WUNC (Radio station : Chapel Hill, N.C.)

WUNC is the non-profit public radio service of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, broadcasting to central and eastern North Carolina through stations located in Chapel Hill, N.C., Rocky Mount, N.C., and Manteo, N.C., and streaming online at wunc.org. WUNC was located in Swain Hall on the campus of the University of North Carolina from its creation in the 1940s until 1999, when it moved off campus to the James F. Goodmon Public Radio Building in Chapel Hill. WUNC began broadcasting intermittently as an AM radio station in the 1940s, switched to FM on 3 November 1952, went off-air in 1970, and was reinstated as a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate on 3 April 1976. WUNC initially provided listeners with a combination of daytime and evening cultural affairs commentaries, news, and music; in 2001, the station switched to a 24-hour local and national news- and information-based programming format.

From the description of WUNC records, 1929-2004 (bulk 1970-1995). WorldCat record id: 773388164

WUNC is the non-commercial, non-profit public radio service of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, broadcasting at 91.5 FM in Chapel Hill, N.C., on WRQM at 90.9 FM in Rocky Mount, N.C., and on WUND at 88.9 FM in Manteo, N.C., and streaming online at wunc.org. These stations are collectively referred to as North Carolina Public Radio. As of 2011, WUNC was broadcasting at 100,000 watts from a transmitter located in Chatham County, N.C., and providing both local and national programming with a focus on cultural affairs, civics, and community concerns. The station is funded and supported through donations from listeners, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in-kind contributions, local and national grants, and volunteers.

WUNC made its first AM broadcast as a student station in the 1940s, perhaps as early as 1940. On 3 November 1952, WUNC began broadcasting as an FM station under the direction of the Communication Center at the University of North Carolina. The station was staffed by university students and community volunteers and continued to broadcast until equipment failures forced it off-air in 1970. It came back on the air briefly in 1971, but was again silenced by equipment problems.

The third iteration of WUNC began broadcasting on 3 April 1976 as a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate. Programming included daytime classical music and evening jazz. WUNC began formally publishing its program highlights in 1980 via a monthly magazine called Listen. Popular weekend programs included the locally produced programs Back Porch Music, which began in 1977 and offered a range of regional folk and traditional music, and Gary Shivers on Jazz, which was hosted by WUNC general manager Gary Shivers from 1978 until 1990. The news program All Things Considered also began broadcasting in the late 1970s and was among the first NPR programs aired on WUNC. NPR's Morning Edition was added to the lineup in 1980; The People's Pharmacy with Joe and Terry Graedon in 1981; NPR's Weekend Edition in 1988; Fresh Air with Terry Gross in 1994; and Talk of the Nation and The State of Things in 1995. Other programming included news, features, and commentaries on state politics, cultural affairs, and other community concerns. In 1995, WUNC expanded the scope of its broadcasting to a full 24-hour day by adding overnight classical music programming. In 2001, WUNC's programming changed to a 24-hour, entirely news- and information-based format. As of 2011, the station was partnered with NPR, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Public Radio International (PRI), and American Public Media (APM).

WUNC was located in Swain Hall on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus from its beginnings until 1999, when it relocated to the James F. Goodmon Public Radio Building near the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill, N.C. A second WUNC studio was located in the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham, N.C. Also in 1999, WUNC expanded its broadcast coverage to the eastern part of the state over stations WRQM (90.9 FM) in Rocky Mount, N.C., and WUND (88.9 FM) in Manteo, N.C.

From the guide to the WUNC Records, 1929-2004, (bulk 1970-1995), (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)