The Broadside

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 viral with a little help from the most famous skater who ever lived: Tony Hawk. This week, we find out who the mystery girl in the picture was and why the snapshot was so ahead of its time.  Featuring:  Jeremy Markovich, writer of the North Car...

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 is threatening to wipe it out —  and the $250 million dollar industry associated with it.  Special thanks this week goes out to Kate Sheppard of The Assembly. Featuring:  Steve Riley, contributor at The Assembly Links:  Check out Steve's art...

For more than a century, people near Brown Mountain have witnessed unusual displays of shimmering and sometimes even exploding lights. A skeptical scientist has spent years trying to solve the mystery. This week, we’re heading to the mountains of western North Carolina for an episode produced by Atlas Obscura in partnership with Visit North Carolina. Donate: The Broadside is made possible by contr...

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 you to find out that we're in the midst of a revival of the old school style of storytelling. Turns out, sitting in a crowded room with other people, sharing funny and tragic and unbelievable stories live and in person has never been bigger....

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 streaming catapulted it into becoming one of the world's biggest video games. And today, Fortnite is a bona fide cultural phenomenon. But can the memes and viral dance moves go on forever? Featuring:  Brian Gordon, Technology & Innovation re...

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 with renowned North Carolina-based muralist Dare Coulter while she works to bring a very big and very public artistic vision to life. Featuring:  Dare Coulter , professional artist and muralist Links:  View Anisa and Charlie’s horse drawings h...

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 ask three veteran political reporters a single question: what’s the most bizarre story you've ever covered? Featuring:  Barry Yeoman, freelance writer and contributor at The Assembly Jim Morrill, former politics reporter at the Charlotte Ob...

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 American furniture industry. But in recent decades, that business has changed dramatically, decimating the workforce and leaving average American consumers with two less-than-ideal options: high-end luxury products or cheap and mostly dispos...

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 swing right now. We went yesterday and brought you back some funnel cake. Donate: The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation here . Si...

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 jobs more difficult, dangerous... and even deadly. This week, we chat with two journalists from WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio about their multi-part series Scorched Workers , which examines the impact of rising heat on outdoor workers in No...

Hurricane Helene ravaged the Southeast and brought unprecedented flooding to the mountains of western North Carolina. Helene is a devastating example of climate change’s impact on places like Appalachia, a region that poses unique challenges for relief and recovery.  Featuring:  Jay Price, Military Reporter at WUNC and The American Homefront Project Katie Myers, Climate Reporter at Blue Ridge Publ...

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 battleground states like North Carolina. But where does that money go, and what exactly does it buy? The answers might surprise and alarm you. Featuring:  Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief at North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC Frank Eaton, ad make...

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 remembrances for granted. But what happens when one *really* stands out and contains a false murder accusation? Featuring:  Margaret Martine, local historian and co-owner of Whippoorwill Academy and Village Max Longley, writer and contributor at Atlas...

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 backstory in the region. But from the Civil Rights Movement to South of the Border, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Featuring:  Cecilia Márquez, author of Making the Latino South: A History of Racial Formation Links:  You can find a tr...

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 at the same time, use of this traditionally Southern pronoun is rapidly spreading — and the reasons may surprise you. Featuring: Brody McCurdy, linguist and researcher at North Carolina State University Antonia Randolph, assistant professor o...

Over the past decade, universities across America embraced DEI policies. The University of North Carolina System enacted its own in 2019. After the racial justice protests of 2020, more schools across the country rushed to embrace efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. But then… came the backlash.  UPDATE: Nearly 60 DEI positions eliminated from public universities in North Carolina F...

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. Today, tax breaks are bringing a flood of blockbuster franchises, hit TV shows and lots and lots of cash to the region. And each state has to adapt to stay in the game. Featuring: Jonas Pate, filmmaker and co-creator of Netflix's Outer Banks Gu...

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. Featuring:  Josh Sullivan, social media producer at WUNC Mark Lathan, Director of Programs for First Tee of Central Carolina Jesse Williams, collegiate golfer at Miles College Special thanks to the Southern Oral History Program at UNC-Chapel Hill...

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 crime to many turned into a battle that would play out for years in the press and in the courts. Along the way, it renewed questions about how the United States handles hate.  Featuring: Farris Barakat, co-founder of the Light House Project S...

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 who performed weekly at iconic venues like Raleigh's Dorton Arena. But by the late 1980s, the emergence of a handful of large national wrestling promotions like Vince McMahon’s WWF (now WWE) destroyed that territorial system. 30 years later, r...

Cheryl Shelton-Roberts and her husband, renowned photographer Bruce Roberts, worked for years to preserve North Carolina’s iconic lighthouses. Meanwhile, their relationship blossomed into a love story unlike any other. This episode is an adaptation of a story that originally appeared in Our State magazine.  Featuring: Cheryl Shelton-Roberts, co-founder of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society and for...

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 with it: shag. But how did these smooth, soulful sounds become tied to the sandy shores of North and South Carolina? The answer is a little more complicated and transgressive than you might expect. Featuring:  John Hook, radio DJ and beach musi...

Appalachia is Bigfoot territory. In a big way . This week, we look at the mythical beast's legend, lore and sizable economic impact in the region. And we follow one reporter’s journey through the mountains and foothills of western North Carolina in search of Sasquatch.  Featuring:  Emily Cataneo, reporter for The Assembly Links:  Check out Emily's story on Appalachian Bigfoot culture at The Assemb...

Red wolves were declared extinct in the wild in 1980. But in a stunning success for conservationists, a captive breeding program reintroduced the animal less than a decade later. That effort has stalled in recent years. Today, there are fewer than 30 animals left in the wild, all located in an isolated corner of North Carolina. Ultimately, the iconic Southern carnivore’s biggest threat is also its...

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 the very first time. But what if it wasn’t the first? This week, we travel down the rabbit hole of North Carolina’s Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and entertain a couple of shocking possibilities: either someone’s lying — or we may...