The Broadside

Each week, host Anisa Khalifa tells one story from our home in North Carolina, at the crossroads of the South. From news to arts and culture, WUNC News’ “ The Broadside” dives into issues that might not make the front page, but deserve a closer look. Along the way, we explore the nuances of our home — and how what happens here ripples across the country. Find new episodes of “The Broadside” every Thursday.

The Broadside is a news podcast hosted by WUNC News, with 160 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

WUNC News hosts The Broadside, a news show with 160 episodes published.

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  The Broadside

  A tunnel, a song and a dark secret uncovered

  Oct 1, 202628 min

  The completion of the Swannanoa Tunnel brought the railroad to western North Carolina and transformed the region. For almost 150 years, the legacy of the project has been one of growth and economic progress. But recent research about its construction has unearthed a tragic lost history. And surprisingly, the key to it all – was hidden in a song. Featuring: Jefrey Keith , professor of history and college archivist at Warren Wilson College Links: The Bitter Southerner: Somebody Died, Babe: A Musical Cover-Up of Racism, Violence, and Greed Cover image: Incarcerated laborers circa 1880 working at Swannanoa Cut on the Western North Carolina Railroad near Round Knob in Buncombe County, North Carolina. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  The Broadside

  That time we almost destroyed the world

  Sep 24, 202621 min

  On a chilly evening in 1961, a B-52 crashed in rural eastern North Carolina near the town of Goldsboro. Any plane crash is bad, but this one was particularly dangerous because onboard that bomber were two nuclear weapons. The event was perhaps the closest the United States has ever come to accidentally detonating a nuclear bomb—and kicking off a nuclear war. This episode originally published on January 2, 2025. Featuring: Jay Price, Military and Veterans Affairs reporter at WUNC and The American Homefront Project Stephen Schwartz, independent nuclear weapons expert and author of “Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940” Links: Read Jay's article from 2018 marking the 50th anniversary of the Goldsboro nuclear accident.  View photos of the Mars Bluff Crater left behind by the nuclear accident in Florence, South Carolina. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  The Broadside

  Trucks, drugs and rock and roll: Maximum Overdrive turns 40

  Sep 10, 202624 min

  A little over 40 years ago, filming began in North Carolina for an ambitious movie called Maximum Overdrive . The project was led by a legendary producer who’d made some of the greatest films of all-time. And it was written and directed by the most famous author in the world—Stephen King. It seemed like a can’t miss production. But then… everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The result was a 'cocaine-fueled' disaster that helped put the Southern film industry on the map. Featuring: Bob Gunter, cameraman and actor Dan Brawley, executive director of the Cucalorus Film Foundation Links: Jengo's Playhouse in Wilmington, NC The Assembly: After 40 Years, Maximum Overdrive Is Still Bad Enough to be Good Cover image: A still from the 1986 cult classic horror film Maximum Overdrive . It starred Emilio Estevez, was produced by Dino De Laurentiis, and was directed and written by Stephen King. Maximum Overdrive was one of the first major movies filmed on location in Wilmington, North Carolina and is considered one of the pioneering productions of the modern Southern film industry. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  The Broadside

  Competitive whistling and the trill of the chase

  Sep 3, 202627 min

  For most people, whistling is just a casual way to pass the time. But there’s a small worldwide community of whistling enthusiasts who've taken the artform to a whole new level. This week, we tell the strange story of competitive whistling in America and follow one man’s journey from North Carolina all the way to Japan in a quest to become one of the greats. Featuring: Leslie Boney, competitive whistler and contributor at The Assembly Links: The Assembly: The Trill of the Chase Cover image: Masashi Ebihara performing in the final round for A Cappella Adult Division at the 47th World Whistlers Convention 2026 at Scrum21 Hall in Kawasaki, Japan (Photo by KQuhen via Wikimedia Commons) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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  The Broadside

  Southern cafeteria culture reaches the end of the line

  Aug 27, 202624 min

  The cafeteria has been a cultural and culinary touchstone in the South for generations. But recently, many of these restaurants have shuttered their doors. In 2025, the long-serving North Carolina chain K&W Cafeterias closed its last location, marking the end of an era. But the spirit of the communal serving line still lives on in a few remaining restaurants. This week, we visit one of them in search of the perfect tray and find out what’s lost when the cafeteria serving line stops. Featuring: Nikki Miller-Ka, food and travel writer and contributor for The Assembly Links: The Assembly:  The End of the Line See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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