Nelson Benton was on WBTV's small news team in the late '50s. In 1960 he became the first from Channel 3 to migrate to the big leagues. He was a CBS correspondent for 22 years, covering such momentous events as JFK's fateful trip to Dallas, the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. Nelson died in 1988 at 63.
No, not the show; the department. It was March 1955. The photographer is J. Nathan "Nat" Tucker, who had been hired in 1953 for, among other good reasons, previous service in a US Navy photographic unit. Fifty-five was the year WBTV moved into its big new headquarters, and the news department was likely expanding its equipment and staff. By the end of the decade, Nat had moved up the ladder to become the station's operations manager, overseeing all studio and remote production .
In August 1963 Nat left WBTV, going to High Point's WGHP-TV as program and production manager. At some point he returned to Channel 3 and became an assistant VP and program operations director, and in January 1969 he was named Director of Programs and Information at the company's Richmond TV station, WWBT.
In the late '70s Nat left broadcasting altogether, starting a musical instrument rental company. After retirement, and before his death in 2013, he moved to Montana, then to Washington state.
Photo courtesy Dana Tucker.