News Release

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North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC names Stasio
as permanent host of "The State of Things"

CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC (91.5 FM) has hired veteran National Public Radio correspondent Frank Stasio as the permanent host of The State of Things, the station's mid-day call-in show. The State of Things, which airs weekdays at noon, is a live program that focuses on the issues, personalities and places of North Carolina through sound, story, discussion and commentary; it invites listener participation through phone calls.

Stasio was a fill-in host for former host Melinda Penkava for several years and has served as acting host since Penkava left the program in December. He was hired after a nationwide search.

"We looked all over the country, but we quickly realized that the best person for the job was right here," said George Boosey, the station's program director. "Frank is very familiar with North Carolina and the station from his years filling in on The State of Things, and during his six months as acting host, he has made a real effort to become part of the Triangle community.

"Because this is a program that focuses on what's happening in our own backyard, it is essential to have a host who really cares about and is interested in this area and the people here - and Frank definitely brings that passion to the table."

Stasio, who has been commuting from his home in the Washington, D.C., suburbs will move to the Triangle with his family. He has been in the radio news business since the age of 19, starting as a newscaster in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. In 1981, he joined NPR in Washington, where he was a full-time newscaster for All Things Considered and helped produce the network's live coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

Since 1995, Stasio has been an independent radio producer, working as a freelance newscaster and replacement program host for many network programs, including Talk of the Nation. He also conducts journalism training workshops for broadcast professionals in emerging democracies and presents audio theater workshops for young people around the country.

"Hosting The State of Things is the most creative professional enterprise I've ever been a part of," Stasio said. "It's a blessing to do something so fresh at this point in my career. My goal is to conduct a conversation that informs an audience and stimulates the listener to think about issues in new and imaginative ways.

"At its best, a conversation holds the possibility that new ideas can emerge in ways that no one could have imagined before the conversation began. With a state as culturally rich as North Carolina and a staff as smart and passionate as the State of Things crew, I'm excited about the chance to produce the kind of radio I've always wanted to hear."

Boosey said that North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC's ability to secure the full-time efforts of a talent like Stasio is a tribute to the support North Carolina listeners give to public radio.

"We are dedicated to bringing the best people on the radio to our listeners, whether through our own productions such as The State of Things, on our local newscasts during Morning Edition and All Things Considered, or through The Story with Dick Gordon," Boosey said. "This is a great market for public radio. It is because we have listeners who strongly support the station that we are able to attract this kind of talent."

North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC is the public radio service licensed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is heard at 91.5 FM in the Triangle and Triad regions, at 90.9 FM in Rocky Mount/Wilson, and at 88.9 FM on the Outer Banks. WUNC serves more than 250,000 listeners each week.

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Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/staff/stasio_frank.jpg

Note: Stasio can be reached at fstasio@wunc.org.

North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC contact: George Boosey, (919) 966-5454 or gboosey@wunc.org
News Services contact: Lisa Katz, (919) 962-2093 or lisa_katz@unc.edu