Best WUNC Podcasts (2025)

1
Stein's top Helene recovery official makes the case for more funding 29:16

6h ago29:16

29:16

As state lawmakers debate how much money is needed for the latest Helene recovery package, Gov. Josh Stein’s administration is making the case for $1.07 billion to help western North Carolina rebuild. Matt Calabria, director of the newly created Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), spoke with WUNC's Colin Campbell about …

1
Catch a ride: Public rideshare comes to north Mecklenburg County next week 1:29

19h ago1:29

1:29

Taking the bus is a great way to save money on gas and cut carbon emissions — as long as one is going where you need to go, when you need to go there. So, what if you could hail a tiny bus straight to your neighborhood when needed?By Zachary Turner

1
Our Road: Then — EP 43 That Latest Yankee Invasion: Our Move from North to South 32:16

7h ago32:16

32:16

Send us a text Above Photo: “Making Music,” Left: Sylvia Davis Bumgardner, Robert Ferruccio, Ken Ferruccio, Robert Macon Davis (harmonica), Deborah Ferruccio (harmonica), Charlie Davis (guitar), Laura Bennie Davis, pregnant with daughter, Mariah, born the next day, July 4, 1977. (Photo by Stan Bumgardner) ___________________________________________…

1
NC's Fort Bragg Re-Renamed; Former UNC chancellor on this 'tumultuous moment' in higher ed, NIH funding cuts 50:26

19h ago50:26

50:26

NC army base renamed for a new Bragg, but echoes of old Fort Bragg linger The army base near Fayetteville, N.C. formerly known as Fort Liberty is now Fort Bragg — again. The U.S.’s largest military base is no longer named for slaveowner and Confederate General Braxton Bragg, but rather a different Bragg — Private Roland L. Bragg of Maine who served…

1
Hell froze over: Southern hockey is thriving 20:23

1d ago20:23

20:23

In the 1990s, professional ice hockey was primed for growth. But the NHL had one major problem: geography. In order to expand its footprint, the sport had to move into unlikely warm weather locations with few existing fans. The league eventually expanded to the Sun Belt with mixed early results. But in North Carolina and other Southern states, the …

1
‘I’ve Got The Same Thing You Do’: Ehlers-Danlos Across Generations 49:06

1d ago49:06

49:06

Soph Myers-Kelley and his mom, René Myers, have always been close. As of five years ago, they also share a diagnosis: the connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Soph and René were diagnosed one year apart – Soph was 25; René was 60. EDS explained symptoms they’d both been experiencing for decades, including waking up with jaw or shoulde…

1
A Little Love Help from My AI Friend 25:31

1d ago25:31

25:31

Is artificial intelligence in your dating toolkit? After avoiding the topic, Laura explores. She talks with Igor Khalatian, tech entrepreneur and founder of Iris Dating, and gray dater Emmay, who’s using ChatGPT to help her craft flirtatious messages with potential matches.By Laura Stassi

1
Tariffs and independent pharmacies; Understanding tariffs; Most anticipated books of 2025 50:26

2d ago50:26

50:26

Leoneda Inge talks to Jonathan Harward of Josefs Pharmacy about how tariffs may impact medication prices. Celeste Headlee chats with NC State associate professor Andrew Greenland about the history of tariffs and their potential impact on the state. Maggie Robe of Flyleaf Books looks ahead at some of the most anticipated book releases of Winter/Spri…

1
Duke Energy posts profit despite storm damage and reduced residential energy use 1:55

3d ago1:55

1:55

After a contentious summer of debates, state regulators approved Duke Energy’s plans to supply more energy while lowering emissions. The decision left the utility leaders optimistic about the Carolinas’ energy future and its returns for investors.By Zachary Turner

1
North Carolina's Supreme Court election saga 50:26

3d ago50:26

50:26

Why North Carolina’s State Supreme Court election is the last race still not decided from the 2024 election. And, we hear from some of the more than 60,000 voters affected by ballot challenges. Including a woman whose Mother died a few days after voting. Plus, Doug Bock Clark, a reporter for ProPublica’s South hub, shares the national legal and ele…

1
'Protect our votes' rally draws hundreds of Riggs supporters in Charlotte 1:26

3d ago1:26

1:26

A rally took place in Charlotte on Monday to protest Republican Jefferson Griffin's efforts to toss out tens of thousands of votes in the North Carolina Supreme Court race.By Elvis Menayese

1
Hundreds gather in Raleigh to protest Griffin's ballot challenge 2:36

4d ago2:36

2:36

Republican Jefferson Griffin wants to invalidate more than 60,000 ballots in his attempt to turn around his apparent electoral loss in a race for a seat on the state Supreme Court.By Rusty Jacobs

1
“Who gets to be Native in America”; the history of Latinos at Duke University 50:26

4d ago50:26

50:26

'Our History, Our Voice: Latinés at Duke' There’s a new exhibit at the Museum of Durham History called Nuestra Historia, Nuestra Voz / Our History, Our Voice: Latinés at Duke. Cecilia Márquez, Duke history professor and author of Making the Latino South, helped put the exhibit together along with some of her students. She joins Due South’s Jeff Tib…

1
NC News Roundup: NC native Linda McMahon's confirmation hearing; university funding at risk; latest on Helene relief 37:01

7d ago37:01

37:01

On the North Carolina News Roundup... Republican Senator Thom Tillis tries to retain his partisan bona fides while moderating to win reelection in 2026. North Carolina native Linda McMahon is in the national spotlight this week with her Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Education. And former NC Sen. Richard Burr supports Tulsi Gabbard in…

1
Influential GOP consultant looks back at 50 years in NC politics 29:31

7d ago29:31

29:31

Raleigh-based Republican consultant Carter Wrenn has had a front-row seat to decades of political history. He’s worked for the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms and Ronald Reagan starting in the 1970s. He’s now written a book on his experience that offers an inside look at some key moments and controversial figures in politics. He spoke with WUNC'…

1
NC's new State Treasurer Brad Briner; Southern Mixtape: Love songs through the decades 40:58

8d ago40:58

40:58

Leoneda Inge speaks with new State Treasurer Brad Briner about the State Health Plan, the state pension plan and how he plans to distinguish his tenure as treasurer from his predecessor's. Grammy-nominated mother and son duo Nnenna Freelon and Pierce Freelon share their favorite love songs in a Valentine's Day-themed Southern Mixtape.…

1
The hunt for a long-lost musical masterpiece (Revisited) 21:58

8d ago21:58

21:58

To celebrate Black History Month, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes from last year. Perhaps more than any other artform, the 20th century was shaped by jazz. And piano player and composer Mary Lou Williams was there at nearly every turn. In recent years, historians have documented and dissected her career and its big impact on American …

1
Why Is Good Food So Sexy? 49:21

8d ago49:21

49:21

Food and sex have been deeply intertwined in our cultural imagination for millennia. Anita talks with a cultural historian who has combed through centuries of sex and food chronicles to understand what makes that connection so strong. Plus, Puerto Rican chef Manolo López shares a Valentine’s recipe and his favorite sexy food. Meet the guests: - Ra…

1
Together and Apart: Two Updates 39:16

8d ago39:16

39:16

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, Dating While Gray continues its year-round mission of offering insights and advice on love, sex, and relationships for people of a certain age. On this episode, Laura checks in with two gray daters who previously shared their compelling true stories. Has Betty’s whirlwind, pandemic-born romance stood the test of time?…

1
NIH funding cuts and NC universities; Greensboro neighborhood joins National Register of Historic Places; Duke Gardens renovation 35:50

9d ago35:50

35:50

WUNC’s Higher Education Reporter Brianna Atkinson explains the latest change to National Institutes of Health funding and how it could impact North Carolina universities and research. Then, Preservation Greensboro Board Member Eric Woodard talks with co-host Leoneda Inge about the long road to recognition for the South Benbow Road Historic District…

1
Author Charles Chesnutt; NASCAR returns to historic NC tracks 37:24

10d ago37:24

37:24

The name Charles W. Chesnutt may sound familiar, even if you don't know where to place it. It belongs to the first African American man to be published in The Atlantic Monthly and to break into the all-white American literary establishment in the late 1800s. Plus, Winston-Salem’s historic Bowman Gray Stadium hosted a NASCAR series race for the firs…

1
ALS and adaptive fashion; comedian Kiki Wynns amplifies women's voices in Ladies Laugh Lounge 36:45

11d ago36:45

36:45

ALS took Holley Broughton’s voice, but not her ability to express herself. She uses her clothes and accessories to say “see me.” Holley found a fellow fashionista in her doctor, Richard Bedlack — the founder of Duke University's ALS Clinic — who wears studded leather jackets, intricately designed rhinestone suits, and other fabulous fashions aimed …

1
NC News Roundup: Trump Protest in Raleigh; state budget update; remembering Capt. Rebecca Lobach 50:26

14d ago50:26

50:26

Leoneda Inge chats with a panel of local reporters about this week's top North Carolina news stories. Guests: Dawn Vaughan, Capital Bureau Chief, News & Observer; Danielle Battaglia, Washington, D.C. correspondent, News & Observer/Charlotte Observer; Bryan Anderson, reporter, Anderson AlertsBy Jeff Tiberii, Leoneda Inge

1
Main Street NC: Midway tries to stay rural while becoming a town 25:21

14d ago25:21

25:21

This is the fifth episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face. Midway is one of North Carolina's newer towns formed to avoid becoming part of a neighboring city. The town in Davidson County that …

1
NC’s Latino churches brace for possible ICE visits; 10 years since three young Muslim Americans were murdered in Chapel Hill 50:26

15d ago50:26

50:26

NC’s Latino churches manage concern over possible ICE visits With news of the Trump Administration’s authorization for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to visit churches, once protected spaces, to make arrests, the state’s predominantly Latino churches are working to prepare their congregations for potential interactions during servi…

1
Who gets to be Native in America 21:25

15d ago21:25

21:25

North Carolina’s Lumbee Tribe have been pursuing full federal recognition for over 130 years. A campaign promise kept by Donald Trump has given them hope. But it’s also renewed centuries-old questions about who gets to be Native in America. Featuring: Sarah Nagem, editor of the Border Belt Independent John Lowery, Lumbee Tribal Chairman Carrie Lowr…

1
One Woman's Guide To Divorcing America 48:48

15d ago48:48

48:48

In the hours and days following President Donald Trump’s re-election, online searches about leaving the U.S. surged. Historically, most folks who have considered a move haven’t taken action, but Tina Strawn is an exception. Anita talks to her about why, as a queer Black woman, she left America in 2020 in search of freedom. Tina answers listener's q…

1
Wake County Public Schools Superintendent on ICE policy; Chronic homelessness in NC; Tara Roberts on diving for Black history 50:26

16d ago50:26

50:26

WCPSS Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor speaks with Leoneda Inge about the district's policy on potential ICE visits. Dr. Brian Klausner stops by the studio to discuss his work with treating patients experiencing chronic homelessness in Raleigh. National Geographic Explorer in Residence Tara Roberts discusses her new book, Written in the Waters: A M…

1
'Meet the Mayors' series; former HBCU gymnastics star’s career, once interrupted, soars again 50:26

17d ago50:26

50:26

Due South kicks off a series of conversations with mayors in our region to get to know the stories behind the people leading our towns and cities. We begin with a conversation with a former mayor — the longest serving mayor in Durham's history, Bill Bell. Leoneda Inge talks with Bell in our Durham studio about his legacy, the challenges and opportu…

1
NC's own "Six Triple Eight" who served in World War II honored; preserving stories of NC's Black veterans 50:26

18d ago50:26

50:26

How historic markers are approved in North Carolina North Carolina highway historical markers can be seen all across the state – and these markers can make a big difference when it comes to which NC stories, historical moments, and people are memorialized and commemorated. Leoneda Inge talks to Ansley Herring Wegner of the NC Office of Archives and…

1
Our Road: Then — EP 42: How long? Not long. Ferruccio’s 5-Point Detoxification Framework 52:36

20d ago52:36

52:36

Send us a text In this episode, Ken echoes Dr. King’s notable “How, Long? Not Long" question and refrain in a memorandum to Jonathan Howes, Secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources that outlines Ken's 5-point framework for detoxifying the Warren County PCB landfill based on conditions necessary to enviro…

1
NC News Roundup: Children's Hospital, Supreme Court election, and Helene relief 50:26

21d ago50:26

50:26

A panel of local reporters unpack the week's top stories, including the legal battle for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat, financial help for damage from Hurricane Helene, immigration crackdowns and the state's first stand-alone children’s hospital. And a check-in with WFAE's environmental reporter Zach Turner about federal climate policy change…

1
NPR Music's Sidney Madden on Southern Women Rappers and the Grammys; 'Recovering Debs'; The National Black Debutante Project 50:26

22d ago50:26

50:26

NPR Music's Sidney Madden chats with Leoneda Inge about the Southern women dominating this year's rap nominations at the Grammys. Mary Lambeth Moore discusses her podcast, Recovering Debs, which tackles the complicated history of North Carolina's debutante societies. Dr. Nikita Y. Harris discusses her mission to archive artifacts from Black debutan…

1
Election season is over… right? 19:29

22d ago19:29

19:29

Election Day was nearly three months ago. Since then, every race in the country has been called and certified. Except for one. A single election for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court remains in limbo, and its outcome might have huge ramifications for American democracy. Featuring: Rusty Jacobs, Voting and Election Integrity reporter for WU…

1
(Self) Helped: Inside The Industry That Wants To Change Your Life 35:03

22d ago35:03

35:03

Anita is committed to self-improvement but skeptical of self-help. She brings her qualms and questions to the experts: Kristen Meinzer, a podcaster who has lived by the rules of more than 50 self-help books, and Beth Blum, a scholar who's traced the genre back to its roots. Plus Sondra Rose Marie, a former self-help fan, shares how the industry has…

1
UNC-Chapel Hill professor Kurt Gray tackles outrage in new book; Jaki Shelton Green visits Due South to talk poetry 50:26

23d ago50:26

50:26

UNC-Chapel Hill psychology and neuroscience professor Kurt Gray joins Due South co-host Leoneda Inge to talk about his book, Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground. And Leoneda Inge chats with North Carolina poet laureate Jaki Shelton Green about her current work and her approach to writing.…

1
Local chefs take Due South on a tour of multicultural Southern foods 50:26

24d ago50:26

50:26

Sandra A. Gutierrez, Nancie McDermott and Ryan Mitchell are three chefs and cookbook authors whose work distinguishes them as authorities in their fields. Recently, they gathered at Croasdaile Country Club in Durham to discuss their passion for Latin America, Asia and Southern cuisines, respectively, with Due South co-host Leoneda Inge. This Due So…

1
1A's Jenn White, Japanese investment in NC, and a southern foodie dream 50:26

25d ago50:26

50:26

Jenn White speaks with Leoneda Inge about covering the news in this current moment, the second Trump term, and her "If You Can Keep It" series about politics and democracy on 1A. And, Anisa Khalifa host of WUNC's podcast The Broadside shares the story of how tax incentives, BBQ, and Bojangles helped make the Tar Heel State the epicenter of Japanese…

1
NC News Roundup: NC Supreme Court race update and remembering NC Rep. Joe John; Clemency granted and clemency denied 50:26

28d ago50:26

50:26

This week, the big news from Washington is also big news here in North Carolina. Approximately 50 people from North Carolina were among those pardoned by President Trump for their involvement in the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Also, an update on the North Carolina Supreme Court race, which still has not been certified. And, remembering…

1
Main Street NC: Aurora builds infrastructure to lure jobs 22:53

28d ago22:53

22:53

This is the fourth episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. In the coming months, we’ll be visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the positives going on in their towns, and the challenges they face. The Beaufort County town of Aurora, population 450, is one of a number of rural communities staking their …

1
'How Americans Invented and Reinvented Old Age,' Local restauranteur on 40+ years in business 50:26

29d ago50:26

50:26

If you live in the Triangle and eat at local restaurants, you’ve likely indulged your palate at one of Giorgios Bakatsias’ cafes, bistros, or tavernas. Giorgios’ restaurant empire dots the region’s culinary landscape, from Chapel Hill to Durham to Raleigh to Wake Forest, and in recent years even expanding out to Wilmington. And after more than four…

1
How North Carolina became Japan's favorite state 21:42

29d ago21:42

21:42

North Carolina has been cultivating a special relationship with Japan for more than four decades… and the rewards for the American economy are only accelerating. This week, we find out how tax incentives, BBQ, and Bojangles helped make the Tar Heel State the epicenter of Japanese investment in the US. Featuring: Teruhiro "Terry" Kawabe, President a…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

WUNC Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide

zproxy.org