

The Broadside
WUNC
Each week, The Broadside highlights a story from the heart of the American South and asks why it matters to you. From news to arts and culture, we dive into topics that might not be on a 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.Hosted by Anisa Khalifa, The Broadside is a production of North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC. Find it every Thursday wherever you listen to podcasts.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 8, 2024 • 19min
Craft beer’s emerging Southern flavor
In the last decade, the craft industry’s boom has steadily spread across Southern states. There are now thousands of breweries in the region (400 in North Carolina alone). But what exactly is a Southern beer?Featuring:
Sean Lilly Wilson, Founder of Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC
Tinu Diver, Documentary Filmmaker
Owen Racer, Freelance Journalist
Todd Boera, Co-founder and Creative Director of Fonta Flora Brewery in Nebo, NC
Links:Check out Owen Racer's Gulf Coast beer reporting at Good Beer Hunting.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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feb 1, 2024 • 25min
How one business built Black Wall Street
At the turn of the 20th century, the epicenter of America’s Black middle class was in a midsize city in central North Carolina. Durham was home to NC Mutual, an insurance company that provided a foundation for Black wealth in the South amidst Jim Crow segregation. Recently though, NC Mutual closed its doors, marking the end to more than a hundred years of business.Featuring:
Kimberly Moore, Director of Civic Engagement for North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District
Andre Vann, Coordinator of University Archives and Instructor of Public History at NC Central University
Carl Webb, Co-founder of Provident 1898
Links:You can find a transcript of the episode here.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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 25, 2024 • 21min
NASCAR's racing simulator revolution
NASCAR is the most popular motorsport series across America, but its roots run deep as a regional sport in the South, especially in our home state of North Carolina. That history has heavily influenced the growth of motorsports in the US, which has produced a disproportionate amount of Southern drivers — and fans. But in recent years, a surprising new trend has begun to level that playing field: the explosion in popularity of esports.Featuring:
Rajah Caruth, Driver in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Steve Myers, Executive Vice President and Executive Producer at iRacing
Ray Smith, Director of Gaming and Esports at NASCAR
Links:You can find a transcript of the episode here.Donate: The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 18, 2024 • 20min
Place, Erased: Environmental ghost towns
Any kind of environmental crisis – whether it's caused by an act of God or big industry – can upend a community. That's especially true for the smaller, more rural towns that dot the landscape of the South. In the past century, natural and man-made environmental changes have transformed and even erased some of these places.What happens to small towns when they meet BIG opponents and who fights for these communities to be preserved — or at least, remembered – when the dust settles?Featuring:
Danny McArthur, Environmental Justice Reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom
Drew Hawkins, Health Equity Reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom
Links:
Check out Danny and Drew’s three-part series Place, Erased
You can find a transcript of the episode here.
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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 11, 2024 • 18min
EVs are reshaping the South one small town at a time
Stanton, Tennessee -- population 400 -- is getting ready to welcome a Ford auto-manufacturing campus that will employ 6,000 people. And with it, prosperity and some serious growing pains. This one small town is a microcosm of the powerful new economics at play in states throughout the American South.Featuring:Nora Eckert, Auto Industry Reporter at The Wall Street JournalLinks:
Check out Nora's reporting from Stanton.
You can find a transcript of the episode here.
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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 4, 2024 • 25min
The remarkable story of daredevil Tiny Broadwick
This year marks the 120th anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's powered airplane flight at Kill Devil Hills in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. But the Wright Brothers aren’t the only icons of aviation with ties to the South. This week, we tell the unlikely story of a woman named Tiny Broadwick. Born into extreme poverty, Broadwick went on to become a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of parachute jumping, saving thousands of lives along the way.Featuring:
Lt. Col. Jessica Brown, History Instructor at US Air Force Academy
You can find a transcript of the episode here.
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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 28, 2023 • 37min
Featuring: Embodied - How fandoms build community
This week we're highlighting a recent episode of the award-winning podcast Embodied (which is also produced at WUNC). We hear a lot about toxic fandoms in our culture — but there's also a lot to share about the brighter side. Guest host Anisa Khalifa first became a fan in high school. She gets an explanation from a psychologist about how being in fandoms benefits mental health, and a journalist describes what role the internet has played in shaping fan culture. Plus, Anisa invites the co-hosts of her K-drama podcast to reflect on how fandom brought them together — and what it means to be a fan.Meet the guests:- Lynn Zubernis, a psychologist and professor at West Chester University, talks about what poises some people to become superfans more than others, and how being in a fandom can be mentally beneficial- Candice Lim, co-host of ICYMI, Slate's podcast about internet culture, talks about how different internet platforms shape fan communities, and the increasing ways that fandom and regular life are overlapping- Paroma Chakravarty and Saya, Anisa's co-hosts on the podcast Dramas over Flowers, share how the K-drama fandom bonded them together, and what responsibilities fans hold in their communitiesDig Deeper:Lynn's research and writing on fan psychologyThe ICYMI episode on this summer's hacking of AO3Read the transcript | Review the podcastDonate: The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 21, 2023 • 18min
The kids are alright: NPR Student Podcast Challenge finalist
NPR's annual Student Podcast Challenge is kind of a big deal. In 2023 alone, they received over 3,300 entries. This week on the Broadside, we highlight the work of one of the finalists who uncovered the history of her neighborhood -- Oberlin Village in Raleigh, NC -- and fought to bring it into the light and preserve it for future generations. Featuring:
Leeya Chaudhuri - Journalist (and student) at Enloe High School in Raleigh, NC
Brian Hedgepeth - Teacher at Enloe High School
Links:
Listen to The Down 'Loe, Enloe High School's student podcast.
This year's NPR College Podcast Challenge is open for entries and will close on Jan. 5, 2024.
You can find a transcript of the episode here.
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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 14, 2023 • 18min
Recovering from long Covid could be a long journey
We now know an incredible amount about the COVID-19 virus. But long Covid symptoms and treatment options remain a blind spot. This week, we check in on a group of patients and doctors from the Carolinas who we’ve been following for over a year in order to see how we’re adapting to this second silent pandemic.Featuring:
Jason deBruyn, Health Reporter at WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio.
Eleanor Spicer Rice, science writer and long COVID patient
Dr. John Baratta, Founder and Co-director of the UNC Health COVID Recovery Clinic
Justin Foster, former Clemson University football player and long COVID patient
Links:
Check out Jason’s recent reporting on long Covid and WUNC's original story featuring Eleanor and Justin from 2022.
You can find a transcript of the episode here.
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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 7, 2023 • 19min
Millions across the South can’t trust their tap water
The water supply for millions of people across the South has serious problems. Many of these folks live in majority Black cities like Jackson, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee. Billions in federal funds were recently allocated to help fix cities' poor water quality, but will it be enough? Join us as we tap into the water across the region and learn what it’ll take to clean it up.Featuring:
Adam Mahoney, Climate and Environment Reporter at Capital BLinks:
Check out Adam Mahoney’s reporting on Black America’s water crisis.
You can find a transcript of the episode here.
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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.


