Important Links:
Listen to Bob Burtman read his entire story, “Identity Crisis,” from 27 Views of Hillsborough:
Listen to WHUP-FM:
To purchase the anthology, 27 Views of Hillsborough, click here:
Music for this episode is entitled “Riverside Drive,” by Northside. It’s available on Epidemic Sound:
Season Two, Episode 19 Show Notes
Hanging Out With Bob Burtman
Old South & New
In a world of boomburbs and generic downtowns, Hillsborough, North Carolina, stands out. Cohesive, walkable, its streets lined with 250 years of architectural styles, the town has gone from sleepy to vibrant in the last 20 years. Journalist Bob Burtman lives and works there and keeps a watchful eye for storm clouds on the town’s horizon. A well-known citizen and president of the community radio station, Bob is an eagle-eyed town observer.
Bio—
A veteran investigative journalist and radio DJ, Bob Burtman for the past eight years has combined his passion for both as co-founder and president of WHUP, a community radio station in Hillsborough, NC. Bob hosts the station’s local news show five mornings a week as well as a Sunday night music show, “Roots Rampage.” Bob’s early career revolved around jobs that provided free LPs such as writing music reviews, which evolved into a full-time journalism job with the Independent Weekly (now called Indyweek); During his tenure at the Houston Press from 1995-2001, he won numerous state and national honors for his long-form stories about criminal justice, the environment, local politics and people behaving badly. His freelance work has appeared in The Nation, Mother Jones, and other publications. After interest in local and regional journalism waned, Bob turned his focus to investigative research for private clients. When not at the WHUP studios he can often be found kicking back and listening to music from his record collection, which reflects his long-time obsession for vinyl.