January 25 marks the 70th anniversary of WCHL’s on-air launch, all the way back in 1953 as a 1000-watt, daytime-only station on 1360 AM.

Since those humble origins, the station has grown in size and stature in many ways. In late 1968, WCHL shifted to a 24-hour format – just in time for live coverage of Chapel Hill’s historic 1969 mayoral election, where Howard Lee became the first Black mayor of a majority-white Southern town. The shift also enabled the station to air more UNC sporting events – just in time for the rise of Tar Heel men’s basketball as a perennial national powerhouse under Dean Smith.

WCHL experienced a brief exile in the late 1990s, when the Curtis Media Group purchased the station and moved it to Durham. But in 2002, the station returned to Chapel Hill – just in time to help residents navigate a historic ice storm that hit the Triangle that winter.

Ten years later, in 2012, WCHL entered an exciting new phase of its history, launching the Chapelboro website and launching a simulcast on 97.9 FM.

Along the way, the station has also been the launching pad for numerous well-known broadcasting legends. Charles Kuralt, Jim Lampley, and Mick Mixon all got their start at WCHL – to name only a few.

97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck spoke with several of the most significant figures in WCHL’s long history.

Ron Stutts was WCHL’s morning-show host almost nonstop for 43 years, from 1977 to 2020. He shared his memories of UNC national championships, ice storms, water shortages, and more. Listen:

 

Wayne Pond preceded Ron as WCHL morning show host before going on to a career in academia – but returned to the station later as WCHL’s resident wordsmith. Listen as he discusses his time on the air, including the special message he got from Bear Bryant:

 

Nobody has been more closely associated with WCHL than Jim Heavner – who arrived at the station in 1958, eventually took over as WCHL’s owner, launched the Village Companies media conglomerate with WCHL at the center, and remained with the station all the way until 2015. Listen as he remembers the many significant figures who passed through along the way – and all the major stories we covered.

 

WCHL is known for many things, including serving as the launching pad for many legendary broadcasting careers. One of those legends is Mick Mixon, the longtime radio voice of the Carolina Panthers, who got his start at the station while he was still in high school. Listen as he remembers his time at WCHL, including his memorable coverage of one particularly dull election:

 

Howard Lee was already a WCHL veteran when he got elected Chapel Hill Mayor in 1969 – a historic election in its own right, but also the first one whose results were reported live on the air. Listen as he shares his memories:

 

To find all of the radio station’s current programming, and more photos of WCHL’s history, visit the 97.9 The Hill Radio Page.

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