The Broadside

In the 1990s, professional ice hockey was primed for growth. But the NHL had one major problem: geography. In order to expand its footprint, the sport had to move into unlikely warm weather locations with few existing fans. The league eventually expanded to the Sun Belt with mixed early results. But in North Carolina and other Southern states, the NHL has found success with a radical long-term strategy. They've helped build the next generation of hockey fans almost completely from scratch.

With the start of the 2025 NHL season just underway, we're revisiting this episode that was originally published on February 20, 2025.

Featuring:

• Ibraheem Khalifa, hockey fan
• Cory Lavalette, Carolina Hurricanes beat reporter and senior editor at North State Journal
• Shane Willis, Director of Youth Hockey & Community Outreach for the Carolina Hurricanes
• Joe Ovies, co-host of the Ovies & Giglio sports podcast

Special thanks goes out to the Orange County Sportsplex and Coach Kevin Kamenski of the Carolina Thunder Hockey Club in Hillsborough, NC.

Thanks also to WUNC's Josh Sullivan and Mitchell Northam.

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

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Although Latinos make up some of the most diverse communities in the South, they're often portrayed as one people and newcomers with a fairly uncomplicated backstory in the region. But from the Civil Rights Movement to South of the Border, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

This episode was originally published on September 19, 2024.

Featuring:

• Cecilia Márquez, author of Making the Latino South: A History of Racial Formation

Links:

• You can find a transcript of this episode here.

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This week, we’re sharing an episode by our friends at Common Land. It’s a podcast that explores the history, science and politics behind the creation of protected lands in America.

Season two focuses entirely on the Appalachian Trail. It follows documentarian Matt Podolsky as he attempts to thru-hike the 2200-mile journey with his 65-year-old mom. Along the way, Matt shares stories of remarkable people, surprising history, and the modern challenges facing the Appalachian Trail — all as the iconic footpath marked its 100th anniversary.

This is the second episode from that series, which was produced by The Wild Lens Collective in partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio. It’s called Trailnames and Cherokee footpaths. And it takes place almost entirely in our home state – North Carolina. In it, Matt hikes some of the ancient Native American footpaths that overlap with the Appalachian Trail. 

We hope you enjoy this walk in the woods.

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When the sprawling federal tax and spending law known as the Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law in July, a countdown began. That’s because the bill included major changes and cuts to Medicaid funding that are set to go into effect in just a little over a year. Now, dozens of state legislatures across the country are trying to navigate the early political and health policy fallout. And in North Carolina, all eyes are on one vulnerable group: rural healthcare providers.

Featuring: 

• Nick de la Canal, host and reporter for WFAE in Charlotte, NC
• Donny Lambeth, North Carolina State Representative

Links:

• Check out Nick's reporting on Medicaid expansion’s uncertainty here.
• Listen to a recent episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast that digs even deeper into Medicaid policy.

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The tiny mountain town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina is the site of the single biggest source of ultra high purity quartz in the world. It’s a vital component in the manufacturing process of semiconductors for computers and solar panels. In fact, the mine in Spruce Pine is quite possibly the most important mineral extraction site on the planet. Because we don’t have a backup.

Featuring: 

• Alan Schabilion, owner of Emerald Village in Spruce Pine, NC
• Ed Conway, author of Material World: The Six Raw Minerals That Shape Modern Civilization

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

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Last week, we dropped an episode that was a collaboration with Nashville Public Radio (WPLN) and music journalist Jewly Hight. You should really check it out. It’s all about a Black fiddle and banjo music revival, with deep roots in North Carolina, that’s sweeping the US. While that movement is largely occurring in folk music spaces, it also includes a handful of Black country music artists. In this special bonus episode of The Broadside, we extend the story by asking how country music became so white. And we find out who’s trying to change that.

Featuring:

• Jewly Hight, senior music writer at Nashville Public Radio - WPLN
• Rissi Palmer, musician
• Amanda Marie Martinez, assistant professor of American Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

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This past spring, Durham, North Carolina hosted a sprawling roots music festival called Biscuits and Banjos. For the thousands of attendees, it had some similarities to a lot of folk music events around the country. But one major thing set it apart. Nearly every featured performer was Black.

The event is just one part of a Black folk music revival sweeping the country that's rescuing lost traditions and challenging stereotypes that for generations have influenced things like who gets to play the banjo in America.

This episode is part of a collaboration between WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and WPLN-Nashville Public Radio.

Featuring:

• Jewly Hight, senior music writer at Nashville Public Radio - WPLN
• Rhiannon Giddens, musician and member of Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Dom Flemons, musician and member of Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Brandi Waller-Pace, musician and scholar
• Kaia Kater, musician and member of New Dangerfield

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

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.

College football has become a money-sucking machine, with schools spending every dollar possible to keep up in an athletics arms race. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill entered the fray this year in spectacular fashion, betting big on legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick in the hopes that he’ll elevate the school’s football program. But why are universities, especially those with academic and research clout, pouring all of this money into athletics in the first place? 

Featuring: 

• Scott Dochterman, national college football reporter for The Athletic 
• Matt Hartman, higher education reporter for The Assembly 

Links: 

• Check out Scott’s reporting on money in college athletics.
• Read Matt’s work on UNC-Chapel Hill's big bet on Bill Belichick.
• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

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.

This year, Jane Austen fans around the world are celebrating the English author's 250th birthday. Surprisingly, one prominent event took place in North Carolina. The annual weeklong symposium, called the Jane Austen Summer Program, is a cross between an academic conference and summer camp, with lectures and embroidery workshops. It even has a Regency ball with a suggested dress code, so we put on our finest gown and traveled to New Bern, NC to find out why Austen's work is still as relevant as ever.

Featuring:

• Inger Brodey, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and co-founder of the Jane Austen Summer Program
• Amy Patterson, co-owner of Jane Austen Books
• Samiha Bala, student at UNC-Chapel Hill

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

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.

For nearly 20 years, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission has helped incarcerated people who have evidence of their innocence walk free. But despite over a dozen headline-grabbing success stories, this independent state agency remains incredibly rare in the American legal system. In fact, there's no other neutral government-run agency like it in the entire country. And this bold experiment could soon come to an end.

Featuring:

• Michael Hewlett, criminal justice reporter for The Assembly
• Will Michaels, reporter and host for WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio

Links:

• Check out reporting about the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission by Will at WUNC and Michael at The Assembly.
• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

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.