NEWS

WUNC-FM news series to highlight changing economy

CHAPEL HILL -- WUNC-FM will broadcast "North Carolina Voices: Looking for Work," a series of news profiles and interviews concerning fundamental changes in the work force that are appearing as the state emerges from recession. The reports will be heard May 6-24 during WUNC’s broadcasts of "Morning Edition."

North Carolina’s economy is showing signs of improvement, and many economists expect a full recovery in 2002. However, thousands of North Carolinians who lost their jobs may remain unemployed for months. When they are hired, their work is likely to be significantly different from their former jobs.

"North Carolina Voices: Looking for Work" will report on jobs in traditional manufacturing industries that have vanished during the economic downturn. The series also will examine companies that are downsizing and reorganizing their work forces to emphasize new skill sets. WUNC reporters will talk with job seekers and job recruiters to reveal the ways in which the state’s economy has shifted to reward flexibility and technical knowledge.

News director Emily Hanford said the series is a snapshot of North Carolina in 2002. "As the economy improves, people will be left behind," she said. "Who are the people looking for work? What kind of mark will the recession leave on their lives? What are the options for people whose jobs are gone for good?" These are the issues that the series will address.

The series will include the following reports:

· A high-tech worker who is rethinking his career. This 48-year-old man has been laid off from the same telecommunications company three times and now is considering other options such as teaching and forestry.

· A 20-year-old woman without a college degree who lost her seasonal job. She is looking for a job with a steady paycheck, but one that will allow her to pursue her passion – writing.

· A 33-year-old man who was laid off from his job as a software tester at a pharmaceutical company, and has since been working part time at a sandwich shop, earning a tenth of what he used to make. He is anxious about the changes impact on his family, and worries that his skills are being wasted.

· An older worker trying to beat the odds. This 63-year-old man ran his own restaurant until mounting medical bills forced him to close down and take a job as a food service director at a retirement home. Since he was laid off from that post, he is launching a new career as a consultant, hoping to improve the behavior and attitude of younger workers.

· A woman returning to school after being laid off from a textile plant in eastern North Carolina. As she learns computer skills, she is facing the fact that many people in her community must leave to find work in new industries.

National Public Radio’s "Morning Edition" is heard on WUNC from 5 a.m.-9 a.m. Monday-Friday.

WUNC, the public radio service of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, operates a five-station radio network serving more than 250,000 weekly listeners from Greensboro to the Outer Banks. WUNC has the largest public radio news staff in North Carolina and produces public radio programs including "North Carolina Postcards" and "Back Porch Music". WUNC is a member station of National Public Radio, and can be heard at 91.5 FM in the Triangle and Triad, at 90.9 FM in the Rocky Mount/Wilson/Greenville area, and at 90.5 and 90.9 FM along the Outer Banks. WUNC is online at www.wunc.org.

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Contact: Michael Arnold, program director, (919) 966-5454

News Services Contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593