WRAL spots promote school diversity

Capitol Broadcasting Corp., owner of WRAL, is airing an editorial ad campaign on the television station proclaiming that “diversity matters.”

The spots, aired in public-service announcement or station ID segments, come as a new majority on the county school board has proposed getting rid of Wake’s current diversity policy of trying to balance the numbers of students at each school based on families’ economic backgrounds. Capitol Broadcasting Corp. CEO Jim Goodmon said today that the spots are not meant as direct endorsement of the current policy, but as an editorial statement in favor of the principle of diversity.

“Being for or against a policy is not the notion here,” Goodmon said. “Whatever the policy is, diversity should be a key part.”

Goodmon has spoken out for years about the importance of a strong, diverse school system to the local economy. Before last year’s school board elections he spoke at a rally of community leaders who endorsed the schools’ diversity policy. Goodmon also donated last fall to losing school board candidates who backed the diversity policy.

School board member John Tedesco, a member of the new majority, called Goodmon's move divisive.

"He's wasting his money that could have been used to help people," Tedesco said. "He could have given it to the Rescue Mission or some other useful cause."