Courtland DixonWNCU, a National Public Radio station housed at N.C. Central University, has successfully completed renovation.
The new space was built to accommodate not only the needs of the full-time radio station but also to cultivate the next generation of radio professionals.
The station began renovations four years ago and finally moved in in March. The new space features a front-and-center studio, enclosed in glass, so anyone who walks through the Farrison-Newton Communications Building can see the host while on air.
“The goal was to make us more visible and enhance the students’ training experience with us,” WNCU general manager Lackisha Freeman said. “It’s pretty much the ultimate goal for me.”
The renovated space includes an entire area for WNCU’s student-staffed online radio channel, AudioNet. It is equipped with multiple rooms for broadcasting, recording booths for public service announcements, podcasts and other content and space for students to do work and socialize.
Freeman said she was thankful to be able to bring the students into the renovated space.
Freeman has been general manager of WNCU for 16 years and she said her focus has always been on preparing the next generation and serving the community.
She said the key to the station’s relevancy is its involvement and intimacy with the community.
“We are definitely an extension, or an outreach if you will, a resource for the university,” Freeman said. “We’re out and about in the community all the time. We’re at festivals, we’re doing live broadcasts, we’re part of the concert series down at Durham Central Park.”
WNCU co-hosts the Playlist Concert Series with Durham Central Park, a nonprofit organization, on the first Friday of every month from May to October.
The station presents outdoor concerts with local and national artists and broadcasts its Friday night show live at the event.
Freeman said it’s an exciting way to connect with the community.
The other part of Freeman’s motivation for WNCU is her commitment to building up the next generation of radio professionals. The student-staffed AudioNet channel gives mass communications students an opportunity to get on-air experience with guidance from long-time professionals. However, students have dealt with adversity while waiting for the new space.
“The challenge is us not having as much privacy as you would normally expect in a radio station,” AudioNet general manager Lolethia “DL” Underdue said. “Usually, you’re kind of closed off and people aren’t just able to pop their heads in the door.”
Lack of soundproofing, recording space and privacy have been just a few of the issues with their current, temporary space.
However, Freeman said the renovated area has a space just for AudioNet that features more rooms for recording that are larger than the rooms currently used.
“I plan to explore and see what I can do down there. I’ve talked to DL about it,” Johnathon Backstrom, a junior mass communications major and AudioNet DJ, said. “I think setting plays a big part, so something more open and comfortable is what I look forward too.”
There has been no official date announced for the ribbon cutting, but Freeman shared that while the station has officially moved in, there is still a lot of unpacking to do.
