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Long-time television journalist and Tar Heel Traveler Scott Mason, who took viewers into the homes, diners and places that highlighted North Carolina’s unique charm and characters, is no longer at WRAL.
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In a Wednesday night post on Facebook, Mason quoted Scottish poet Robert Burns with new contact information.
“Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn,” a quote form Burns’ poem “Man was made to Mourn, A Dirge.”
When reached on Friday, Aug. 21, he declined to be interviewed but confirmed he is no longer employed at WRAL.
A link to the WRAL webpage for Tar Heel Traveler stories was shown as not being found as of Friday, and not showing stories as it had done earlier in the summer. Links to some Tar Heel Traveler stories previously shared on Facebook and other sites, led to the same “page not found” message.
The show aired Mondays through Thursday at 5:55 p.m. on WRAL.
“As a matter of policy, we do not comment on personnel matters,” said Mike Friedrich, news director at WRAL News. “Separately, WRAL’s Tar Heel Traveler has been a valued franchise for nearly five decades and will continue to be an important part of our storytelling. We look forward to sharing more about the franchise’s future plans with our viewers soon.”
Mason, a Raleigh native, was hired by WRAL, becoming their documentary producer in 1997. His reporting and work has resulted in numerous awards, including three National Edward R. Murrow awards and 20 regional Emmys, according to his biography on the Tar Heel Traveler’s website.
He’s published six books, with the most recent from 2024 called “Tar Heel Traveler: 201 North Carolina Landmarks and Attractions.”
“Scott you helped me discover so many wonderful places in this my home state,” wrote Laura Torres on his Facebook post. “In this day and age we need more stories like the ones you tell. I pray this means onward and upward to many more years of telling the stories of the Tarheel state.”
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Many others expressed frustration with the television station.
“A successful long-running human-interest feature gives a station personality and community identity,” said Rick Autry. “Removing it can make the newscast feel more like every other station, particularly if the segment has a recognizable host and loyal following.”
Mason told an interviewer for Aging Outreach Services earlier this year that Tar Heel Traveler had been hosted by several people over the years before him, including former longtime reporter and anchor Bill Leslie. Mason debuted his iteration of Tar Heel Traveler in 2007, he said.
Earlier this month, Mason posted on Facebook that he had started a Tar Heel Traveler video podcast series.
Mason was born in Raleigh, but his family moved to Massachusetts when he was young, he told Aging Outreach Services.
He graduated from Washington and Lee University in Virginia, then obtained his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte.
He has received more than 100 journalism awards, according to his WRAL bio page, including National Edward R. Murrow Awards, regional Emmys and two North Carolina TV Reporter of the Year awards.
Before working at WRAL, Mason worked at TV stations in Richmond, Winston-Salem, Chattanooga and Dayton, Ohio.
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He is married with three children.
Editor Brooke Cain contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 21, 2026 at 10:58 AM.