Scott Mason is a broadcast journalist with more than 40 years of television experience. He has won dozens of awards for documentaries, writing, and feature reporting, including three National Edward R. Murrow awards and 20 regional Emmys. The Electronic News Association of the Carolinas has twice named Scott North Carolina Television Reporter of the Year.

 

Scott has worked as a reporter and bureau chief for network affiliates in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Dayton, Ohio.

 

In 1991, Scott joined the PBS affiliate in Richmond, Virginia, where he created, wrote, produced, and hosted a weekly news magazine. Virginia Currents won more than 100 awards for journalistic excellence during Scott’s tenure. The United States Information Agency distributed the program to embassies worldwide.

 

Scott’s success caught the attention of WRAL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina. In April 1997, Scott became the station’s Documentary Producer. He researched, wrote, and produced ten documentaries before adding his talents to the nightly news team as a reporter specializing in features.

 

Today, Scott is known as the Tar Heel Traveler. His Monday-Thursday series on WRAL takes viewers along the back roads of North Carolina where he meets memorable characters, finds out-of-the-way places, and unearths fascinating historical footnotes. The series has become so popular it has led to Tar Heel Traveler half-hour specials, which Scott produces each quarter.

 

Scott has published six books about his television adventures:

 

Tar Heel Traveler: Journeys Across North Carolina (2010, Globe Pequot Press)

Tar Heel Traveler Eats: Food Journeys Across North Carolina (2014, Globe Pequot Press)

Faith and Air: The Miracle List (2017, Light Messages Publishing)

Tar Heel Traveler: New Journeys Across North Carolina (2019, Globe Pequot Press)

Tar Heel Traveler's Good Eats: 101 Down-Home North Carolina Classics (2020, Globe Pequot Press).

Tar Heel Traveler: 201 North Carolina Landmarks and Attractions (2024, Globe Pequot Press)

 

Scott graduated in 1984 from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, where he majored in Journalism and Communications. In 2015, he earned his MFA degree in creative writing at Queens University of Charlotte.

 

Scott lives in Raleigh with his wife Nina, daughters Lane and Genie, and son Scout.