News Release

North Carolina Public Radio–WUNC begins broadcasts
from new studios in Durham’s American Tobacco district

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC 91.5 FM will broadcast its first program from a satellite production facility at the American Tobacco Historic District in downtown Durham on Monday (Oct. 17). The new Durham studios work in conjunction with the station’s Chapel Hill headquarters.

The first broadcast – the interview and talk program The State of Things, hosted by Melinda Penkava – will be produced live from noon-1 p.m. from studios in Bay 6 of American Tobacco’s Washington Building. The State of Things will be broadcast regularly from the Durham studios, as the radio station makes use of the new space to expand its North Carolina programming.

The new space in Durham will allow for more interactive broadcasts that engage the local community in new ways, said North Carolina Public Radio–WUNC general manager Joan Siefert Rose.

"We look forward to having the public be able to see ‘radio at work’ in our new facility, as passersby will be able to watch our talk shows and newscasts from the adjacent courtyard and walkways," Rose said.

The 8,400-square foot space and upfit were donated to the station by Capitol Broadcasting Co., parent company of WRAL-TV, WRAZ-TV, WRAL-FM and other media holdings, and owner of the American Tobacco Historic District complex and the Durham Bulls baseball team.

Capitol Broadcasting’s President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Goodmon is the honorary co-chair of North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC’s capital campaign and has long been committed to the success of public broadcasting.

All of the station’s broadcasts will continue to be sent through the transmitter in Chapel Hill. The new space will allow North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC to broadcast live programs that can be viewed by passersby to the American Tobacco Historic District complex. The station also plans to stage a series of concerts and live events in the adjacent public space.

North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC currently has 50 employees. By the end of 2005, about 20 people will be located at American Tobacco. North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC will remain headquartered in Chapel Hill and Rose and a majority of the station’s senior managers will remain in the Chapel Hill facility.

North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC 91.5 FM is the National Public Radio affiliate licensed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It operates a five-station radio network serving more than 250,000 listeners each week in communities from Greensboro to the Outer Banks. North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC has the largest public radio news staff in North Carolina and produces programs including The State of Things and The People’s Pharmacy. The station recently was chosen to host the Innovations Desk for the nationally broadcast business program Marketplace.

North Carolina Public Radio–WUNC’s news and information format 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 88.9 FM along the Outer Banks. Podcasts and audio streaming are available online at www.wunc.org.

North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC contact: Joan Siefert Rose, (919) 962-9150 or jsrose@wunc.org

News Services contact: Lisa Katz, (919) 962-2093 or lisa_katz@unc.edu