The Broadside

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.

The Broadside is a news podcast hosted by WUNC News, with 154 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

WUNC News hosts The Broadside, a news show with 154 episodes published.

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  The Broadside

  The Belichick effect and the money-sucking machine of college football

  Aug 13, 202625 min

  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? This episode originally published on September 4, 2025. The 2026 college football season officially kicks off later this month when UNC plays TCU on August 29th in Dublin, Ireland. 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 . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  The hunt for a million dollar fish

  Aug 6, 202622 min

  Marlin fishing helps fuel a billion-dollar recreational saltwater fishing industry. Much of it is situated on the North Carolina coast, which also happens to be the site of one of the oldest and most celebrated fishing competitions in the world – the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament . It’s an event filled with high stakes drama, and it continues to grow year after year. But are there enough blue marlin in the ocean for the good times to keep rolling on? Featuring: Ashley Bleau, owner of the Sensation Neal Conoley, author and former head of the North Carolina Aquarium Society Dr. John Graves , marine biologist and former professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Aaron Barr, first mate of the Never Enough Links: Marlin Magazine: Marlin Fever Rewrites Big Rock History You can find a transcript of the episode here . Cover Image: The crew of Marlin Fever pose with a massive 919.9 pound blue marlin caught off the coast of Morehead City, North Carolina on June 9, 2026. The catch broke the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament record and earned the crew a staggering $6.5 million in prize money. Credit: Big Rock Tournament See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  A ‘serial killer’ is stalking honeybees

  Jul 30, 202619 min

  The yellow-legged hornet is an invasive wasp that first showed up in Georgia in 2023. Since then, it’s rapidly expanded its footprint in the South and become a serious threat to an important pollinator: the honeybee. But a small army of scientists and beekeepers are fighting back and setting up a new line of defense in North Carolina. Featuring: Emily Cataneo, contributor at The Assembly Links: The Assembly: Is North Carolina Ready for an Invasion of Bee-Killing Hornets? Cover image: North Carolina agricultural inspectors share information about the yellow-legged hornet at the N.C. State Beekeepers Association annual conference in Winston-Salem. Credit: Cornell Watson for The Assembly See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  Taking the Road to Nowhere

  Jul 23, 202629 min

  Just a few miles from the tallest concrete dam east of the Mississippi River, there's a paved road that ends at a mysterious tunnel. This unfinished roadway, deep inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a stark reminder of a broken promise to people who once lived there and the sacrifices they made in the name of progress at all costs. But it's also just a small part of a fascinating and bittersweet story about remembrance and tradition in this isolated corner of Appalachia. Featuring: Lance Holland, owner of Appalachian Mercantile and local historian (also author of “The Little Tennessee River” and “ Fontana: A Pocket History of Appalachia ”) Henry Chambers, North Shore descendant and co-organizer of North Shore Cemetery Association  James Calhoun, North Shore descendant Chris Chandler, North Shore descendant  Katie Liming, Chief of Staff for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Jessica Gunter, North Shore descendant Cover image: Lakeview Drive road tunnel on the Road to Nowhere located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City, North Carolina. Credit: Charlie Shelton-Ormond See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  The Bomber and the Rookie

  Jul 16, 202658 min

  This year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. The mood in the US at the time was very similar to the World Cup fever we're experiencing right now. But halfway through those games, that festive vibe shifted when a bomb went off in Centennial Olympic Park. 111 people were injured, 1 person was killed and overnight the Olympics became part of a criminal terrorism investigation. This week we're looking back at those events. But this episode isn't about Richard Jewell, the hero security guard who was wrongly accused of planting the bomb. Nor is it about Eric Rudolph, the domestic terrorist and survivalist who fled the scene and was later the subject of one of the longest manhunts in American history. This episode is about the life of the small town cop from North Carolina who ended it all. And how being a footnote to history is sometimes just the beginning of a life well-lived. "The Rookie" originally published in 2019 and was produced for Away Message, a podcast from Our State Magazine. It features host and reporter Jeremy Markovich who is an occasional guest on The Broadside. Markovich now runs the North Carolina Rabbit Hole newsletter, where he explores the strange and quirky corners of his home state. Links: Our State Magazine: https://www.ourstate.com/ North Carolina Rabbit Hole: https://www.ncrabbithole.com/ Credits: Jeremy Markovich: producer, mixer, host James Mieczkowski: producer Elizabeth Hudson: editor-in-chief Music: "Bright Direction (You're A Dark Star Now)" by Hiss Golden Messenger Special Thanks to Matthew Yates, Katie Killen, Bill Evans and the Boston College Police Department, and Charles Winokoor of the Taunton Daily Gazette. Some archival audio courtesy of WLOS-TV. Cover Image: Shrapnel imprinted into a sculpture from the bomb set off by Eric Rudolph on the morning of July 27, 1996, at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Credit: Darth-Wiki-Man / Wikipedia See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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