The Broadside

For over a decade, no holds barred conservative populism has dominated the political conversation in the US. But that hyper-partisan brand of media savvy politics is nothing new and can be traced back over 70 years to an uncompromising politician from North Carolina: Jesse Helms. With the rise of MAGA and the politics of opposition, new research is reassessing Helms' legacy and laying out the case for why he just might be one of the most influential politicians of all-time.

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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 play...

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?

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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.

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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.

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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...

Marriage is a deep and powerful bond. But for politicians, those relationships are often far more complicated. In addition to being a husband or wife, many spouses of elected officials take on strange and demanding roles. And on the campaign trail and at home their lives increasingly mirror our deepening political divide, which means dealing with intense criticism and even the threat of political violence.

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For centuries, the Great Dismal Swamp on the border of North Carolina and Virginia served as a sanctuary for escaped slaves known as maroons. Today, the same harsh conditions that shielded those self-emancipated people from slavery make it difficult for historians and archeologists to understand the extent of their settlements. But that secret world is slowly being uncovered.

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MrBeast, the world's most popular YouTuber, and his billion-dollar business are based in a surprising place: Greenville, North Carolina. So what does it all mean for this small city in eastern North Carolina?

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Cover image: Contestants competing in a MrBeast challenge to win a $300,000 Lamborghini. The winner was the...

Pimento cheese, aka Carolina caviar, is as synonymous with Southern food culture as sweet tea and fried chicken. But the origin story of this spreadable cheddar cheese and pimento pepper dish is much more complicated and a lot less Southern than you might think.

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The late 1960s and 1970s were marked by the emergence of radical and revolutionary political movements in America. The common narrative places much of the action in major urban centers like Chicago, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. But a new documentary film is challenging that story by highlighting the incredible history of the first Black Panther Party chapter in the South, which was located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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The game of cricket is rapidly gaining popularity across the US. But if you want to see what the future of the sport in America might look like, you need to visit a field next to an airport in the town of Morrisville, North Carolina.

This episode originally published on June 27, 2024 during the 2024 Cricket T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the United States.

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Nearly 100 years ago, a radical school called Black Mountain College opened its doors. It featured no grades, very few tests and lots of avante garde art. And although it was a short-lived experiment, this quirky liberal arts college located in the mountains of western North Carolina would become one of the most influential institutions of higher learning in the world.

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Cover image: Renowned architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller in his studio...

Appalachia is Bigfoot territory. In a big way. This week, we look at the mythical beast's legend, lore and sizable economic impact in the region. And we follow one reporter’s journey through the mountains and foothills of western North Carolina in search of Sasquatch.

This episode originally published on July 18, 2024 and features a trip to the Western North Carolina Bigfoot Festival in Marion, NC. The 2026 festival is scheduled for August 29.

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The first Asian residents of North Carolina were a world-famous pair of conjoined twin brothers. And they later became quite possibly the country’s first Asian American citizens. This week, we tell the almost unbelievable story of Chang and Eng Bunker and explore the complicated legacy they left behind in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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Forever chemicals like PFAS have permeated much of the country’s water supply for decades. These containments are linked to severe health problems, yet critics say federal and state government efforts to clean up waterways in places like North Carolina's Cape Fear River aren't doing nearly enough.

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There are tens of thousands of Indigenous mounds located throughout the United States. For Native Americans, these earthen structures are revered as sacred places. Despite their importance to Native cultures, many of these sites have been damaged or destroyed in the past, and very few are actually owned by tribes today. But the fascinating story of one mound in Franklin, North Carolina is highlighting recent efforts to preserve these important sites and put them back in tribal hands.

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In 1988, professional basketball came to North Carolina with the arrival of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA. Desperate to make a splash, the new team made an unconventional early hire; they selected a famous fashion designer to create their uniforms. The Hornets lost 60 games during that bumpy first season, but they looked incredible while doing it. And their iconic look — purple, teal and pinstripes — would launch a global fashion trend that endures today.

A version of this episode originally published on February 2, 2024.

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Data centers projects are expanding throughout the US at hyperspeed and hyperscale. These developments are reshaping small towns, consuming vast amounts of power and striking deals that aren't always clear. And in many places, like rural North Carolina, people are starting to voice concerns in the voting booth.

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Cover photo: An anti-data center campaign sign on...

Flush with billions of dollars from federal funding, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expanding its permanent presence on the ground by opening field offices and creating new detention centers. A majority of these divisive ICE projects are happening in the South, including several proposed facilities in North Carolina. But communities, from large metropolitan areas to rural small towns, are pushing back.

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Known as the "Furniture Capital of the World," North Carolina is famous for its high-quality furniture. And for over a century, it's been the heartbeat of the American furniture industry. But in recent decades, that business has changed dramatically, decimating the workforce and leaving average American consumers with two less-than-ideal options: high-end luxury products or cheap and mostly disposable mass-produced stuff.

This episode originally published on October 24, 2024 and features a trip to the High Point Furniture Market. The 2026 Spring Market is scheduled for April 25–29.

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Fascinating new research is shedding light on how clothing culture during the American Civil war helped radically transform the nation during its darkest hour. Through the clothes they made, wore, mended, lost, and stole, Americans expressed their allegiances, showed their love, confronted their social and economic challenges, subverted expectations, and, ultimately, preserved their history.

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In March of 1944, two basketball teams in North Carolina played perhaps the most important game that nobody has ever heard of. It was the first interracial college basketball game in the Jim Crow South. And it remained a secret for half a century.

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The Trump administration is considering major changes to the way that disaster response works in America, including ceding more responsibility to states. But is that really a good idea? North Carolina's spotty record of responding to hurricanes might provide some answers and offer a glimpse into the uncertain future of disaster relief.

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In 1937, a man claimed to have discovered a rock in eastern North Carolina with a 400-year-old message carved into it from survivors of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. The announcement created an international media circus. And it led to one of the biggest archeological scandals in American history, one that would forever tarnish the artifact’s reputation. But was the Dare Stone authentic?

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From public syllabi to surveillance, universities across the country are embracing unprecedented policies that professors say are undermining their academic freedom. And North Carolina is front and center.

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When disaster strikes in the water, we turn to the US Coast Guard. Today, it’s renowned for its fast-moving cutters, skilled helicopter pilots and daring rescue divers. But a hundred and fifty years ago, the Coast Guard's predecessor, the US Life-Saving Service, was in total disarray and in desperate need of reform. In the treacherous waters of North Carolina's Outer Banks, an extraordinary group of Black men answered the call and saved hundreds of lives against all odds.

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As the story goes, hip-hop music was born a little over 50 years ago at a house party in the Bronx. But that version of history doesn't account for an entertainer from Durham, North Carolina with the incredible name Pigmeat Markham. In 1968, Markham released a hit song called “Here Comes the Judge.” The tune fused comedy, funk, and what can only be described as an early form of rapping—years before hip-hop officially burst onto the scene. So was this largely forgotten figure actually the first rapper?

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Other places might have bigger mountains and better powder, but the icy slopes of western North Carolina are currently home to one of the most vibrant snowboarding scenes in the country. And it's produced perhaps the single most creative rider in the world. But is it all just a fluke?

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Cover image: Luke Berger

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From Huntsville to Houston, the space industry in the US is rooted in the South. And as NASA works towards returning to the moon with the Artemis program, our space history is inspiring new generations of Americans. But in North Carolina, two important sites from the Space Race of the 1960s remain relatively unknown.

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From bourbon to chow chow, fermentation is everywhere in Southern food and drink. But how did this "controlled form of rotting" become so prevalent in our regional cuisine and why does it make everything taste so dang delicious?

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On a cold night in January 1958, hundreds of Native American men and women from the Lumbee Tribe showed up to a field in southeast North Carolina with one mission: to boot the KKK out of their community. The skirmish that followed would become an integral part of modern Lumbee identity and lore.

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Buc-ee’s, the mega-sized gas station known for its pristine bathrooms, numerous snack options and cartoon beaver mascot, is expanding across the South. And it’s bringing with it a legion of cultish fans. But what’s with all the hype? And does the world really need a gas station the size of a Walmart with 20 different flavors of beef jerky?

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This New Year's Day we're revisiting one of our all-time favorite episodes of The Broadside. We'll be back with a new original show next week.

On a rainy day in 1979, a photograph was taken of a young girl skateboarding down a street in Fayetteville, North Carolina. 45 years later, that photo went viral with a little help from the most famous skater who ever lived: Tony Hawk. This week, we find out who the mystery girl in the picture was and why the snapshot was so ahead of its time.

This episode originally published on December 12, 2024.<...

During this holiday break, we're sharing an episode from the podcast series Our Common Nature, produced by our friends at WYNC. 

When the world stopped in 2020, cellist Yo-Yo Ma started thinking about how music can reconnect people to the natural world, and how story and song can help us grapple with America's complicated history. Our Common Nature is a 7-episode series where Yo-Yo Ma travels around the country to make music and meet people who have deep connections to the earth. In this episode, host Ana González joins Yo-Yo in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, to...

On our 100th episode there are no small stories… just short ones. In the past two years, we've crisscrossed the state of North Carolina. From Manteo to Murphy and many points in between. And we’ve done our best to connect you – wherever you live – to the people and places that make our region so fascinating. Along the way, we’ve collected a few stories that, for whatever reason, didn’t fit into a full-length episode. But we thought our 100th episode special was the perfect excuse to break out some of these shorties but goodies. 

This week, we expl...

It’s easy to overlook the importance of mini golf. But this tiny game has played a pivotal role in breaking down class barriers to golf. And the story of how a bite sized version of golf made it from one man’s lawn in North Carolina to the rest of the world is utterly fascinating.

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The Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina are one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. The region is home to a whopping 4,000 species of plants and thousands of species of fungi. And many of them are edible. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, some folks (including children) are embracing this supermarket in the woods by learning how to forage for wild food… and how not to get poisoned in the process.

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This Thanksgiving we're sharing an interview from our friends and colleagues at Due South, WUNC’s daily talk show. Hosted by Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii, the program is a source for news, information and perspectives from across North Carolina and the South.

In this conversation, Leoneda chats with Dr. Brittany Hunt. Hunt is a professor at the Virginia Tech School of Education, where she teaches the teachers about how schooling practices have been rooted in anti-Indigeneity and how to upend that system to center Indigenous stories.

Hunt is also co-host of the Red Justice Pro...

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail form the backbone of the eastern portion of the US National Park system. Together, they welcome 15 million visitors every year. But they likely wouldn't exist as we know them today, if it weren't for the work of a pioneering photographer in North Carolina named George Masa. This week, we find out how an immigrant from Japan became the eyes of the American conservation movement and unearth the dark secrets that motivated his life’s work.

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