Earlier this year, WUNC announced that Frank Stasio, the host of The State of Things for more than 14 years, would be retiring at the end of 2020. This news, in part, resulted in WUNC’s decision to conclude broadcasts of The State of Things at the end of the year.
Frank’s last live show will be on Wednesday, November 25th and The State of Things will continue to air through December, with Anita Rao as host. WUNC will also air some of Frank Stasio’s favorite conversations on The State of Things on Tuesdays and Thursdays in December through the end of the year.
The hour-long program, which has been airing weekdays at noon and also at eight in the evening since 2001, has successfully served residents of North Carolina and beyond for nearly two decades since 1999. With topics ranging from politics to the arts to societal issues and music, the show has served to highlight what has been happening across the state of North Carolina.
As the media landscape has been shifting, WUNC has been working to reach new audiences and stay on top of audience trends. The talented staff that has been working on The State of Things will be re-directed to new WUNC projects that will enhance WUNC’s service to the community.
WUNC’s mission is to serve listeners by providing international, national and local news and information and the station is steadfast in that commitment. In addition to the local coverage provided by our news team, WUNC will continue to enhance its coverage of North Carolina through other avenues such as podcasts and digital news. WUNC currently produces two podcasts that focus on North Carolina: Tested and The WUNC Politics Podcast. Embodied, which is hosted by Anita Rao, began as a segment on The State of Things and recently launched as a podcast as well.
According to President and General Manager Connie Walker, “This was not an easy call. The State of Things is deeply held in our hearts, and the hearts of many WUNC listeners. Frank’s wit and intellectual astuteness will certainly be missed. His retirement has opened a door for WUNC to re-think and re-imagine the station’s efforts, particularly when it comes to our coverage of North Carolina issues.”
WUNC will broadcast “The Takeaway” with host Tanzina Vega weekdays at noon. It is produced by WNYC in New York, along with WGBH in Boston and PRX, the Public Radio Exchange. The show producers call it America’s Weekday Conversation, and it’s been successful on many public radio stations. WUNC already airs “The Takeaway” at 9 p.m. Plans for the eight o’clock evening time slot are currently pending.
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