics available. By combining the FasTrac HD display with dual-polarization radar, WRAL-TV can see detail only a few other stations in the country can see.

“Our station has always embraced new technology. In many cases, we’re the first to use a technology before it’s even close to being commonplace, like HDTV for instance. So, going with dual-pol was a natural thing for us,” said Greg Fishel, Chief Meteorologist at WRAL. “Now we’ll be able to show types of precipitation, instead of just intensities—obviously a brand-new and very useful advantage. Baron has provided us with cutting edge technology for over 10 years now, and this is just the latest example,” he said.

In 2004, Baron Services teamed up with the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and WHNT-TV resulting in the first broadcast dual-polarization radar in the world. Since then, four other major-market stations have turned to Baron Services for their state-of-the-art dual-polarization Guardian radars. Baron’s first Guardian radar was installed for KRIV in Houston. Other stations followed including WFLD-TV in Chicago, WNYW-TV in New York City and now WRAL-TV in Raleigh.

WRAL-TV is owned-and-operated by Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC). CBC North Carolina from Charlotte to the coast. Two CBS affiliates, one FOX station and a WB and a UPN affiliate make up the CBC television family. WRAL-TV became the first all HD news operation in the country.

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About Baron Services

Baron Services is the Only Complete Weather Company, providing full-service weather technologies for a variety of industries. The company’s broadcast division specializes in viewer-friendly weather displays for the High-Definition Era, including daily forecast graphics, storm tracking, localized forecast data, live Doppler radar and community-oriented systems like remote sensors. Baron’s consumer-driven weather systems deliver relevant information in simplified displays while requiring minimal interpretation on the part of the viewer.

Baron Services operates out of Huntsville, Alabama with auxiliary offices in Oklahoma, North Carolina and Florida. Its multiple divisions focus on broadcast television, public safety, government and industry, as well as satellite-delivered weather data for mobile environments. The company’s numerous patents make it a continued leader in the communication of significant weather events.