Tuesday marks the first day the Chapel Hill Media Group’s operations — 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com — go live at its newest location. The radio station formally moved its employees and broadcast equipment to 1525 East Franklin Street and began sharing its local programming from a new space.
But how did the radio station arrive here?
WCHL and Chapelboro last moved its studios and offices in 2016, as it transitioned to University Place from Vilcom Center in Chapel Hill. But with the mall undergoing extensive redevelopment in recent years, it made the long-term future for the radio station less clear.
WCHL General Manager Aubrey Williams says since her business was renting space, University Place’s long timeline and flexible plans for the redevelopment led her to begin exploring other local options.
“It creates a sense of uncertainty and impermanence when the space doesn’t belong to you,” she says. “They are still ironing out their plans for what the rest of the mall is going to look like, and what we realized is that’s every change and where we fit in that mix could also be something that changes. That’s really unsetting when you’re trying to have a secure place to run a business.”
As she began reaching out to different community members about options for a permanent home for WCHL, Williams turned to Sammy Martin of Franklin Street Realty. The business has been a long-time advertiser with the radio station and during a meeting about potentially moving, Williams says Martin surprised her with a unique proposal.
“I believe that I was actually at a meeting at the Franklin Street Realty office,” she says, “and he said, ‘Well, what about this space?’”
Martin, who owns the realty business, had seen his own workforce move to largely remote operations in the wake of lockdowns over COVID-19 in recent years. He says after chatting with his wife, Wendy Mann, she suggested looking at 1525 East Franklin Street itself for the radio station.
1525 East Franklin Street, the new location for WCHL and Chapelboro.com. (Photo via Google Maps.)
“And when [Williams] told me how many square feet they were looking for ideally, I thought about that I had 3,200 square feet that I didn’t need anymore, it was [obvious.] Same location, flat roof [for the station’s satellite dish], 200 yards from your [radio] towers, and unbelievable parking… it was perfect for them. And I had an opportunity to downsize in the same building.”
WCHL and Franklin Street Realty have a relationship that intertwines beyond just an advertising partnership. Martin co-founded his business in 1991 and ran things at 1720 East Franklin Street – the same building where WCHL was founded 38 years before. Five years later, Franklin Street Realty moved into 1525 East Franklin Street and helped drive a years-long partnership with WCHL in the Chapel Hill community.
Now, Martin says, it’s poetic that the radio station is moving in after so much history together.
“Basically, 30 years later, they come back and take our space,” he says of WCHL. “There’s a serendipity to that that you don’t see that often.”
Franklin Street Realty isn’t going anywhere, as Martin and his team moved across the hall in the 1525 building into some former Allstate Insurance offices. Martin says despite the many years of the professional relationship, there are many more to come with the businesses as neighbors.
“I feel like we got a lot out of WCHL,” he says, “and hopefully they get a lot of us by moving into our space.”
Williams, meanwhile, says she believes the new space is the nicest home for WCHL and Chapelboro since she began working at the radio station in 2003 at its Vilcom building. With features beneficial to both employees and visitors alike, she says the new long-term home presents an exciting investment in the station’s future — especially in the same year as WCHL celebrates its 70th anniversary of broadcasting.
“I think that Chapel Hill is synonymous with Franklin Street,” the general manager says. “And similarly, WCHL is synonymous with Chapel Hill. So, it’s like a perfect marriage.”
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Congratulations on a well deserved move WCHL! As Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz remarked, “There’s no place like home!” I hope this new “home” on East Franklin Street for WHCL is a happy one going forward! I have a hunch it will be and better “fits” WCHL as an award winning world class broadcasting station, too! In addition to its location, I also think that the first day WCHL started broadcasting from its new location on East Franklin Street is auspicious, too! On November 21, 1789, North Carolina ratified the then “new” U.S. Constitution and officially became part of the new United States of America. 234 years later, WCHL began broadcasting from its new location on East Franklin Street on November 21, 2023. Coincidence?! Ok, well, maybe, but I still think that’s a good date, regardless! History Matters! Way to Go, WCHL! Best Wishes as you begin a new era of broadcasting excellence on East Franklin Street!