NCCU’s Radio Station Receives Grant From North Carolina News Foundation

Durham, NC – North Carolina Central University’s (NCCU) jazz radio station WNCU-FM has been awarded a grant from the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund to provide practical training for students majoring in mass communication.  

NCCU is among 10 North Carolina associations, media outlets, organizations and universities awarded the grant that supports greater access to news and information.  

The North Carolina Local News Lab Fund, part of the North Carolina Community Foundation, was established by a group of local and national funders who believe local journalism based on local stories and local people has the power to strengthen democracy in the United States.  

The funding will be used by NCCU students to learn news gathering and reporting skills by producing content focused on local news stories that impact the community.  Their audio projects will be shared on-air on WNCU-FM. Podcasts also will be available on the station’s website, wncu.org. 

“We are thankful for this pivotal funding that will allow students to advance diversity in journalism in North Carolina,” said WNCU General Manager, Lackisha Freeman.

The N.C. Local News Lab Fund is led by an advisory board made up of regional funders and practitioners, including representatives from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the A.J. Fletcher Foundation; the Prentice Foundation; the Democracy Fund, NCCU, and the N.C. Congress of Latino Organizations.

“This group represents the fund’s commitment to supporting a diverse set of organizations pursuing meaningful projects that can better serve local communities and strengthen the ecosystem overall,” said Teresa Gorman, an N.C. Local News Lab Fund advisory board member.

Each grantee in the program will collaborate with the others, she added.

WNCU-FM is a 50,000-watt public radio station licensed to NCCU. Since its debut in August 1995, WNCU has served as a media resource and training facility for NCCU and the surrounding community.  Its mission is to give listeners in-depth and thoughtful programming that includes cultural music, as well as news and information that may be useful in enhancing listeners daily lives.  For more information, visit wncu.org. 

North Carolina Central University prepares students to succeed in the global marketplace. Consistently ranked as a top Historically Black College or University, NCCU offers flagship programs in the sciences, education, law, business, nursing and the arts. Founded in 1910, NCCU remains committed to diversity in and access to higher education. Our alumni excel in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. NCCU is a constituent institution of the University North Carolina System. Visit www.nccu.edu.