About this podcast
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 newest 20 of 165 episodes
- The gravestone grudge that changed cemetery law · 19 minIf 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…
- The long road to integration · 31 minIt took decades to fully integrate public schools in North Carolina. Now, segregation in the classroom is making a comeback.
- Our weirdest political stories · 26 minWe ask three veteran political reporters a single question: what’s one of the most bizarre stories you've ever covered?
- Why are we letting houses fall into the ocean? · 24 minIn North Carolina's Outer Banks, a perfect bureaucratic and environmental storm is creating a perverse spectacle.
- A tunnel, a song and a dark secret uncovered · 28 minHidden in a 150-year-old Appalachian folk song, researchers found a clue that unearthed a tragic lost history.
- That time we almost destroyed the world · 21 minIn 1961, the US Air Force accidentally dropped two nuclear bombs in North Carolina. And *almost* started a nuclear war.
- Omar, the enslaved man who wrote letters to America · 28 minTwo centuries ago, Omar ibn Said wrote the only known slave narrative in Arabic. His full story is only now becoming known.
- Trucks, drugs and rock and roll: Maximum Overdrive turns 40 · 24 minFour decades after its release, the 'cocaine-fueled' movie that helped put the Southern film industry on the map still commands an audience.
- Competitive whistling and the trill of the chase · 27 minThe strange story of competitive whistling in America runs through North Carolina all the way to… Japan.
- Southern cafeteria culture reaches the end of the line · 21 minWhat’s lost when a cultural and culinary touchstone disappears?
- Senator No and the rise of America's politics of opposition · 24 minToday's hyper-partisan brand of media savvy politics was trailblazed over 70 years ago by an uncompromising politician from North Carolina: Jesse Helms.
- The Belichick effect and the money-sucking machine of college football · 23 minSchools like UNC-Chapel Hill are spending every dollar available to keep up in an athletics arms race.
- The hunt for a million dollar fish · 20 minDive into the drama, the money and the science behind one of the most celebrated fishing competitions in the world.
- A new threat to honeybees emerges in the South · 17 minA small army of scientists and beekeepers in the Carolinas are fighting an invasive wasp that could decimate our most important pollinators.
- Taking the Road to Nowhere · 27 minAn unfinished roadway, deep inside the Great Smoky Mountains, is just the beginning of a fascinating and bittersweet story of remembrance.
- The Bomber and the Rookie · 57 min30 years ago, a small town North Carolina cop and a notorious terrorist came face to face. The famous encounter would change the rookie police officer's life in profound ways.
- The surreal lives of political spouses · 26 minFor many people, marriage is a deep and powerful bond. But for politicians, those relationships are often far more complicated.
- Secrets of the Great Dismal Swamp · 23 minIn a once overlooked place, researchers are uncovering the remnants of a brave and resilient people.
- Welcome to MrBeastville · 25 minThe world's most popular YouTuber and his billion-dollar business are based in a surprising place: Greenville, North Carolina.
- The strange story of pimento cheese · 18 minPimento cheese is as Southern as sweet tea and fried chicken. Or is it?
