As for the network swap in general, it has really taken me by surprise. I don't really agree with Jim Goodmon about NBC having a better business model for local affiliates. They're seen in the industry as one of the "Big Four" most likely to scrap the affiliate distribution model entirely at some point. They also don't like pre-emptions (one of the many reasons they left channel 28 for channel 17 back in 1995) and WRAL does so frequently. This is a big win for NBC which has dealt with split affiliations and weak, also-ran affiliates since 1962 (including their own O&O WNCN from 1995-2006). I think WNCN might benefit somewhat from CBS. This is a big loss for CBS though. One thing's for sure: whoever did away with the "NBC 17" branding in favor of "WNCN" a few years ago is either a genius or clarivoyant. On the WRAL end, I'd be very surprised to see a peacock added to the newsroom.