A New Chapter for Local News: How WCAB News Is Redefining Community Journalism in Rutherford County

For generations, WCAB has been more than a radio station. It’s been a companion, a reliable source of truth, and a reflection of community life in Rutherford County. From breaking news and weather alerts to Friday night football and familiar voices on the air, WCAB has always been where this county turns for information and connection.

Now, WCAB News is building on that legacy — evolving into something bigger, bolder, and more vital than ever.

Across the nation, local newspapers are folding, their presses silenced by shrinking ad dollars, corporate consolidation, and changing habits. The daily paper once tossed on your porch is fading into memory. Yet the hunger for local journalism hasn’t gone away. Communities still need watchdogs to hold leaders accountable, storytellers to connect neighbors, and record-keepers to capture the small but defining moments of local life.

That’s why WCAB News exists.

Our model is straightforward: no paywalls, no subscriptions, no digital clutter. Just credible, fact-checked journalism delivered free to the people of Rutherford County. News should not be a privilege for those who can pay. It should be a public trust, accessible to all.

What sets WCAB News apart is our ability to blend two traditions: the immediacy of radio and the depth of written reporting. Radio is intimate and immediate — a trusted voice in your car or kitchen. Now, those same voices are also backed by in-depth stories online, investigative reporting, and features that dig into the issues shaping our county.

This evolution allows WCAB News to move faster, reach further, and go deeper — not just once a day but all day, every day. By focusing on journalism instead of print overhead, we put our energy where it matters most: into telling the truth and serving the community.

And we’re not doing it alone. Our partnership with The Shelby Independent is the start of a regional coalition of newsrooms committed to honest, accessible journalism. Together, we’re building a network of trusted voices across western North Carolina.

Local news has been called “the Bible of democracy,” the guide by which communities understand themselves. It’s also the connective tissue that binds people who might otherwise feel divided or isolated. That’s the role WCAB News is stepping into — not as a relic of what local journalism once was, but as proof of what it still can be.

The story of Rutherford County is still unfolding. WCAB News will continue to tell it — with clarity, with integrity, and with the same trust we’ve earned over generations.

This isn’t the end of local journalism. With WCAB News, it’s just the beginning.