WUNC / NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC RADIO Through The Years: Station History and Timeline...

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• 1953 - WUNC begins broadcasts as a low-powered student station.
  
• circa 1971 - WUNC silenced by the failure of aging equipment (and possibly a lightning strike). Funds are not available to repair the station.
• April 3, 1976 - The new WUNC signs on the air at 91.5 FM as a licensee of UNC, broadcasting from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends. Original pro-gramming included National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."
• 1977 - Debuts "Back Porch Music," WUNC's longest-running locally produced show.
• 1981 - Adds NPR's "Morning Edition."
• 1981 - Begins airing "The People's Pharmacy" with Joe and Terry Graedon live as an outgrowth of Joe Graedon's weekly commentaries on WUNC.
  
• 1986 - NPR's Bob Edwards lectures to an overflow crowd at UNC's Playmakers Auditorium to help WUNC celebrate its 10th anniversary. Adds NPR's "Weekend Edition." NPR stations Reporter David Molpus at WUNC to cover the Southeast scene.
• 1994 - Adds NPR's "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross to expand discussion about issues of the day. Starts "The State of Things," a locally produced weekly public affairs program, to explore North Carolina's cutural and intellectual life. Adds NPR's "Talk of the Nation" to continue the news and information trend.
• 1995 - Adds overnight classical music for a full 24-hour broadcast day
• 1998 - WUNC begins Composer-in-Context series and Composer-in-Residence program.
• 1999-Begins local news staff expansion, continuing the station's tradition for award-winning journalism as well as a top training ground for excellent broadcast journalists who have gone on to success at NPR and other national programs.
• January 1999-Moves from cramped Swain Hall studios on the UNC campus to the James F. Goodmon Public Radio Building on a campus tract off N.C. 54. Private donations made the new facility possible.


• March 1999-Begins broadcasting on low-power station (90.9 FM) in Manteo as part of an effort to bring public radio to one of the largest areas on the East Coast without such service.
• March 1999-Begins broadcasting on low-power station (90.9 FM) in Rocky Mount at the request of WRQM-FM supporters who wanted to preserve public radio in their region.
• April 1999-Begins broadcasting on low-power station (90.5 FM) in Buxton as part of the earlier Outer Banks project.
• April 3, 2001-Celebrates 25th anniversary on the air.
• April 2001 - WUNC airs first North Carolina Voices series - on aging.
• Sept. 3, 2001- Launches major format change to all news and information to better serve central and eastern North Carolina listeners.
• Aug 2003 - Melinda Penkava becomes host of The State of Things.
• Sept 1, 2003 - WUNC begins broadcasts from a transmitter in Columbia, North Carolina, increaing its coverage in North Eastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks.
• Dec 2004 - The State of Things broadcasts live from the Wright Brothers Memorial for the 100th anniversary of flight celebrations.
• 2005 - WUNC becomes North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC.
• Feb 2005 - WUNC announces Capitol Broadcasting gives WUNC-FM gift of space in Durham at the American Tobacco Historic District
• Sept 2005 - WUNC hires Janet Babin to fill the Innovations Desk reporter for Marketplace.
• Oct 2005 - WUNC begins podcasting its news and State of Things programming.
• Oct 17, 2005 - WUNC State of Things begins broadcasts from the new studio space in Durham.
• Dec 2005 - WUNC News begins daily broadcasts from Durham.
• Jan 2006 - WUNC announces public phase of the Campaign for WUNC.
• Feb 2006 - WUNC launches "The Story" hosted by Dick Gordon locally
• June 2006 - Frank Stasio becomes new host of The State of Things.
• Sep 2006 - "The Story" begins being distributed nationally
• July 2007 - WUNC reaches its Capital Campaign goal.
• Dec 2007 - WUNC Capital Campaign comes to a successful close.