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25+ Years with WUNC: A History - Part One

Note: These comments were originally published in 2001 in Listen! Magazine, WUNC's print program guide. This section contains many historic photographs and audio samples from the 1950s-late 1990s.

25th Anniversary Microphone

25+ Years with WUNC: A History - Part One

by Peter Landstrom and Joan Siefert Rose with additional information by Keith Weston

Ever since it signed on the air – for the third time! – on April 3, 1976, WUNC-FM has stood for quality programming and public service. But if you´re a fan of the station´s selection of local and NPR news, weekend entertainment, and music programs, you´d be surprised to learn how much WUNC has evolved from its early days, emerging as a professionally managed public radio service. In fact, change has been one of the few constants in the station´s 25-year history.


Charles Kuralt (left) and Carl Kasell (middle) are seen here in the WUNC studios circa 1954.

The modern-day version of WUNC began broadcasting as America was preparing to celebrate its Bicentennial. The station originally had been run by broadcasting students (including NPR's Carl Kasell) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but a transmitter problem in 1970 knocked WUNC off the air. Funds were not available to fix the problems and the station went silent.

You might be surprised to learn that part of WUNC's history extends back to the 1940s as an AM station. [more about the early days in part 2 of this feature] Most of this special feature, however, deals with some of the highlights since WUNC re-started its broadcasts as a NPR affiliate. It also contains several audio samples from WUNC's archives.


	WUNC Staff in 1975: L-R: Gary Shivers, Joan Waltrous, General Manager Donald M. Trapp

The University was considering what to do with the broadcasting license of the now off-air station—including selling it—when a group of academic and community advocates persuaded Chancellor N. Ferebee Taylor to embrace a station founded on the principles of providing a forum for the people of North Carolina and serving the public with information and music programming not available through other media.

The opportunity was never better for creating a strong, independent public radio service, especially on an FM frequency. More people were beginning to discover the higher quality sound and relatively free-form programming on FM, at a time when AM broadcasters concentrated on a few formats, including country music, news and sports, and even disco! WUNC was poised to offer something unique.

Continue to Page 2- Let's Start At The Very Beginning>

WUNC Timeline
A quick sampling of key dates in WUNC's 25-year history ... and before...

Early 1950s - Early 1970s	WUNC was originally run by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill broadcasting students, including National Public Radio's Carl Kasell, but a transmitter problem knocked the station off the air. Academic and community advocates persuade UNC Chancellor Ferebee Taylor to support launching the station with a professional staff as a public service of the university.
April 3, 1976	Signs on the air at 91.5 FM as a licensee of UNC, broadcasting from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends. Original programming included National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."
1977	Debuts "Back Porch Music," WUNC's longest-running locally produced show.
1981	Adds NPR's "Morning Edition."
1981	Begins airing "The People's Pharmacy" with Joe and Terry Graedon live as an outgrowth of Joe Graedon's weekly commentaries on WUNC.
1986	NPR's Bob Edwards lectures to an overflow crowd at UNC's Playmakers Auditorium to help WUNC celebrate its 10th anniversary.
1988	Adds NPR's "Weekend Edition."
1989	NPR stations Reporter David Molpus at WUNC to cover the Southeast scene.
1994	Adds NPR's "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross to expand discussion about issues of the day.
1995	Starts "The State of Things," a locally produced weekly public affairs program, to explore North Carolina's cutural and intellectual life.
1995	Adds NPR's "Talk of the Nation" to continue the news and information trend.
1995	Adds overnight classical music for a full 24-hour broadcast day.
1999	Begins local news staff expansion, continuing the station's tradition for award-winning journalism as well as a top training ground for excellent broadcast journalists who have gone on to success at NPR and other national programs.
January 1999	Moves from cramped Swain Hall studios on the UNC campus to the James F. Goodmon Public Radio Building on a campus tract off N.C. 54. Private donations made the new facility possible.
March 1999	Begins broadcasting on low-power station (90.9 FM) in Manteo as part of an effort to bring public radio to one of the largest areas on the East Coast without such service.
March 1999	Begins broadcasting on low-power station (90.9 FM) in Rocky Mount at the request of WRQM-FM supporters who wanted to preserve public radio in their region.
April 1999	Begins broadcasting on low-power station (90.5 FM) in Buxton as part of the earlier Outer Banks project.
April 3, 2001	Celebrates 25th anniversary on the air.
September 3, 2001	Launches major format change to all news and information to better serve central and eastern North Carolina listeners.