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Carl Kasell's Curious Connection With Another Broadcasting Legend

Charles Kuralt (l) and Carl Kasell at the WUNC Dedication, March 13, 1953.
University of North Carolina Photographic Lab Collection
/
North Carolina Collection Photographic Archive, Wilson Library
Charles Kuralt (l) and Carl Kasell at the WUNC Dedication, March 13, 1953.

Carl Kasell and Charles Kuralt  have a curious connection.

  • They both call North Carolina home.
  • They both attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 1950s.
  • As students, they both worked to start what became one of the powerhouse NPR stations in the country, North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC.
  • They both had illustrious careers in broadcasting.  (Kasell was the voice of NPR news for 30 years, and is the straight/sometimes funny man on the popular weekend show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! Kuralt gave CBS Sunday Morning its distinct feel.  His "On the Road" segments landed journalism's highest award, the Peabody twice.)
  • They even share the same initials.

Here is some radio gold: audio of that WUNC-FM sign on skit from 1953:

Carol Jackson has been with WUNC since 2006. As Digital News Editor, she writes stories for wunc.org, and helps reporters and hosts make digital versions of their radio stories. She is also responsible for sharing stories on social media. Previously, Carol spent eight years with WUNC's nationally syndicated show The Story with Dick Gordon, serving as Managing Editor and Interim Senior Producer.
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