WUNC Commemorates 25 Years of Radio Broadcasting

WUNC 91.5 FM provides services to more than 200,000 listeners in 26 counties from Greensboro to the Outer Banks, broadcasting informational, educational and cultural programming 24 hours a day.

WUNC will host several events lasting through the end of May as a celebration of its first broadcast April 3, 1976. The celebration will include an on-air performance by a troupe of government impersonators, various music concerts around the area and a dinner at the N.C. Museum of Art.

While WUNC broadcasts numerous programs and classical music, the station is known for its important affiliation with NPR.

"Being the NPR affiliate for a large area fits nicely with the University's mission to keep students involved and provide outreach to the community," said Joan Siefert Rose, a WUNC spokeswoman.

Many WUNC and NPR listeners said the station provides a much-needed outlet for this form of news broadcast. "Some students have grown up listening to NPR," Rose said. "It's an important option for students, and I think for those who are really interested in in-depth coverage of news on radio, it's a very nice option."

WUNC began as a student station in 1940, broadcasting on an AM frequency. In November 1952, WUNC began broadcasting as an FM station.

For years, the station provided a number of programs and newscasts to keep its listeners informed. However, all operation ceased in 1971 when lightning struck the transmitter.

In 1975, concerned local residents expressed the need for putting WUNC back on the air. After many discussions, letters and hard work, WUNC resumed operation as part of NPR in 1976.

Journalism Professor Thomas Linden said he is an avid NPR listener. "In terms of radio news, NPR is the gold standard," Linden said. "The reports are in-depth and intelligent."

And Linden said the coverage that NPR provides also attracts and keeps listeners.

"NPR has reports for topics, people and countries that aren't always covered by print and television news sources," Linden said. "There's something about radio broadcast news that provides a more realistic experience than print or even television, and that experience is there with NPR."

Some UNC students also said they use NPR as their news source. "It's soothing, and it clears my mind," said sophomore Sasha Bernier. "It's very informative and summarizes everything from an intellectual perspective. It's like The New York Times -- but on the radio."

The vast listenership tuning into WUNC brings a lot to the University as well as to the surrounding community, Linden said.

"I'm very pleased that WUNC plays a program that affects so many people," he said. "It's great that WUNC is on the cutting edge of broadcast journalism and can provide this service to so many people."

Rose said WUNC's services are necessary and effective.

"I think it is our obligation to provide good coverage of the events affecting the University's students, as well as the surrounding triangle and eastern North Carolina."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.