Shows / The Broadside
The Broadside
Each week, host Anisa Khalifa tells one story from our home in North Carolina, at the crossroads of the South. From news to arts and culture, WUNC News’ “The Broadside” dives into issues that might not make the front page, but deserve a closer look. Along the way, we explore the nuances of our home — and how what happens here ripples across the country. Find new episodes of “The Broadside” every Thursday.
Episodes
The BroadsideWho gets to play the banjo in America?
This past spring, Durham, North Carolina hosted a sprawling roots music festival called Biscuits and Banjos. For the thousands of attendees, it had some…
The BroadsideThe Belichick effect and the money-sucking machine of college football
College football has become a money-sucking machine, with schools spending every dollar possible to keep up in an athletics arms race. The University of North…
- The Broadside
Pride, Prejudice and North Carolina
This year, Jane Austen fans around the world are celebrating the English author's 250th birthday. Surprisingly, one prominent event took place in North…
- The Broadside
The innocence experiment
For nearly 20 years, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission has helped incarcerated people who have evidence of their innocence walk free. But despite…
- The Broadside
The race to save the Cherokee language
Indigenous languages are declining around the world at an alarming rate. Some studies estimate that one language dies out every two weeks. And the United…
- The Broadside
The Southern town that sparked a BMX revival
Greenville, NC is an unlikely hotspot for an extreme sport like BMX freestyle. Tucked away in eastern North Carolina, it's surrounded by farmland and doesn’t…
- The Broadside
How beach music taught Southerners to 'dance sexy'
A type of music known as beach music has been baked into the culture of the Carolina coast for generations, along with a specific type of dancing that goes…
- The Broadside
Where the Devil is in the dirt
Embedded within a North Carolina forest is something eerie – an empty, desolate circle where absolutely nothing grows. It’s known as the Devil’s Tramping…
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Changing the narrative on Native nations
In her Pulitzer prize-winning book on Native people in North America, historian Kathleen DuVal challenges the way non-native people often regard Native…
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The mill and the man who changed the world
The turn of the 20th century was defined by earth-shattering advances in technology. Inventors were like rock stars. But for every household name like…
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The other Declaration of Independence
July 4th, 1776 is arguably the most important date in American history. That's when citizens of the colonies declared total independence from Great Britain for…
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Appalachia’s crypto boom and bust
Enticed by cheap energy and friendly zoning laws, crypto mining operations poured into Appalachia. But in many places, like Murphy, North Carolina, these…
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A return to Midway Plantation
Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people at the end of the Civil War. For many Black Americans, it’s a day of remembrance for their…
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America's favorite bloodthirsty plant
The Venus flytrap is one of the most recognizable plants on the planet. Its strange and unique adaptations have made it a cultural icon and a favorite of plant…
- The Broadside
The hunt for a million dollar fish
Marlin fishing helps fuel a billion-dollar recreational saltwater fishing industry. Much of it is situated on the North Carolina coast, which also happens to…
- The Broadside
Can we save the red wolf (again)?
Red wolves were declared extinct in the wild in 1980. A captive breeding program reintroduced the animal less than a decade later, but it's had mixed results…
- The Broadside
Pokémon is more than just a card game
The Pokémon universe includes wildly popular anime shows, films, video games, and plushies. But Pokémon’s competitive trading card game has a culture all its…
- The Broadside
The fight for free speech at public universities
For much of the past two years, the debate over campus free speech has been front and center in America. While protests and punishments at private universities…
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The mystery of the Big Hole
Tucked away in rural Chatham County, North Carolina there’s a giant concrete cube with a satellite dish on top of it. Built decades ago, the strange…
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The Kingdom of the Happy Land
In the late 1800s, dozens of utopian communities with radical beliefs and unusual forms of self-government sprung up throughout the United States. And perhaps…
- The Broadside
What exactly is a Southern home?
Last year, over half of all new homes in the US were built in the South. And if you drive through the suburban sprawl of growing Southern cities like Raleigh…
- The Broadside
Why cola became king (Revisited)
The South is the birthplace of all the big cola brands. Since the first Coca-Cola was poured in Atlanta in 1886, it's become an American icon. For many of us…
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The wild world of Civil War reenactment
There are dozens of major Civil War reenactments across the United States each year. They're incredible spectacles filled with cannons, muskets and marching…
The BroadsideEveryone hates the DMV
For years, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has been plagued by long wait times and poor service. It’s a major problem in one of America’s…
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The modern Graveyard of the Atlantic
The waters surrounding North Carolina’s Outer Banks are so treacherous that they’re known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. They’ve claimed everything from…
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Quarterback of the rising sun
If you want to understand America, going to a college football game is a great place to start. In a lot of ways, the culture and history of the sport is a…
- The Broadside
Public schools’ big enrollment problem
Nearly every public school district in North Carolina has fewer students than before the pandemic: part of a larger trend happening across the country. Facing…
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The fight over fluoride
For decades, public health advocates have touted the dental health benefits of fluoride. But skepticism, conspiracy theories, and outright fear of fluoridated…
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The road to rebuilding after Helene
Hurricane Helene wiped out hundreds of roadways in western North Carolina. Now engineers are working to fill the holes the storm left behind. But how do you…
- The Broadside
Hell froze over: Southern hockey is thriving
In the 1990s, professional ice hockey was primed for growth. But the NHL had one major problem: geography. In order to expand its footprint, the sport had to…
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The hunt for a long-lost musical masterpiece (Revisited)
To celebrate Black History Month, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes from last year. Perhaps more than any other artform, the 20th century was…
- The Broadside
Who gets to be Native in America
North Carolina’s Lumbee Tribe have been pursuing full federal recognition for over 130 years. A campaign promise kept by Donald Trump has given them hope. But…
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Election season is over… right?
Election Day was nearly three months ago. Since then, every race in the country has been called and certified. Except for one. A single election for a seat on…
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How North Carolina became Japan's favorite state
North Carolina has been cultivating a special relationship with Japan for more than four decades… and the rewards for the American economy are only…
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Segregation academies and a forgotten migration
Throughout the South, state legislatures are adopting and expanding school voucher programs designed to allow parents to use public funds to pay for private…
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The gambling gold rush is here
In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled that states could legalize sports gambling. Since then, 38 states have taken the plunge, including our home state of North…
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That time we almost destroyed the world
On a chilly evening in 1961, a B-52 crashed in rural eastern North Carolina near the town of Goldsboro. Any plane crash is bad, but this one was particularly…
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The ballad and the flood
This week, we visit the small town of Marshall in western North Carolina, a region ravaged by Hurricane Helene earlier this year. But this story isn’t about…
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Deck your halls with Rauch balls
In this special holiday episode, we meet the Jewish man from Gastonia, North Carolina who became the world's largest manufacturer of Christmas ornaments and…
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Tony Hawk and the skateboard rabbit hole
On a rainy day in 1979, a photograph was taken of a young girl skateboarding down a street in Fayetteville, North Carolina. 45 years later, that photo went…
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Can we save Christmas (trees)?
From the White House to your living room, North Carolina’s iconic Fraser fir is the most popular Christmas tree in America. But this holiday season, something…
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The mystery of the Brown Mountain lights
For more than a century, people near Brown Mountain have witnessed unusual displays of shimmering and sometimes even exploding lights. A skeptical scientist…
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Storytelling's surprising digital age revival
Trading stories is an ancient and deeply human experience. But today, most of the stories we consume come to us through a digital screen. So it might surprise…
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The world's biggest video game is from North Carolina
Fortnite was an unlikely hit from an unlikely place: North Carolina-based Epic Games. Innovative game design and smart leveraging of social media and live…
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A Day in the Life: The artist
This week we're launching a new kind of episode where we spend an ordinary day in the life of someone doing something extraordinary. Join us as we tag along…
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The weirdest and wildest political stories
It’s Election Week in America–and if you’re like us, you’re probably a little burned out with politics. So we’re offering up something different. This week, we…
- The Broadside
Why it's so hard to find a good couch
Known as the "Furniture Capital of the World," North Carolina is famous for its high-quality furniture. And for over a century, it's been the heartbeat of the…
- The Broadside
Bonus episode: Let's go to the fair!
The North Carolina State Fair is one of the largest and oldest state fairs in the United States, drawing nearly a million people each year. And it's in full…
- The Broadside
Is it becoming too hot to work?
The South is seeing the effects of a warming climate. 2024 was the hottest summer on record for much of the region. For people who work outside, it’s making…
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Hurricanes, helicopters and how we help
Hurricane Helene ravaged the Southeast and brought unprecedented flooding to the mountains of western North Carolina. Helene is a devastating example of…
- The Broadside
The art and alarming science of political ads
This year, a record $12.3 billion will be spent on US political campaigns. The majority of that is earmarked for political advertising, particularly in…
- The Broadside
The gravestone grudge that changed cemetery law
If you walk through a cemetery, you’ll see some common phrases on the gravestones. Many of them are used so often, we tend to take these very public…
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The Latino South
Although Latinos make up some of the most diverse communities in the South, they're often portrayed as one people or newcomers with a fairly uncomplicated…
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How y'all conquered the world (Revisited)
You might have noticed that the word “y’all” is popping up everywhere. For decades, linguists have noted that regional American accents are disappearing. But…
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Is this the death of DEI?
Over the past decade, universities across America embraced DEI policies. The University of North Carolina System enacted its own in 2019. After the racial…
- The Broadside
The new Southern Hollywood
Lights. Camera. Tax breaks, y’all. For decades, Hollywood has set up shop in the South. But in recent years, the industry has undergone some major changes…
- The Broadside
How the Greensboro Six changed golf forever
In 1955, six Black men in Greensboro, North Carolina did something radical. They attempted to play a round of golf. Decades later, their legacy lives on…
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What happens after a hate crime
On February 10, 2015 three young Muslim Americans were murdered in a Chapel Hill, North Carolina apartment. What initially seemed like a clear case of a hate…
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Pro wrestling climbs back to the top rope
Regional pro wrestling was once a major cultural institution throughout the South. For decades, each state had its own stars like North Carolina's Ric Flair…
- The Broadside
Love found while ‘chasing the light’
Cheryl Shelton-Roberts and her husband, renowned photographer Bruce Roberts, worked for years to preserve North Carolina’s iconic lighthouses. Meanwhile, their…