x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins

Launched in April 1998, Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins has become the region"s exclusive forum for the discussion of politics, arts, culture, social issues, literature, human interest, the environment and more.

news places & travel

All Episodes

50:40

A conversation with NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/28

The word "poetry" is often used as a metaphor. Many see the art form as something from the past, associate it with academics or think of it as unapproachable, it is none of those things. Poetry is alive and well, and in North Carolina, it's promoted by the state’s poet laureate Jaki Shelton Green. She's the ninth person to hold that position and joins us to talk about the role of poetry in modern life.

en

50:38

Inside North Carolina's data center boom

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/27

We look at the boom of data centers across the region and what it means for the state. We’ll examine the pros and cons of a sector only expected to continue growing with million and billion-dollar investments from companies.

en

50:37

Local News Roundup: Gerrymandering; 'No Kings;'...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/24

A new congressional map passes the N.C. General Assembly likely adding an additional Republican seat in the midterms. 'No Kings’ protests push back on the Trump administration. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has yet to decide if he’ll run for reelection. And Charlotte FC is in the playoffs.

en

50:38

Charlotte FC heads to the MLS playoffs

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/23

Major League Soccer has wrapped up its regular season. Charlotte FC finished fourth in the Eastern Conference and last weekend beat the league’s best team — Philadelphia — to secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Crown will go into that game without one of its best players and will call on younger players to step up. A look at what to expect, this team’s importance to Charlotte and more.

en

50:35

DC Roundup: Gerrymandering, federal shutdown and NC...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/22

The government shutdown rolls on and it is impacting North Carolina. The Senate is in session, but the House has been out for weeks. We’ll catch up on what has been happening and not happening on Capitol Hill and consider the possible impact in Washington D.C. of North Carolina’s plans to gerrymander districts for the midterms.

en

50:39

Meet Krista Bokhari, the Republican candidate for...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/21

Early voting is underway in Charlotte’s municipal elections. The only competitive district race on Charlotte City Council is the one in District 6, formerly represented by Tariq Bokhari, who stepped down. Now his wife, Krista, is running as a Republican against Democrat Kimberly Owens. Last week we spent time with Owens. Today, a conversation with Bokhari about why she wants the job.

en

50:40

A conversation with award-winning North Carolina...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/20

On the next Charlotte Talks, an exploration of storytelling and what makes for a good story with award-winning storyteller Donna Washington.

en

50:37

Local News Roundup: Charlotte hires new attorney;...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/10

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis pushes back on Attorney General Pam Bondi, telling her he’s struggling to make sense of National Guard Deployments. Charlotte hires a new city attorney. Charlotte City Council’s Transportation and Planning Committee opts not to advance part of the process for forming a new transit authority. And a big proposal from Tepper Sports.

en

50:40

Understanding involuntary commitment in North Carolina

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/09

The stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail renewed conversations about the need for mental health treatment and led some leaders to examine the involuntary commitment process for people who pose a danger to themselves and others. A crime bill recently passed by the legislature takes steps in that direction and we examine how the involuntary commitment process works and where it might go wrong.

en

50:36

Pregnancy and autism under the Trump administration

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/08

The Trump administration has issued confusing instructions about the causes of autism, including cautioning pregnant women not to take acetaminophen. Experts are pushing back, arguing those claims are misguided and insisting there is no causal link between Tylenol and autism. We look at the science behind this Tylenol claim and examine what autism really is.

en

50:36

Examining the scope of robocalls and scams in NC and...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/07

Last year, robocalls cost Americans $158 billion in fraud and scams. Who are the people behind these calls? How do you protect yourself? We talk about that and about how the state of North Carolina is leading the charge to end them.

en

50:36

A discussion with Neil deGrasse Tyson on life beyond...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/06

Mankind has always wondered if we’re alone in the universe. Now, a Mars rover has found what looks like signs of life in the distant past on that planet. We’ll explore that possibility and learn more about what scientists are doing as they search for other signs in a conversation with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

en

50:39

Local News Roundup: House subcommittee on crime after...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/03

A U.S. House subcommittee holds a hearing in Charlotte about crime and safety, state auditor Dave Boliek publishes a report on CATS security, Gov. Josh Stein calls on the General Assembly to make up a shortfall on Medicaid, and the impact of the federal government on North Carolina.

en

50:40

It's fall, y'all: How your garden can keep growing,...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/02

On the next Charlotte Talks, moving your garden into fall and preparing for winter. Some experts argue that fall is the best season to garden. We’ll hear from some of those experts about fall gardening and what you should be doing right now.

en

50:37

Raleigh Roundup: "Iryna's Law," Medicaid, no state...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/10/01

Lawmakers were back in Raleigh last week. They passed a law in response to the murder of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s Blue Line train in August, but they didn’t tackle the budget and if the House and Senate don’t come to an agreement on Medicaid, thousands could lose access to care. Meanwhile, the redistricting debate could be hitting North Carolina.

en

50:35

How well do North Carolinians know the state's...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/09/30

On this Charlotte Talks, we talk about our state constitution. Fewer than 1 in 10 North Carolinians say they are familiar with what our constitution outlines. One in 5 admits they are not at all familiar with it. This comes from a survey conducted by YouGov, and we dig into the results, take a closer look at our state constitution and its impact on our daily lives.

en

50:36

Online radicalization, extremism and the efforts to...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/09/29

Violent extremist movements continue to thrive in online spaces. We examine how extreme ideologies spread, why young people are increasingly recruited into violent ideology and what’s being done to push back.

en

50:35

Local News Roundup: Queens, Elon announce merger;...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/09/19

Queens and Elon universities announce plans to merge, Mecklenburg County Commissioners approve agreements to create a new MTC if voters approve a transit tax, Congress plans to hold a hearing on crime here in Charlotte following the murder of a Ukrainian refugee on the Blue Line, and Charlotte FC aims to make history this weekend.

en

50:36

Charlotte restaurateurs Jamie Brown and Jeff...

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/09/18

Meet two of the master minds behind running creatively crafted restaurants in repurposed historic buildings right here in Charlotte. We'll sit down with Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel, who are about to be spotlighted in a 10-part PBS TV series, "Fork & Hammer."

en

50:34

The push to improve reading proficiency

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins ·

2025/09/17

Improving test scores has been a focus of educators at CMS. The pandemic did a number on those scores and the struggle to raise them up has been daunting, but last year showed marked improvement with 72% of students hitting their benchmarks. Still, they fell short of expectations. So, we take a dive into the numbers, look at tools to improve learning, and more.

en

291 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

PBS News Hour - Full Show

PBS News

CD Voice

China Daily

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

Noa Levi

Jeffrey Epstein: The Coverup Chronicles

Bobby Capucci